The peak travel period is upon us and many of us are jetting off to see family or friends, escape the heat, or just to have an adventure. Unfortunately, recent months have shown us that our travel plans can be seriously impacted by global and local events, with the war in Iran, and strikes causing travel headaches.
To help you prepare for potential disruption, or medical issues and more while you’re abroad, we spoke to Caroline Lips, Head of Marketing from expat travel insurance providers Staysure Expat and asked her to explain how to deal with the unexpected.
If my flight is cancelled and I need to stay in a hotel before the next flight, is that cost covered by travel insurance, or the airline?
If travel is disrupted, airlines and tour operators are usually responsible for refunds or alternative arrangements, as well as paying for meals or providing accommodation if that is necessary. However, this depends on the route, carrier, booking arrangement and applicable legal regime, so check with your airline. Travel insurance may become relevant if costs cannot be recovered elsewhere.
In the event your outbound travel is delayed for more than 12 hours, it is often possible to cancel your trip and claim for cancellation via your travel insurance, if you no longer wish to travel at all. However, this is for cancellation, rather than being moved onto another trip and policy terms and conditions vary.
What happens if my bags are lost?
If your bag does not arrive in your destination with you, your first port of call should be the Baggage Service Desk, inside the baggage collection hall. Ask for a PIR form, which stands for a Property Irregularity Report, and is the official document that logs your bag as missing. Give as much information as you can, including where you will be staying, your contact details and a description of the bag, so that they can ensure your luggage reaches you. Keep a copy of this form, and ensure you have a reference number, and keep this with your luggage tag receipts on your boarding pass.
What should I do if I get robbed while I am away?
Move to a safe space such as a hotel lobby or police station and freeze your cards if a wallet was taken. If your phone was taken, use an alternative device to log into your email, change your passwords and lock down your phone, so thieves cannot access your data or digital wallet. It’s also recommended to call your mobile carrier and report the phone as stolen, so they can deactivate your SIM card.
If you had your passport stolen, you need to go to your nearest embassy to make an urgent appointment for an Emergency Travel Document, so you can travel back home.
File a local police report within 24 hours and provide a list of what was stolen. Request a physical copy of the official police report or reference number, so there is evidence of the circumstances and value of the loss. This allows you to claim on your travel insurance for the loss.
Notify your travel insurance provider to report the theft and give them the details of the police report, and check the cover that they are able to provide under these circumstances, such as hotel extensions if you miss a flight due to lost documents.
What should I do if I have a medical emergency while abroad?
The first step is to call the local emergency service number to receive emergency attention, or go to your nearest state hospital or emergency clinic. If within the EU, an EHIC/GHIC or equivalent card may provide access to medically necessary state-provided healthcare, but it does not replace travel insurance and does not cover all costs, private treatment or repatriation.
If you have travel insurance, call the assistance line, when you are safe and receiving treatment.
If there is no suitable local state medical facility, call your travel insurance assistance line to ask for local private facilities within their approved provider network.
If you are admitted to hospital, call your travel insurance provider’s assistance line as soon as possible. Support may vary, but in Staysure Expat’s case, the assistance team can speak directly to the hospital and have multi-lingual staff on call 24/7 to support you.
Policies differ, but we require pre-approval from the assistance line for all costs over €350. For anything under that amount, which you wish to claim back after the event, make sure you secure a medical report detailing the medical problem and the treatment carried out.
What should I do if I need to return home early?
Speak to the airline first as they may be able to arrange a new return free of charge. Otherwise, if due to illness or injury, call your travel insurance’s assistance line as they can help validate the claim and arrange tickets if cover is in place.
Staysure Expat is a travel insurance provider who specialise in pre-existing medical condition cover and offer travel insurance policies in English, tailored to Expats who live in France, Spain and Portugal. For more travel advice and information visit www.staysure.com/expat, you can also find Staysure Expat on social media @staysureexpat on Instagram and @staysure.expat on Facebook.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute insurance advice or a personalised recommendation. Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, exclusions and limits. Pre-existing medical conditions must be declared and accepted by the insurer for cover to apply.
