Travel Insurance

icon_shieldA quarter of travellers take inadequate insurance - or none at all! The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have more referrals to British Embassies from gap year travellers or backpackers than any other group.

That's why Mind The Gap Year® has spent the time making sure the Backpacker Insurance policy we offer covers a wide range of activities and circumstances.

These include:

  • Working; paid or voluntary
  • Most sporting and 'risky' activities that are incidental (not pre-planned and booked)
  • High risk planned activities can be included if required in your tailor made policy
  • Emergency medical treatment; including getting you home
  • Legal expenses; including wrongful arrest
  • Personal liability
  • Travel provider failure
  • Bereavement travel costs
Additional cover can be requested for...
  • Laptops
  • Increase cancellation
  • Increase Ski Course Curtailment
  • Increase Personal Effects

Mind The Gap Year offers a low cost Economy package, or the fully-inclusive Standard package, so you can pick the specialist Gap Year and Backpacker Insurance package to suit both your needs and your budget.

Please note that the earliest you can purchase insurance for a trip is one year before the travel date.

Top Ten Tips When Selecting Insurance

Here are our top ten tips on what to look for in backpacker insurance cover...

Tip 1. Emergency Medical Expenses

Our gap year travel insurance covers Emergency Medical Expenses, getting home (known as "repatriation") and ambulance costs.  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office cannot help you in emergency medical situations, so having insurance cover is absolutely vital.

This is the most important cover, don’t leave home without it, it can cost £100,000’s in extreme circumstances.
Tip 2. Medical Conditions

What if you have a medical condition(s) before you purchase?

Don’t be frightened of telling the Insurance Company.  Most of the time they will agree to cover you, sometimes they may ask for extra premium, but at least you know you are covered.  If you don’t tell them, any claim relating to that condition may not be paid, or in some cases any unrelated claim may not be paid. They may even consider this a non-disclosure of a material fact and cancel the policy.

These conditions apply to the whole policy not just medical expenses.
Tip 3. Cancellation by you

If you can’t go on your trip at the last minute because you are sick or injured, insurance will pay for your flight and any other cost that you may not get back from the Tour Organiser etc.

Check the amount insured (sums Insured) is enough, some Gap Year trips can cost a lot more than the amount Travel Insurance policies provide.  If your trip costs more, ask the Insurer if the sums insured can be extended or look around.
Tip 4. Cancellation by your airline or under FCO advice

If your airline goes bust or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has recommended not to travel to the destination you have booked, some travel insurance polices will cover these cancellations, many don’t.

Check the policy you buy does, this is very important in the current climate.
Tip 5. Personal Liability

Q: What happens if you swing round and accidently knock someone into the road, they are hit by a passing car and badly injured? A: You can be sued.  If the law suit ius successful, travel insurance will pay for the damages (compensation). This will usually cover legal costs for the defence of a claim. However, be careful as some policies include this in the overall limit and some make it in addition. It does not cover fines or legal costs for a prosecution.

Get a policy that does not exclude you accidently injuring a travelling companion (it can happen) and also covers trip accommodation.
Tip 6. Working or Volunteering on your travels

If you are injured at work people seem to think the employer will pay. They won’t, unless it was their fault. You will have to prove this which can take years.

Buy a Gap Year insurance that covers working and watch the small print as some will cover working but not if being paid and some will only cover certain types of working.
Tip 7. Sports and Activities

Most Gap Year and Backpacker Insurance policies have a lengthy list of sports and activities, the problem is second guessing what you are going to do.

Many Insurances provide grouped activities, if that is the case pick the highest grouping that you think you might do or choose a Gap Year Policy that covers all unplanned (not booked before leaving home) sports and activities.
Tip 8. Kit – all your stuff

Some of the cheaper policies do not cover your personal belongings/effects, which is fine if that’s your choice, If you are not taking much with you and the value is low that’s probably a good choice.

Take a look at everything you are taking with you and check that the policy you buy covers them (if you want them covered).  Be aware that many policies won’t cover iPods, cameras, laptops etc.
Tip 9. When to buy

You can buy Travel Insurance any time before you leave on your travels.

It is more beneficial to buy insurance just after you book your travels, so that you are covered if you have to cancel (see tip 3).
Tip 10. Insurance Documents

Once you have purchased your insurance you must keep the documents somewhere safe and accessible.

Take two copies, leave one at home and take one with you.  You can also scan into an internet document safe or your e-mail account, so you can access it over the internet, just in case you lose the paper copy.
Extra Tip... Family Annual Policy

So your dad says don’t worry we’ve got an annual multi-trip (AMT) travel insurance for the whole family...

Tip Plus one!  - for parents. This type of policy is for short trips, and is normally for up to 31 days any one trip only.  Also to be considered a child under an AMT policy usually they must be under 18 or under 21 and in full time education.

Also annual multi trip policies may not provide the cover necessary for gap year or backpacker activities.

Submit to Facebook Submit to Twitter Submit to LinkedIn
Joomla Templates and Joomla Extensions by ZooTemplate.Com

free_01SIGN UP! Equip yourself with the safety tools you'll need for your Gap Year adventure! Click here!

Quick Quote From MPI

All of our cover is now provided by our sister company MPI Brokers.
Click here to get a quick quote from MPI!

Help with claims

icon_coverIf you have a Mind The Gap Year Travel Insurance policy and you wish to make a claim, then we are keen to help make that process as painless as possible. The first step is to click on the appropriate link below to download a form.

Read more...

Policy Information

Its very important that you understand what our policy offers you! To find out more about our cover, please click here.

You can also download a copy of the policy wording by clicking here.

You can download a copy of the Initial Disclosure Document by clicking here.

Other Travel Policies

If you're looking for other travel insurance options, why not contact our sister company.... MPI Brokers. Specialists in the field of travel insurance provision - particularly wintersports!

buttonbanner260x200

Mind The Gap Year® and MPI Brokers are trading names of Michael Pettifer Insurance Brokers Ltd. Mind The Gap Year® Ltd is the Trustee for all money held in Trust under the Family and Friends Gift Voucher Scheme and is not involved in insurance activity. Michael Pettifer Insurance Brokers Ltd is registered in England, company no 04469885, and Mind The Gap Year® Ltd is registered in England, company no. 4347175. Their registered address is Greens Court, West Street, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9NQ. In respect of Sections 1-12 and 14-18 of the insurance part of the package, this is underwritten by UK General Ltd.  as Underwriting Agent for Ageas Insurance Ltd, Ageas House, Tollgate, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 3YA which is a member of the Association of British Insurers. In respect of Section 13, this insurance is provided by International Passenger Protection Ltd, IPP House, 22-26 Station Road, West Wickham, Kent, BR4 0BR and is underwritten by a consortium of Association of British Insurers member companies and Lloyd's Syndicates. All the above companies other than Mind The Gap Year® Ltd. are Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.