I reached the age of 30 and had just
finished with a long term relationship, I was bored at work and just wanted to
experience something different in my life. I decided to fulfil my lifetime
ambition and travel the world.
I sold my flat and my car to raise the
money and set about planning my journey. I surfed the internet to get as much
information as possible about the countries that I planned to visit, where to
stay, what I wanted to do and see whilst in that part of the world. I looked at
other travellers stories to get an idea of what to look out for and what to
avoid. I read some horror stories about problems that other people had
experienced and decided at that point that I must get the best travel insurance
policy that I could find. I particularly wanted to be covered for sporting
activities that I was determined to try: things like White Water Rafting in
Africa, Scuba Diving and Horse riding in
Every year
thousands of people think about taking an extended holiday.
School leavers
and recent graduates make up the majority of people taking extended holidays,
but many professionals also consider taking a career break to explore the
world.
Only the most
seasoned travellers realise the many potential problems they may encounter on
such an adventure and take out a suitable travel insurance policy. Recent
research has shown that as many as 25% of gap year travellers jet off without
adequate insurance protection!
Many younger,
less experienced travellers are likely to embark on an expedition without
realising the potential problems that may occur or without taking suitable
precautions to protect themselves against them.
If you are planning to travel abroad, you need insurance, but it is not something you should be sorting at the last minute as not all policies are the same and you should always read the small print. For example, is cash and indeed any of your valuables are covered? This is often not the case on very cheap policies. Also how much excess will you need to pay in the event of a claim? Economy type policies are fine for the important health aspect, but don't expect to have your £500 camera covered without additional payment.
