The Crusader: Ensure you cover all your options
A WAR graves family trip to the battlefields of the Somme ended in a double blow for a son and his elderly mother.
A combination of sad circumstances forced Roger and Patricia Berrie to cancel, costing the pair more than £500.
Patricia had always wanted to visit the Somme as her soldier father had been injured there. So son Roger booked a “100 years anniversary” tour last December. Shortly after he settled the bill in May, Patricia broke her hip and could not travel. “After some discussion, we were offered a similar, tour later on in August which we accepted,” explained Roger.
As an aid worker, he spends lengthy spells abroad. “I intended to organise travel insurance once I was back but a few weeks later mum had a stroke and it was too late.”
The company concerned, Leger Holidays, told Crusader that it tried to help the family from when the first cancellation occurred. “We also told them about travel insurance and gave out the medical prescreening help line number,” added a spokesman. “Unfortunately due to the timing of the cancellations we will have encountered charges that we have to pass on.”
I intended to organise insurance once I was back but mum had a stroke and it was too late
The Berries also had to pull out of two other breaks with Newmarket Holidays and, although Patricia is recovering, other holidays seem unlikely. “Newmarket charged 10 per cent of what we paid which helped,” says Roger, who suggested tour operators make insurance for older travellers mandatory.
However, when Crusader quizzed companies about such a move the consensus was it would prove too complex and costly. Tour operator Saga says its travel insurance can offer an 84-yearold (with no known pre-existing medical conditions) cover on a four-day trip to Europe for £34.59. If with an adult child then insurance for both would cost £44.53.
Cancellation is the most common claim Saga customers make and the average cost of a claim is around £1,000. “If the family had been covered by our insurance, it would have paid out,” a spokesman said.
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How to save yourself a mint: Travel insurace tips
Choose a holiday, find travel insurance and check out the cancellation terms for both a deposit and a fully paid holiday, pay the trip deposit, buy the policy.This four-step process is essential if you don’t want to risk having to pay a fortune later on.
Insurance must start from the moment you book, the crucial safeguard should you need to cancel because of illness, yours or a close relative’s, or deal with a disaster while away.
But advancing years, illness and injury can wreak havoc with the cost of travel cover. Some insurers have relatively low maximum age limits, such as 65 or 70 and it gets far harder after 80. Where insurers don’t offer a service, they are required to suggest an insurer or broker who does.
Consumer group Which? advises:
“Find a specialist travel insurer aimed at the older traveller.
Declare all pre-existing medical conditions, failing to do so could result in your claim being refused.
Buy a multi-trip policy if you plan to travel more than twice a year as it is likely to be cheaper. But those aged over 80 may struggle to get an annual policy and to settle need single-trip cover.
Check they are covered under your policy and don't have any age restrictions.”
Which?’s recommendations for over-80s best rates include:
For single trips - Blue Bear Travel, Covered2go, HolidaySafe, Insuredtotravel and Letsgoinsure
For annual policies - Circle Cover, Insure & Go, RAC, Saga and Staysure
Money saving travel tips from CBS
Also remember:
Cruise holidaymakers must have travel insurance, and given the costs of holidays, it’s imperative cover begins at the time of booking. Many cruise operators will transfer a deposit if there is a problem to an alternative trip or trips. But invariably the value must be equal to the original booking.
Cruise operators value loyal customers, but that probably won’t stretch to them taking a reduction if there is a change of plan.
If you think you have travel insurance as part of a bank account package, double check. Holiday companies tell Crusader they have seen customers who think they are covered, but a closer look (when it’s too late) reveals what is being listed is only a travel helpline.
If you have to rearrange, discuss the options possible with your tour operator, provide your doctor’s written opinion, and always update your insurer of any change so you remain covered.
For more advice and details, see http://www.which.co.uk/money/insurance/reviews-ns/travel-insurance/medical-conditions-travel-insurance/