Guard against invalidating your travel insurance this Christmas

It’s difficult not to get swept up by the myriad of tasks that Christmas brings every December. Presents to buy, decorations to put up, various family members to appease…it’s a lot to keep track of even before you add a festive holiday into the equation. Travel insurance might not be high on the list of your priorities, but a small action could invalidate your policy. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of tips to make sure you stay covered and protected when you go on your travels this Christmas!

Timing is essential

Starting the policy at the right time is a crucial component of travel insurance, so if you’re looking at buying single-trip cover, make sure you do so when you’re booking the holiday itself. It’s important to fulfil policy criteria in the event of an accident or an illness that stops you from taking your trip; purchasing travel insurance at the right time is a big part of that.

Declare all of your medical conditions

It’s important to make sure you detail any relevant pre-existing conditions when choosing your policy, even if you aren’t experiencing any health issues at the time of purchase. The reason behind this is that you won’t be covered in the event of issues during your trip should you fail to disclose any important historical or current ailments.

Don’t leave important possessions unattended

When it comes to taking care of your important possessions on holiday, it’s always better to be as safe as possible than sorry. That’s why we recommend putting anything highly valuable into a locked safe when you aren’t carrying it with you or it’s not in sight, as your insurer will view anything stolen as unattended property should it not fulfil the above criteria.

Make sure your documents are up to date

It can be a pain keeping on top of your travel documentation, and if your passport has a few months to go before it expires then it might be tempting to try your luck and use it before your trip. Unsurprisingly, we don’t recommend that! It’s a well-established fact that a large proportion of countries around the globe will require your passport to have at least six months validity on your passport before they will allow you entry and should border patrol refuse you entry on your arrival, your insurer won’t offer any cover. The same approach should be taken with visas; make sure you get the correct one to save yourself any bother.

Get inoculated

For those of us planning a trip to a more exotic location during this festive season, it’s essential that you book an appointment with your GP to talk about any inoculations or vaccinations that you may require. Again, it’s simply not worth the risk of contracting an illness that will invalidate your travel insurance, so make sure to plan ahead accordingly.