Travel Insurance

31st July 2023

If you are working abroad, Travel Insurance is an absolute basic requirement.   To be blunt, if you don't think you can afford the insurance, you can't legitimately afford to be travelling.

Yes, it is another expense but the bitterness of that extra expense will be forgotten long before the bitterness of that one time you needed travel insurance but didn't get it.

But before you head straight to an online price comparison website there are a few things to consider:

 

Business cover

If you are travelling for work, select Business Cover.

Most policies charge an extra fee for "Business Cover" which provides extra protection to business equipment and possessions (including cash and credit cards).   Which seems like another unnecessary expense.

If you are travelling for work to, say, the South of France, for a weekend job and you need to claim on your stolen laptop - you could consider making a claim without business cover.   But that's fraud.  And when they see your selfies on Instagram delivering training, meeting executives in the board room or filming with a news channel, they won’t like it. And neither will you.

If you are travelling to a less safe country, without a reputation for tourism or romantic minibreaks and need to make a claim for a tablet, a laptop, a DSLR and Credit Cards in a company name, that's a non-starter.   They're gone. Because you didn’t pay the £50 extra.

 

Where are you going?

Almost no travel insurance policy will cover you for travel where the FCDO has advised against 'all but essential travel' or ‘all travel’.

The FCDO state:

"Whether travel is essential or not is your own decision.  You may have urgent family or business commitments which you need to attend to.  Only you can make an informed decision based on your own individual circumstances and the risks....and only the travel insurance company concerned is able to decide whether to allow an insurance claim.  They take into account a range of information, including their policy wording, any applicable exclusions, and specific evidence you provide as the claimant."

Some often frequented destinations known for their tourism such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt do not have blanket restrictions, but the FCDO advise against "all be essential travel” or "all travel" to certain regions or districts within these countries (often around country borders).   If an incident occurs, for an insurance policy to accept a claim you will usually have to provide a crime reference or medical reference, usually from the local police or hospital you attended.  You can't make a claim without evidence and that evidence puts you in that area.

 

War and Terrorism

Most policies will not provide cover (except medical and personal accident protection) in the event of the outbreak of war (whether declared or not), invasion, acts of foreign enemies, hostilities, civil war, rebellion, terrorism, revolution or coup.

This is all in their terms and conditions.

But what if military operations or civil unrest develop during your stay?  The insurance you have paid for may no longer valid, either in part or in its entirety.

This is considered part of your Travel Risk Assessment.  At the very least, do some low-level research on the country you are visiting.   What is the political mood?   Are there elections coming up?  What is the economic state of the country? Are militant groups active in neighbouring countries?

You would be foolish, to say the least, to even consider travelling to such an area without insurance. 

  • For these environments, there are specialist high-risk insurance providers such as Voyager Insurance, Tysers and Hostile Insurance.

  • Campbell Irvine provides specialist cover for adventurous activities, such as kayaking, mountaineering and skiing as well as volunteering activities including community, conservation and project work.

  • Insurance for Journalists specialise in travel insurance for high-risk areas for journalists and media crew.

 

Technology & Equipment

‘Gadgets’ are usually an additional package on top of the standard policy because the insurance policy has to balance the amount it expects to pay out in claims and the amount it expects to receive in income and gadgets are expensive to replace, easy to steal and easily damaged.

Most standard packages offer a nominal £300 cover for ‘valuables’ and maybe £1,000 for a single item of technology on a good policy.    If you have a reasonably modern mobile phone that is your limit reached in one claim.  Add in a laptop, tablet, audio-visual equipment and additional comms and you can see the need for additional gadget insurance.

These policies also come with restrictions, for example:

  • Purchased by you as new in the UK, or;

  • Purchased by you as refurbished in the UK as long as the refurbished gadget was sold with a minimum 12-month warranty,

  • Are not more than X years old (often no more than 18 months old for laptops.

  • They would not be covered for theft from a vehicle or a hotel room, unless locked in the safe or from a room you were not in at the time (e.g. an office overnight).

  • Have not previously been repaired using non-manufacturer parts.

 

Stand-alone worldwide gadget policies also exist from providers such as Protect Your Family or Protect Your Bubble.   Similar restrictions apply but if you are an infrequent traveller, it may be more economical to consider an annual insurance policy on your gadgets worldwide alongside a single-trip travel policy.

 

Doesn’t the employer pay?

Sometimes.    On more than one occasion I have been approached by an organization which has required travel to some less cuddly parts of the world.  After the logistics, pay and payments terms have been agreed I’ve asked:

“Can you just send me copies of your insurance policies and medical repatriation plans?”

 

No response.  

Radio silence.

No matter how good the daily rate is, if the employer is not prepared to consider this, that is a red flag.

 

More reputable, established companies such as media channels and oil & gas companies, for example, who have established legal teams as well as significant experience of working within certain countries will provide substantial Insurance, even for temporary or freelance employees as a matter of course.

It is still worth considering your own insurance alongside their top-cover.   Whilst they are obliged – if for no other reason than reputational damage - to repatriate you for a medical emergency, they are likely to be less interested in your lost luggage or stolen laptop. 

 

Conclusions

Any work which requires travel requires appropriate insurance. As well as in-depth research on the country you are travelling to, closely scrutinise the insurance policy’s terms and conditions.

You may not be covered for the region to are travelling to, for the purpose of that travel and neither may you be covered to the level you expect.

You’ll never regret the insurance you paid for.  Only the insurance you chose not to.