Holiday insurance is a must for any holiday, no matter where you go, how long you go for, or whatever you plan to do on your holiday. You can get holiday insurance for anyone travelling, no matter how young or old, but you may find that for the elderly, the premium can be quite high, but holiday insurance is still vital. You can also usually obtain holiday insurance which will cover you for any existing illnesses you have at the time of booking, and again this is usually more pricey, but very important.

Holiday insurance will cover you for most things that could possibly go wrong with your holiday, from delays with your flight to major medical expenses and repatriation. Holiday insurance varies from very basic cover, covering medical and legal expenses only, to fully comprehensive schemes, which cover you for almost every eventuality you can think of. These comprehensive holiday insurance schemes cover things like loss of baggage, missed departure of your flight or cancellation, personal accident, as well as the basic medical expenses, repatriation and personal liability. All plans will provide you with a 24 hour emergency number, 365 days a year.

If you travel more than once a year, an annual holiday insurance scheme may work out better value for you. An annual holiday insurance plan covers you for any number of holidays (up to the maximum stay length - usually 30 days) you take during the year. The annual holiday insurance covers you for all the same benefits as single trip insurance, and can again vary in comprehensiveness and subsequently price. You can sometimes specify on an annual holiday insurance plan where you want cover for, such as Europe only, or Worldwide excluding the USA, where medical expenses are very high. This can make your premium cheaper too.

Types of activities
You can obtain holiday insurance for almost any activity you plan to undertake, from winter sports holidays to adventure holidays. Again, it is vital that you inform the insurer of any plans to carry out activities, so they can ensure you get the right holiday insurance for your itinerary. Sometimes the activities will be covered on a standard holiday insurance, but you may have to pay an extra premium for the cover.

Problems of not insuring
It is vital to get the correct holiday insurance for you and your family, as an unfortunate event for people who are not insured can turn into a disaster. If you are injured and need hospital treatment and possible repatriation, it can cost thousands, especially in the USA. All too often people are having to sell all their belongings and even their homes, to fund an illness or an accident. This situation would have been avoided if they had only taken the simple step, and relatively low cost option, of buying a holiday insurance policy from a company like PHA.

Buying a comprehensive holiday insurance policy can also avoid things like loss of passport being too much of a hassle.