When buying travel insurance always remember to scrutinise your policy very carefully as you may be required to declare any medical conditions you or any other individuals insured on the policy may have, these could be family members or even friends.

Unlike other insurances, it is very easy to buy travel insurance policies from supermarkets, travel agents or the internet. In some cases you may even receive free travel insurance from your bank or credit card. However, it is not always clear that the onus is on the recipient of the travel insurance policy to declare medical conditions and any other material facts. In some instances you may be charged a higher premium to cover the declared medical condition or it may be excluded from the cover altogether.

Third Party Declarations

Beware, there are some travel insurance policies where there is an onus to declare relatives or other individuals medical conditions even if they are not travelling with you or insured under the policy. For example, if you were aware that a close relative was seriously ill for sometime and you curtailed a holiday to be with that a relative, the claim for expenses and lost holiday days might be repudiated on the basis that you were aware of the relatives medical condition before you booked the holiday or took out the travel insurance.

The golden rule is to always read the policy very carefully, and if in doubt contact the insuring company concerned before travelling to discuss what has be to declared. The adequacy of your travel insurance cover may depend on this happening.