Specialist travel insurance companies

Buying travel insurance provides important protection while you’re travelling, but a basic policy might not cover special or higher risk circumstances. In this blog, we’ve shared some of the different specialist insurance policies you can buy. 

Travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions

If you’ve had a medical condition in the past or are still living with it today, you’ll need to declare this as part of the travel insurance quotation process. Some travel insurance companies won’t be able to provide cover or could charge you a lot more. It’s worth shopping around to see if you can get the cover that you need for a better price from a specialist travel insurance company. 

Travel insurance companies like Staysure, Insurancewith and Avanti specialise in policies for people with pre-existing medical conditions. You might be asked more in-depth questions through the quotation process, including a screening questionnaire so the insurer can accurately assess the risk.

Travel insurance for cancer patients

There are providers who offer travel insurance for cancer patients. You may be asked to provide a letter from your medical team to confirm that in their opinion, you’re fit to travel.

Getting travel insurance during pregnancy

As pregnancy isn’t a medical condition, you can apply for a policy as normal and don’t usually have to declare you’re pregnant. You’ll just need to make sure that the policy you choose will cover for you any medical conditions you have as a result of your pregnancy. It’s also worth checking with your doctor for their advice on when it’s safe to fly during pregnancy.

Travel insurance for business

Insuring business travel, even if it’s not abroad, can cover the cost of cancelled flights, hotels, missed trips due to illness, laptops, mobile phones and other equipment loss. 

If your business trip is a one-off, a single-trip insurance policy could be cost effective. But, if you’re travelling frequently, an annual multi-trip could work out better value. Some companies offering insurance policies for business travel are Insureadngo, Globelink International, Endsleigh, and Hiscox.

Travel insurance for over 50s

Policies can be more expensive for travellers over the age of 50, particularly if you have a pre-existing medical condition. There are providers who specialise in cover, so it’s still possible to get policies in later life, with options for travel insurance available for people over 80.

Saga has long been specialists in insurance policies for over 50s, but there are others including AllClear, covered2go, and Age UK.

Travel insurance for skiing or extreme sports

A holiday that includes something a little more energetic than sitting on the beach for a week may not be covered by a standard travel insurance policy.

If your holiday is likely to include activities like skiing, SCUBA diving or abseiling, be sure to check your existing travel cover, or head for a specialist company like True Traveller to make sure your level of cover is adequate.

Travel insurance for backpacking or round-the-world-trips

A standard travel insurance policy may cover your journey for up to 31 days or a calendar month. If your next holiday is longer than that, or you’re off an a full-on gap year, round-the-world experience, you might want to consider a specialist insurer who deals with extended travel.

The level of cover doesn’t differ too much from a regular travel insurance policy but may include additional extras such as lost passport cover and cover for missed flights due to delayed connections.

Check that the cover you’re considering is continuous and not broken into increments. Some insurers might cover multiple trips of up to six months, but not a year-long trip. And one exception to round-the-word trips is cruise holidays, which nearly always require specialist travel insurance cover which specifically mentions cruises.

Check out CoverForYou, Go Walkabout, and Navigator who all offer specialist insurance policies for extended trips.

Choosing a specialist travel insurance provider

Comparison websites will help you evaluate different policies in terms of price and cover. But it’s also important to know what to expect as a customer. Reading travel insurance reviews will help you compare specialist insurance providers so you know who our community recommend and who they think you should avoid.