Travel Insurance

[faustina]

What do people here do about 'travel insurance' when cruising abroad, particularly in Europe? Clearly, some of the provisions of normal holiday insurance policies are either inappropriate (eg cancellation cover, flight delays) or are covered by your normal boat and/or household insurance (eg theft of personal possessions). But what about medical cover? Do you just rely on your E111 and treatment under EU arrangements? What if you had to be air-ambulanced home?
Any advice or details of experiencies would be most welcome.

 

[hlb]

Go see the man in your local insurance brokers. Not a blummin travel agent. You can get cover for most anything and for all year round if thats what you want and all very cheap.

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn

 

[dickh]

I have worldwide cover for two people from EGG - about £70/£80 if I remember.

dickh
I'd rather be sailing...

 

[rex_seadog]

In my experience many of the standard travel policies (eg. Direct Line) exclude yachting - it seems to be lumped in with hazardous sports such as pot-holing, hang gliding etc. It's worth checking that yachting is specifically included otherwise you may find your claim is refused. The one we have used when going foreign for a week is SAGA. (Showing my age!!) They have confirmed with the underwriters that yachting is covered with respect to medical risks. Usually carry E111 as well.

 

[steve_cronin]

We sell it so....

... I don't want to appear to be touting for business. The policy I use for myself and my family has been checked with the underwriters by me personally as being valid for yacht CRUISING However Racing is EXCLUDED. Policies are available for racing but are much more expensive than the cruising ones

Steve Cronin

www.stchris.f9.co.uk

 

[ruthhobson]

Ours is a standard travel policy for Europe- advertised with "free" winter sports cover. The winter sport cover also covered sailing, inside territorial waters and not racing. I found it via an internet search then phoned the company and got them to confirm sailing would be covered. Took less than 30 minutes to sort out and costs well under £100 for the two of us for 12 months cover.

Ruth

 

[faustina]

Many thanks to those who replied. No doubt I can shop around and see what so called standard policies would provide but what I really need to know is what sort of benefits the E111/reciprocal arrangements provisions provide. I'll come clean - I have a number of 'chronic' complaints (diabetes, high blood pressure, COAD to name but a few). But none of these affect my life on a day to day basis or my enjoyment of extended cruising. Nor do I suffer 'sudden attacks'. However, a formal declaration of my condition would no doubt attract massive premiums on commercial policies. So......would it be sensible to rely on E111?

 

[VMALLOWS]

No doubt I will invoke some contradictory responses.........

We are in the EU. We are entitled (as long as we carry a silly bit of paper called E111) to the same services as nationals of the country we are visiting. We constantly moan that our health service is the worst in Europe. We even CHOOSE to go to other EU countries for treatment paid for by the NHS because we get it quicker.

So WHY do we need medical insurance travelling to the EU?

I for one certainly don't carry any.

 

[bedouin]

I don't always bother with travel insurance when travelling to Europe, but I think the main benefits are the cover it provides for consequential costs - e.g. re-patriation expenses in case of serious illness/injury.

 

[Robin]

Our Amex Platinum Card carries gives free annual worldwide travel insurance even for travel not paid for by the card. This includes sailing but not more than 20 miles (from memory) offshore. We upgraded ours for about £75 to cover all sailing risks for the 2 of us for the year. It will pay the difference between what is recoverable under E111 and the actual cost and will also pay for air ambulance etc if required. As I understand it E111 does not cover even a regular ambulance in some places, notably France, where a lot of us cruise.

OK the Amex card fee is about £200 but I have one for business and the standard travel insurance it gives worldwide on an annual basis pays for this itself since I travel frequently.

 

[Guest]

Re: Travel Insurance - lateral thinking

Have a look at the British Mountaineering Council.

I know it is not the most obvious place for a sailor

but

it does cover sailing and diving and jet skiing and pretty much any other water borne activity (cave diving might be the exception !o)

The website is www.thebmc.couk - you have to join (£25) but it gets you discounts in most outdoor shops and third party liabilty cover at minimum.

The isurance is excellent - my climbing partner used it to have his legs bolted back together and flown home after an accident in Canada last year.

Annual cover is about £150 and will cover your skiing holidays also.

 

[steve_cronin]

Bedouin me old mate......

.. you have just admitted that you are putting yourself at great risk. Do you know what the costs of "...e.g. re-patriation expenses in case of serious illness/injury" are?

A young lad is expected back here in Leicester today several months after his accident because he couldn't afford the cost of an Air Ambulance repatriation ( all the medical authorities will let you use not to mention the exclusions of regular airlines) from a Spannish holiday island until funds had been raised by a charity appeal. He broke his neck in a swimming accident. The body of another girl (from our local village) was also delayed in re-patriation due to lack of funds. An appeal deposit account for both was opened at my office here.

It will just be like buying a couple of extra lifejackets and be equally as useful.

Steve Cronin

Not touting for business but an annual policy really does cost peanuts in comparison.

 

[bedouin]

Re: Bedouin me old mate......

I usually have annual travel cover - but once it expires I don't bother to renew it until before my next big trip. This means that I am not always covered for the odd weekends in France.

I'm aware of the costs, but since I could afford to pay if necessary, it is purely a financial decision - I choose to "self insure".

The reason I'm reading this thread is that I'm looking for a decent policy - can anyone recommend a good insurer for annual policies for sailors?

 

[charles_reed]

Some confusion here between travel, accident and medical insurance.

My bank account covers me (for a small additional sum) for stays of up to 60 days outside the UK - this is a combined travel/medical and accident insurance.

I have used my E111 on a few occasions in Spain and France - both are totally different to the UK and each other.

I would suggest checking how the countries which you intend to visit operate their medical cover system.
Whilst urgent, acute A&E is reasonable in the UK, 2ary care is significantly superior in France and somewhat better than the UK in Spain.

Neither country operates a "free" ambulance service, as we have in this country. In Spain there is no payment at point of treatment, but in France you pay and recover off the health system - generally, working EU citizens get a recovery of 1/3 of the fee, OAPs 2/3.

Depending on your apprehensions, you can cover yourself by simple accident insurance, full medical insurance or a specialist policy.

So far I've found E111 and my UK household policy adequately covers nearly all eventualities within the EU.
Outside the EU I'd recommend a full accident/medical insurance. Inside the EU repatriation for treatment is probably a regressive alternative.

The other benefit is that you sure learn the language of the country of hospitalisation!!!

 

[steve_cronin]

I COULD but.....

I can't here (since we sell them & Mr Hollomby will get annoyed!)

Steve Cronin

www.stchris.f9.co.uk

 

[iangrant]

I went to see a Doctor in St Vaast - a definite case of Tonsillitis - Self diagnosed - I was disapointed that the French Chemist wouldn't dispense anitbiotics without a prescription. Anyway, with the 2 hour wait to see the doctor at the end of the appointment queue my wife read the E111 form. All expenses have to be paid directly and the money claimed back while you are still in the country.

I saw the Doc - mall de throat prescription issued - and a bill for 20 euros - having spent the last 10 minutes letting me struggle with French he announced with a grin in perfect accentless English "This is how we do it in France"

Still, it's cheap and the drugs were about a fiver so I didn't bother to claim.

It's one to watch though if you do get really sick!

A guy at work is in a battle with an insurance company about accomodation when his daughter was taken ill!

Ian

 

[bob_tyler]

I have Annual Multi Trip Insurance with Preferential (01702 423393)

Under "exclusions" is the following:

"Taking part in dangerous expeditions or the crewing of a vessel outside European waters"

I'm not sure of the definition of "European" in this sense - e.g. mid channel between UK & French Territorial Waters?"

I once had a claim - I was mugged abroad. It was settled within 3 weeks.

 

[Guest]

I have just been speaking to St.Margarets Insurance about travel insurance and the cover on offer ranges from the standard multi trip annual insurance where the the length of each trip is limited to a few weeks (and therefore is of little use to someone planning an extended cruise ).Then there is what they call single trip cover where you specify how long you will be away and pay the premium in full up front.The basic premium is £45 per month per person with a negotiated loading for any pre-existing medical condition.I have no connection with the above company and have never used them before.Any comments or suggestions would be welcome as my wife and I are in the planning stages of an extended cruise through the canals to the Med next year.