Elderly people over the age of 65 often find it difficult to get cheap travel insurance whether it’s for a one week holiday, a long stay or multi trips throughout the year. Insurance companies assume that once a person reaches the age of 65, they are more prone to potential health problems while traveling and may also be more susceptible to accidents due to lack of mobility.
This article offers advice on how to get affordable holiday travel cover from the age of 65 onwards, even if a person has a pre-existing medical condition.
Travel Insurance for Over 65s
A few years ago, travel insurance for over 65s was only available through specialist insurance companies. In the UK, for example, Saga, a specialist in holiday travel for seniors, was one of the few well-known companies willing to insure an elderly person and even then holiday cover was expensive compared to that for a younger person.
While some of the biggest online travel insurers like Aviva still do not cater for the 65+ age group, there are many that do and, as many older travelers are more affluent with no children in tow, competition is fierce to capture trade in the over 65 insurance market; the result is a wealth of different travel insurance policies from long stay and multi trip or even gap year cover, all at cheap prices to generate more business versus competitors.
Over 65 Single Trip Travel Insurance Quotes
The best place to compare prices is to get some over 65 single trip travel insurance quotes online. Start with a comparison site like Moneysupermarket.com, currently offering single trip cover in Europe for two weeks from as little as £11.96 to over £100 per person.
Compare the quotes by looking at key elements like the maximum limit for medical expenses cover (essential for over 65s) and the amount of baggage cover, which is traditionally very low for cheaper policies. Then go direct to each company's website to get a more detailed quotation by following the relevant links on the insurance price comparison website.
Cheap Multi Trip Travel Insurance
If the single trip policy is cheap then it’s likely that a multi trip or long stay policy will be equally affordable. Look for flexible cover for multi trips so that, for example, the policy will cover both short trips in the home country, weekend trips abroad and longer holidays that may or may not involve more than a month away in a particular location.
Savings on multi trip policies can be made by choosing a specified region e.g. Europe only, but travelers who are not sure of their travel plans a year in advance may be best choosing a worldwide multi trip policy for maximum flexibility.
Travel Insurance for Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
One stumbling block to over 65 travel insurance can be a pre-existing medical condition which can, in some cases, prevent a company for issuing travel cover. Consider insurers like Flexicover.net who offer insurance for existing conditions up to and beyond the age of 86. Cover is subject to declaring each medical problem via a health screening service which can be completed online and then paying the relevant additional premium.
Holiday Travel Insurance for Seniors
Senior citizens over 65 can now book holidays with confidence, knowing that they can procure affordable holiday travel insurance cover. Just shop around online for some comparison quotes then book directly with the insurance company offering the best value policy, making sure that any pre-existing medical conditions are declared and any additional premium paid.
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- How to Choose a Good Online Car Insurance Policy.
Resources:
Moneysupermarket.com accessed April 28th 2010.
Helen Smeaton - Helen Smeaton runs a cycling and hiking business and is also a freelance writer and web designer. Read her profile for more information
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