Fly Off Without It But Don’t Panic

When you lock the front door and set off on your longed for summer holiday do you suffer from that niggling feeling that you have forgotten something?

By the time you arrive at the airport you may be convinced that you forgot to turn off the oven or didn’t lock the back door. You’re not alone in this; many suffer from this sort of insecurity but there is one important matter that many of us forget and that is travel insurance.

Not having travel insurance is very risky no matter how fit and healthy you feel. If you end up in hospital for any reason at all you will quickly realize it can be an expensive error. In the UK we may moan about the state of the Health Service but not until you have been hit with a bill abroad can you really begin to appreciate it.

A broken finger that involved a trip to a hospital and an x-ray with a nurse applying a small splint and bandage cost my friend over £400 in Turkey recently and that equalled the cost of the return flight.

Even travelling within the EU does not mean health care is free it merely gives you the same service as the people living in that country. The European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC, looks reassuring but it is not necessarily so.

It’s also not going to cover added expenses such as return travel if delayed or loss of personal luggage and private travel insurance is the only way to cover all eventualities out of your control on holiday.

So you are now sitting on the plane running through a checklist of things that could be wrong with your home that might by now in your mind’s eye be going up in flames.You might also be struck by the thought that you forgot to take out holiday insurance for yourself and the rest of your family.

Don’t panic! Travel insurance already left UK is still available from this insurer and all you have to do is call them when you finally arrive at your destination.

92 And Still On The Slopes

A friend of mine has just set off on a skiing trip and it’s the third time she has been abroad in as many months.

She finds and books flights online and arranges for her house to be looked after in her absence before driving herself to the airport.Although she is a little old to be skiing it’s the après ski she’s after andthe amazing point about this lady is that she is in the 93rd year of her life.

Apart from some deteriorating eyesight she is otherwise as fit as a fiddle and when not gallivanting around the globe has time to manage a turtle rescue center in Turkey.

Keeping very busy must be the key to long life and the next time you see an old folks home you may want to ask yourself the question of whether they wouldn't be a lot better off in the gym rather than sitting in armchairs in front of the television.

One thing my friend always makes sure of is good travel insurance. This may come as a bit of a surprise but fully comprehensive travel insurance over 70, 80 or even 90 years of age is possible as long as you know where to look.

When making the application at this sort of age it is more important than ever to be absolutely truthful about any existing medical condition.  If you have high blood pressure it must be reported even if you feel it is under control with medication.

High blood pressure and old age is a deadly mix as tiny blood vessels weaken as we get older and strokes become more likely than when we were younger.

At any age travel insurance should be seen as an essential preparation for an overseas holiday. As UK residents we take it for granted that in any accident or illness that requires a doctor and possibly hospital treatment we will be taken care of with no charge.

Even within Europe this is not the case as a European Health Insurance Card only entitles you to the charges applicable in that country.