Insurance tips for gap year travellers

Preferential travel insurance has put together a list of essential top tips for when you are embarking on your gap year travels.

Before you go – remember to let your travel insurer know if you have a significant change in your health, or if you develop a new medical condition.

In the event of loss, burglary or theft of money, personal baggage or documents when you are abroad, remember that all original receipts and police reports must be obtained within 24 hours.

All travel insurance policies include some activities (or hazardous pursuits) as standard. Check this list and make sure the activities you want to do on your trip are covered.

If you go against any suggestions or recommendations made by any government or other official authority during your period of cover, you will not be covered by your travel insurance.

Be vigilant and take care of your property – particularly when you are drawing out money or taking photos with an expensive camera. Treat your passport like gold dust. If you are camping or in a youth hostel, don’t leave anything behind.

When you are back in the UK, have the following information to hand if you need to contact your travel insurer’s claims handler: where you bought the policy shop/phone/web; policy number; country and resort visited; value of the claim; brief circumstances; travel dates and incident dates.

Steve Nickerson, managing director of Preferential Direct comments, “Travel insurance is vital for gap year travellers, but once they do get cover, then we recommend that they follow our simple tips so they have the best and safest time on their travels, and if they have to make a claim, it goes as smoothly as possible.”

Preferential’s Worldtrekker standard travel insurance is priced from £27.85 per person for 45 days worldwide cover and includes up to 48 adventure activities at no extra cost, including Scuba Diving to 15 metres, Snorkelling and River Canoeing.

For award-winning travel insurance from the experts buy online at preferential.co.uk/worldtrekker.