The Hotel and flights are booked, new swim wear and sunscreen was bought, everything is ready to start a relaxing vacation. Even a Travel Insurance has been procured. A travel insurance is designed to perform best in simple situations where you prepay for your trip. But what many people don’t know is that some items in your baggage might not be included – and this could turn the relaxing holiday in a stressful disaster.

Here are some things that are rarely covered to the full amount under existing policies:

1.Mobile Devices – phones, tablets, Ipads

Let’s be honest – our smartphone has become a must have for our daily life. Keeping up to date with our office, catching up with our family and sharing pictures of us relaxing at the beach – we need our phone on holidays. Phones aren’t covered with most travel insurances. So if your phone is damaged during your flight, you can’t enjoy these things on holiday nor will you get any money to replace it.

2. Electronic Devices – laptops and more

On a business trip you will need your laptop, of course. On holiday it might be useful for watching your favourite series, or skyping with your loved ones at home. For whatever reason you decide to take your laptop – you can’t be certain that it is covered by your travel insurance. In many cases, it isn’t.

3.Unusually sized items – e.g. Bicycles, Musical Instruments

It might not seem like the most common thing to take your bicycle with you on a flight – but what about a sports trip or a longer study semester abroad? It could get expensive if your bicycle gets damaged on the flight and you have to hire one  because it isn’t covered with your insurance most of the time. Also your best friend, your guitar, could end up in shreds if caught on a luggage belt.

4. Wheelchairs, walkers and more

When you retire it gives you the opportunity to discover more of the world. You could be dependent on a wheelchair or a walker. Most often wheelchairs and walkers are not included under insurance policies.

5. Baby buggies

So you’re on holiday with the little ones. Now just imagine how difficult it would be if that all important buggy had been lost or damaged on route. If your buggy gets lost or damaged, think about the stress! As with many other bulky things, baby buggies aren’t insured with most travel insurances.

6. Sports gear and Musical equipment

When I go on holiday I like to use my own sport equipment but the game might be lost before it even started, particularly if the equipment gets damaged on the flight and don’t forget, most sport equipment will not be covered by your insurance. What about your favourite guitar? Make sure you play sweet music when you land as a crushed instrument is not ideal…

7. Single Items over 350€

On holiday you might want to take the watch you inherited from your grandfather or the bracelet your significant other gave to you. In case of loss or damage the real value won’t be covered by your travel insurance, because single items over 350€ aren’t covered most of the time.

8. Clothes, shoes, handbags

Taking a weekend trip to another city is a perfect opportunity to do some shopping. But that weekend trip can easily turn into a nightmare when you return home and realize your new handbag has been damaged – no refund for you if you spend more than 350€ on this one item.

9.The case itself

A high quality case is a must for frequent flyers, so it’s definitely worth spending money on that special case. You can pay over 350€ and don’t forget, that lovely piece of luggage could have all your valuables in it. If you have not read the small print and not read anything above, then when things go wrong you’ll only have yourself to blame.

These days it’s always ‘that time again’ because travelling is a constant for most of us and what should be the most important part of planning – after actually buying your ticket and deciding where you’re going to – is making sure you have the right insurance. We would say that anyway, after all we are a global specialist insurer offering non-standard policies, as we state on our website –  uniquely covering specific luggage contents. This is the whole point about luggage insurance, you really do get what you pay for and if you don’t read the small print then you might have a big shock when it comes to your claim.  Talk to us and we’ll say we offer insurance for electronic devices like laptops, mobile phones and tablets, as well as specific items, rarely covered to the full amount under existing policies. All sounds good but to you and the wife, your partner, the kids, your old mum or dad travelling with you, what really matters is that your laptops, phones, tablets, your unusually sized items such as bicycles, wheelchairs, walkers, golf clubs, tennis rackets and those other sporting goods besides your musical instruments ,that makes the week fly by, they need to be covered. That’s what we do.

These blog postings won’t be the hard sell but an opportunity for us to highlight and bring to you news and items of interest that should make the travelling a lot more relaxed. Not like a comfy pillow or blanket; nothing like that, just words of hopeful wisdom that will keep you covered  …. just like our policies. Now that bit was a hard sell! Just think of it this way; average travel policies impose single item limits on baggage contents that typically don’t exceed €350 and the limits of most travel insurance policies apply to anything in the luggage.  So that means your clothes, shoes, accessories and even the case itself. Get this bit of the insurance wrong and that’s where the shock comes when making a claim.

If you have any unusual luggage stories, claims news, stories that would cover what we’ve been writing about, then please talk to us.

We’ve got you covered!