Travel Insurance For Children

Introduction:

Travel Insurance For Children

There are times when we buy an annual travel insurance policy that covers the entire family and consider it to be more than sufficient to cover for all of our travel needs. But then there are times when the kids do not travel with the family per se, but travel with grandparents or even go on a trip with their friends.

Well, what do you think should be done under such circumstances? Adults are covered under the family policy even if they travel independently. However, the same isn’t true for children. You may have European travel insurance, but what if your children will be travelling to Europe alone?

Protecting Your Children With A Travel Insurance

If you have children under the age of 16 and they are bound to travel out of the country, then a wise decision would be to buy travel insurance for children. There are different kinds of choices available for you to choose from and the choice which you will be making depends completely on the way the child, or children, may be travelling.

Although you may have annual family policies, it isn’t common for them to cover your children in case they are travelling alone. Even some of the biggest travel insurance companies like Admiral, AA, Halifax, Nationwide etc, do not cover children if they travel independently.

Then there is a scenario where your children might be living with your ex-partner or you may step-children, in such cases you might end up shelling a lot of money for the children. You might even pay full adult rate, though you don’t necessarily have to do so.

Cover Options

Travel Insurance

If you are looking to buy a Travel Insurance for Children, then you must look out for the kind of policy that provides sufficient coverage to ensure that you will not have to pay from your own pocket should such a scenario present itself while your child is on a holiday. You must also ensure that all the activities which your child might be planning to participate in are also covered under this insurance plan.

A family policy which also includes winter sports may cover your entire family including your children, as long as the sport that you will be participating in is covered under the policy. However, as already mentioned these family policies do not generally cover the children in the family when the adults aren’t accompanying them. It is always a better option to check with your insurance company in order to avoid buying standalone travel insurance for children.

Things To Look Out For

Things To Look Out For

When are trying to choose the right potential policy for yourself, you must always remain on the lookout for the highest level of cover medically, which generally revolves around the range of 1-2 million pounds. The policy must include most of the activities, if not all, which your children may like to indulge in while on their trip. It must also cover Travel Cancellation Insurance , lost luggage etc.

Be absolutely realistic while shopping around for the insurance policy. Think about all the things that your child might be doing and also regarding the things that your child might indulge in. If the travel insurance for children does not include these activities then you will have to pay for these from your own pocket.

If your children are planning on travelling to Europe or Switzerland without you, then you must make sure that your child has a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which provides them with access to the basic emergency healthcare if necessary in the country they are visiting. The EHIC card is helpful only as long as the country is part of EEA (European Economic Area).

Do not simply opt for the cheap travel insurance Australia or any other country provides, just because that seems convenient financially. Make sure that in case of emergencies your child isn’t left wanting for services.

Reading T&Cs

Irrespective of which travel insurance for children, you go for, do not forget to check out the terms and conditions to make yourself aware of what you are getting yourself, as well as, your children into. The whole point of buying the travel insurance is to claim it when necessary. However, if the very same policy fails to provide your child with the cover that he/she needs, then the whole point of procuring the insurance is moot.

Reading the fine print in the insurance policy, also makes sure that you do not have to face any unwanted surprises sometime after you have bought it, or when in need.

Covering Kids Who Travel Independently

Companies like Marks & Spencer Money, Direct Travel, and Churchill etc have family policies which cover the children even if they travel separately. However, there may be a limitation regarding the duration for which this is applicable for the children who are travelling alone.

There are other companies like Lloyds TSB, Halifax etc do not cover children who are travelling independently although they are covered under the family policy. They insist the presence of at least one adult who are covered under the policy to be present with them.

Coverage For Step Children

Coverage For Step Children

If your family has step children, or your own children do not live with you at all times, then finding a family cover for such a group of individuals is quite complicated. This is because the insurance is classed only for those people who live permanently in your household.

There are very few companies like Alliance & Leicester whose multi-trip annual family policy extends the cover not just for your children, irrespective of whether they live with you or not, but also to your step children. Policies like these are also provided by Direct Travel and Hastings Direct as well.

Precautions

The secret here is to shop around and check out different kinds of policies from different insurance companies before you choose the travel insurance for children that you would like to buy. Also, be careful while you are looking to travel to Europe, as mentioning ‘Europe’ in the policy doesn’t necessarily cover the countries which aren’t included in EU.

Conclusion:

With these things in mind, you will have absolutely no trouble whatsoever while choosing the travel insurance for children, both your own as well as your step children.