It is something we all dread but tend to do little to prevent or prepare for, an illness whilst away on holiday. Of course, when planning to travel abroad we should all be making sure that we have adequate travel insurance in case of an accident or illness. There are a few important points to ensure when booking insurance for the holidays. If you are planning to do any specific activities like rock climbing or jet skiing, you need to be sure that the cover you have includes these activities. Always make sure that the policy will repatriate you to your local hospital if required, as, without this, you may be stuck in a foreign hospital incurring very large bills or have to pay for repatriation yourself which can run into hundreds of thousands of Pounds.
Precautions to Take
There are many ways we can ensure we have a happy and health trip. Perhaps the first step is to research the destination you are heading to as different countries and regions have different health concerns. You can get details of which vaccinations you may need before travelling via your local GP or contact your health authority as they work closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) to keep up to date with which any outbreaks of viruses. This is especially important if travelling to certain parts of Africa, Asia and South America. As mentioned before, the best way to stay healthy is to fully understand where you are going and what risks maybe involved. As an example of this, I have an old friend who travelled to Thailand this year to enjoy some diving on a popular diving island in the Thai Gulf. As he had been there many times before, he presumed he knew what he needed. If only he had checked with his local health centre, he would have known that the Dengue Virus has affected a lot of people this year in Thailand and not just in the rural areas. Now there is no real vaccination or cure for this, but had he known, he would have taken extra care to make sure he has a good mosquito repellent on hand, and perhaps done more to prevent the infection. Luckily this was a mild case, and he had medical insurance, so he didn’t have to pay for the three days in hospital on fluids.
Two of the most common complaints when on holiday are sunburn and water Bourne bugs. Sunburn is something most of us have had, and we do know what precautions to take, but it does seem very easy to forget if you are in the pool or having a drink in the sun. Don’t get caught out with this, carry a good sun cream and re-apply regularly as when you sweat you will naturally lose some of that protection. If you have ever had the dreaded Delhi belly in India, you will probably already be taking extra care in the future. It is easy to forget, but when you are abroad, remember that the local water in the taps is probably not for drinking. It is always best to use bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth.
It can happen
No matter how careful and well prepared you are it can still happen. I talked earlier about the importance of travel insurance. When you go to book this with your travel provider or insurance company you need to be truthful to what you expect to do on the holiday and where you are going as this will affect the premiums and it could make the policy void if you have misrepresented yourself. There are specific policies in place to help those who take part in certain activities like diving, jet bikes or even bungee jumping in New Zealand. If the policy does not cover all your holiday plans it is worthless, so do double check for exclusions. The internet is also not only for booking cheap holidays abroad, you can also gain access to a whole host of information relating to the area you plan to travel to, see what other people experienced and don’t be shy to ask questions on forums. The destination you chose will play a factor in the coat of insurance as it would obviously cost a lot more to repatriate you while sick if you were in Asia as opposed to being in an EU country.
