Travel Insurance - cross channel

[mogmog2]

Never had travel insurance before & we're hoping to cross the channel more than once this year - hopefully a few long weekends plus probably a few weeks in the summer. Can you get a sort of blanket policy for the season, rather than needing to arrange each time (and possibly at short notice)?
Thanks

 

[Graham376]

We used to use Insure and Go backpackers long stay cover, could be taken out in monthly increments. Make sure to have EHIC or GHIC to get treatment in state hospitals.

 

[mjcp]

Might need more info:

Most "Travel insurance" that I have had excludes UK based travel, could be tricky if you get delayed on your way to/from the boat? They also tend to get picky about boat travel - cruise ? no, Charter ? yes (but not overnight) etc etc.

If its your own boat, that's another layer of complexity too. You buy the policy and set the cruising range to cover, then add-on the extras you need (or are offered by the broker) , e.g. personal accident etc.

Speak to your (a) broker!

M

 

[Boathook]

Bishop skinner offer a yachtsman travel insurance.
Sailing Travel Insurance | Marine Travel Insurance for Sailing | Bishop Skinner Marine
I haven't looked at the price and it is restricted to those under 69 years age. As mentioned also look at what your boat insurance covers and any extras.

 

[MoodySabre]

I’ve been across the North Sea seven times and never even thought about travel insurance but if I fly then I do insure. It’s getting a bit expensive these days due to age and medical. We have a charter booked in Sweden ( in my son’s name) and I dread to think what that might cost in travel insurance. Hey ho.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I’ve been across the North Sea seven times and never even thought about travel insurance but if I fly then I do insure. It’s getting a bit expensive these days due to age and medical. We have a charter booked in Sweden ( in my son’s name) and I dread to think what that might cost in travelii insurance. Hey ho.

Amen! I need travel insurance to spend the winter in Hong Kong, and it costs as much as the flights.

Issues include:

Length of stay - annual insurance only allows trips up to a limit; often 30 days, so it's single trip insurance for me.
Medical issues
Age - over 70 gets expensive, especially outside Europe.

I found that Saga had the cheapest deals for my situation. But if course, not yachting!

 

[ashtead]

Apart from well known brokers like Saga and Staysure other options to look into would be cover provided as part of bank account or credit card -clearly some limitations to look out for like age limit . There are sites like medical travel compared plus of course Martin Lewis info. Clearly travel insurance is not for uk medical costs . In Europe worth getting the card Previously EHIC but renamed.

 

[Boathook]

Apart from well known brokers like Saga and Staysure other options to look into would be cover provided as part of bank account or credit card -clearly some limitations to look out for like age limit . There are sites like medical travel compared plus of course Martin Lewis info. Clearly travel insurance is not for uk medical costs . In Europe worth getting the card Previously EHIC but renamed.

Years ago I looked into travel insurance via a bank and it was a waste of time as sailing was a dangerous sport and any claim, if abroad, would require proof of travel such as a ticket ...

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Apart from well known brokers like Saga and Staysure other options to look into would be cover provided as part of bank account or credit card -clearly some limitations to look out for like age limit . There are sites like medical travel compared plus of course Martin Lewis info. Clearly travel insurance is not for uk medical costs . In Europe worth getting the card Previously EHIC but renamed.

In my experience bank and credit card deals are widely, if not always, unavailable to persons over 70. They also tend to have limits on length of stay.

 

[Seashoreman]

In my experience bank and credit card deals are widely, if not always, unavailable to persons over 70. They also tend to have limits on length of stay.

Barclays is 80.

 

[Kwik Decision]

I've used Sportscoverdirect a few times for sailing cross channel travel insurance. You can select yachting outside the 20 km (12 NM) national limit, and a week's cover is £33 for under 65s. They also do annual policies, and cover up to 75 yr olds on line.
I've never needed to claim from them though, so can't comment on how good they actually are when it comes to the crunch.

 

[mogmog2]

We used to use Insure and Go backpackers long stay cover, could be taken out in monthly increments. Make sure to have EHIC or GHIC to get treatment in state hospitals.

I tried them when I casually looked a while back - painstakingly put all our details in, on the phone screen, only for them to say that they didn't cover Jersey - the destination we were looking at.
And now I'm showered with emails from them.
Why exclude Jersey . The world of the actuary is a dark and mysterious one.

 

[mogmog2]

Years ago I looked into travel insurance via a bank and it was a waste of time as sailing was a dangerous sport and any claim, if abroad, would require proof of travel such as a ticket ...

Thanks. I've seen a fair bit about Bank insurance. That's worth knowing

 

[mogmog2]

I've used Sportscoverdirect

I’ve been across the North Sea seven times and never even thought about travel insurance but if I fly then I do insure. It’s getting a bit expensive these days due to age and medical. We have a charter booked in Sweden ( in my son’s name) and I dread to think what that might cost in travel insurance. Hey ho.

a few times for sailing cross channel travel insurance. You can select yachting outside the 20 km (12 NM) national limit, and a week's cover is £33 for under 65s. They also do annual policies, and cover up to 75 yr olds on line.
I've never needed to claim from them though, so can't comment on how good they actually are when it comes to the crunch.

Thanks. That sounds like the kind of thing.

 

[BobnLesley]

We've always relied on the EHIC for Europe (insurance polict providers don't like motorbikes and boats). That said, for those travelling further afield I would highly recommend Bishop Skinner, they went above and beyond when we needed to call on our policy.

 

[mogmog2]

I’ve been across the North Sea seven times and never even thought about travel insurance but if I fly then I do insure. It’s getting a bit expensive these days due to age and medical. We have a charter booked in Sweden ( in my son’s name) and I dread to think what that might cost in travel insurance. Hey ho.

I don't consider myself a worrier, but AFAIC, one's only an unexpected lurch away from a broken wrist or blow to the head or something. Yes, we're all careful and sensible, but Neptune is capricious and not to be trusted . Many years ago I nearly had to have my left foot amputated after an incident at Hayling HM pontoon. That was user error then and I learned a lot from that, but it reminds me how quickly things can go horribly wrong.

 

[mogmog2]

We've always relied on the EHIC for Europe (insurance polict providers don't like motorbikes and boats). That said, for those travelling further afield I would highly recommend Bishop Skinner, they went above and beyond when we needed to call on our policy.

This is what drove me to look (from the NHS website) "A UK EHIC or UK GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance. It may not cover all health costs and never covers repatriation costs. You should make sure that you have travel insurance as well as a UK EHIC or UK GHIC."
Too high a risk for us - not the likelihood that it'd happen, but the cost could be genuinely ruinous to us if something did happen.
I'll check out Bishop Skinner though, Thanks.

 

[doug748]

This is what drove me to look (from the NHS website) "A UK EHIC or UK GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance. It may not cover all health costs and never covers repatriation costs. You should make sure that you have travel insurance as well as a UK EHIC or UK GHIC."
Too high a risk for us - not the likelihood that it'd happen, but the cost could be genuinely ruinous to us if something did happen.
I'll check out Bishop Skinner though, Thanks.

Yes, my wife had to spend a day in a French hospital and had to pay personally up front. It proved impossible to get the money back later against the GHIC.
The cost was 800e so, considering the initial price of insurance and probable excess, in that case the money difference was perhaps negligible. As you say, It's the biggie that causes more worry.

.

 

[Greg2]

When we have been to Holland on the boat we have just used standard travel insurance because the costs we want to insure relate to medical cover, repatriation loss/theft etc as opposed to anything to do with the passage across the N. Sea (including any associated delays) or the boat, which has its own insurance. Sailing in national waters of the U.K. and EU countries appears to be acceptable in most standard policies so I figured we had covered what we needed to.

Am I missing something?
.

 

[gjgm]

Yes, my wife had to spend a day in a French hospital and had to pay personally up front. It proved impossible to get the money back later against the GHIC.
The cost was 800e so, considering the initial price of insurance and probable excess, in that case the money difference was perhaps negligible. As you say, It's the biggie that causes more worry.

.

My experience of French A and E is that it means exactly that. There may well be a private medical desk next to A and E, and you may well end up there unless it really is a medical emergency. Not quite the same in UK ,it seems !
Pay up front, in France .
As a little test, I just got an annual ,couple,EU, "Sailing included" quote : £350. I didn't trawl through the contract as it was just out of curiosity driven by this thread.