When should I buy travel insurance?

Don’t leave buying travel insurance to the last minute — buying early can save you hassle and money.

So when is the best time to buy travel insurance? If you want the most protection, then buying it as soon after you’ve booked your holiday as possible is the most sound option.

This is because, with Oasis Insurance, you’re not just covered for the time you spend away. You’re covered from the point at which you buy the policy. One of the most common mistakes customers make is purchasing their Annual Multi Trip policy from their trip travel date as opposed to their booking date. To be covered for cancellation, it’s important to purchase your policy as soon as you’ve booked your holiday.

Of course, when you buy your holiday, you’re most likely excited to go away and get some much-needed rest and relaxation. Travel insurance can help put your mind at ease that you’ve got some protection if something were to go wrong while you’re away — from unexpected illness to lost luggage.

But if Covid has taught us anything, it’s that plenty of things can happen before you leave that might put your holiday in jeopardy. If you haven’t bought your travel insurance at this point, then you could end up losing out financially as well as emotionally.

Protection if your holiday’s cancelled

There are plenty of reasons your holiday might get cancelled before you go away, and if this happens, you don’t want to lose the money you’ve spent on the holiday. In some cancellation scenarios — like your holiday company going bust — you’ll be entitled to a refund from them directly. But in others, there may not be anyone at fault.

For instance, you may face a difficult decision if a relative or loved one becomes ill just before you go away. This might mean you can’t go after all, but if you’ve got travel insurance then you can make a claim in this situation.

You may have booked each component of your holiday yourself, from flights to accommodation and activities. If a part of this is cancelled and puts the whole trip at risk, your travel insurance may be able to help.

Protection if you can’t travel due to Covid

As the world slowly emerges from the pandemic, more and more people are feeling comfortable with travelling again. But this doesn’t mean that Covid isn’t still a risk. While many countries have relaxed their restrictions or even removed restrictions entirely, others have kept some safety regulations that mean your travel is affected if you test positive prior to departure.

Oasis Travel Insurance covers you in the event that you can’t travel due to Covid — another reason why having insurance plenty of time before you leave is a good idea. It’s important to test regularly in the run-up to your trip to make sure you know your Covid status and change plans accordingly if you’re positive. As with all travel insurance policies, it is important to read all of the policy terms and conditions to ensure you are fully aware of what you are and are not covered for in relation to covid-19.

You can’t get it after you leave

You must buy travel insurance before you leave, as any policy bought after departure won’t be valid. Leaving it to the last minute can mean that it might slip your mind until it’s too late — but getting it while your holiday is fresh in your mind makes sure it’s off the to-do list and you’ve got the maximum length of cover possible.

Plan your holiday better

Knowing what activities you’re covered for well in advance can help you plan for the best holiday ever. It’s much less fun to find an activity you want to do while you’re away only to discover — potentially too late — that it’s not covered under your policy.

But if you buy your insurance at the same time you book your holiday, you can check your policy and then think about all the fun things you can do while you’re away. We know that insurance policy documents aren’t the most exciting read, but going through the list of activities you’re covered for can provide some inspiration. There may even be a few you’d never have thought of.

Plus, if you see something you like that isn’t covered in advance, you can speak to your insurer and see if you can extend your policy. It’s much harder and more bothersome to do this once you’re at your destination.

The little bits

As you get closer to your holiday and start to plan the time you need to leave to make your connections or get to various points on the journey, you may find yourself thinking that there’s a lot of different steps before you finally arrive at your destination.

If one of these were to get cancelled or go wrong, that might throw the next leg of the journey into jeopardy. A cancelled or broken down coach might mean you miss a flight, which might mean you miss a check-in, which might mean you miss your holiday overall. Of course, this isn’t a likely scenario, but it’s a possibility — and that’s what travel insurance is there to protect you against: the possibilities.

Buying your travel insurance up front means, you’ve guessed it, that this is less of a worry, as you’re covered for events beyond your control that prevent you from getting away.