ABTA highlights five of the things you need to know when buying travel insurance

ABTA highlights five of the things you need to know when buying travel insurance
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dhewitt@abta.co.uk Fri, 09/19/2025 - 01:00

ABTA has identified five issues that travellers need to be aware of when purchasing travel insurance.

The Association recommends taking out travel insurance for all overseas trips as soon as you book your trip and ensure you are covered for the activities you plan to do. It also says it is very important to know what you may or may not covered for when choosing a policy.

ABTA research from earlier this year found that 1 in 41 people had travelled overseas uninsured exposing them to the risk of substantial medical bills. As many people are heading off for an autumn break or venturing on a gap year, the Association is reminding travellers of what to be aware of when buying a policy.

1. Make sure you declare any pre-existing medical conditions. It is incredibly important that you make sure your insurance company is aware of any pre-existing medical conditions when you buy your policy. If you don’t, you run the risk of having your claim rejected if you need to claim for any medical expenses. Anything for which you are receiving or have received medical treatment needs to be declared, but also conditions such as asthma, mental health conditions, arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. As a rule of thumb – if in doubt, declare it.
   
2. You need travel insurance as well as a GHIC card. A Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) will allow you access to state medical care throughout the EU and a few other destinations. However, it is not a replacement for travel insurance. State medical care will vary from country to country, not everything will be free of charge, and if you require an air ambulance which will cost tens of thousands of pounds, you will be liable to pay as that is not covered by a GHIC.
   
3. Take out insurance as soon as you book. Many people will leave booking insurance late in the day. However, it is advisable to have insurance in place as soon as you book, as if you have to cancel before you travel due to falling ill, or under many policies losing your job, you will be able to claim subsequent cancellation fees which can be as much as 100% of your holiday costs.
   
4. Know your policy excess. A policy excess is the amount you pay towards a travel insurance claim before your insurer covers the rest. For example, if your baggage cover has a £75 excess and you claim £500, you would pay £75 and the insurer would pay £425. Excesses vary depending on the type of claim and may apply per person or per claim. Always check the excess for each section of cover so you understand exactly what’s included and avoid surprises if you need to make a claim.
   
5. Check what activities your insurance covers. There are a lot of potentially risky activities that may not be covered if you have an accident, such as riding on a moped or quad bike, so always check the terms and conditions. Similarly, if you are looking to do adventure activities or winter sports, you’ll also need to check your policy to see if they are covered. If not, you may be able to add it onto your policy.

Claire Biddle, ABTA Director, said: “Making sure that you have a good quality insurance policy in place when travelling overseas is incredibly important, and it is also important that you make sure it covers you for any activities you intend to do and that you declare any pre-existing medical conditions, and our tips and advice will help you avoid any potential pitfalls and help you travel with confidence.”

For more advice and information on insurance and other travel issues go to Travel insurance | ABTA



Notes to editors
1 All figures are from an online survey conducted by YouGov Plc from 16th – 17th April 2025 with a nationally representative sample of 2015 UK adults (aged 18+). By ‘the past 12 months’ we are referring to mid-April 2024 to mid-April 2025.

ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 4,300 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £40 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.

Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.

All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com

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