However, a survey [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Travel insurance is no longer the “Oh, I don’t really need that” option that it may have been in years gone by.  With all the unpredictable events, both natural and man-made (volcanoes, floods, terrorism, bankrupt airlines etc.) that we have seen in recent years, comprehensive insurance is something no traveller should be without.

However, a survey conducted by Which? magazine indicates that the smart traveller will learn to read the fine print in any insurance policy before heading for the airport.

Undercover researchers from Which? visited 29 different travel agencies to compare and evaluate the prices and coverage offered on various types of travel.  They found vast discrepancies in both price and in the policies themselves.  In one instance the rate quoted by a travel agent for a two-week trip was four times more than one with equivalent coverage that was found online.

But this is not the most alarming aspect of the travel insurance picture.  The most common and glaring problem was the failure of almost all the agencies to provide detailed information about what contingencies were covered and under what circumstances.  Most of them did not provide coverage sufficient for the individual traveller’s needs.

Provision for such difficulties as bad weather, loss of personal belongings and medical coverage, to name only a few, are often either inadequate or not included at all.   The Which? survey also found that, in general, independent agents were more likely to offer not only better coverage but also more detailed information about the specific clauses in a policy, whereas the large chains tended to be less informative and showed less concern for the traveller.

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