Personal Accident, Personal Liability & Possessions Cover

• Personal liability.
  student travel insurance will cover personal liability, if you accidentally cause injury or damage to others or their property and they sue you.

• Personal accident.
  student travel insurance can cover personal accident, with payment made for permanent disability or death.

• Possessions cover.
  student travel insurance can cover stolen, lost or damaged possessions. The limit should be appropriate to your needs – perhaps £1500 or more.

  Policies will generally limit claims for single items – the limit can vary from as low as £250 up to £1000 or more. There is likely to be a similar limit on the total paid to replace valuables, such as cameras or jewellery. Check that these limits are sufficient.

  You should not rely on compensation from the airline if it loses your luggage. By law, airlines need only pay a specified minimum value per kilo of lost luggage – this will probably be inadequate to cover the full value of your belongings.

  Remember that losses should be reported to the Police within 24 hours and proof of notification will be required when you make your claim.

Look after your possessions.
Most policies will not provide any cover for drink-related incidents. The risks you take by over-indulgence - drink-driving etc. - are compounded abroad. If something happens, you will have to pay your own medical costs and for injury or damage to others etc.

All insurance policies say that you must take care of your belongings at all times. If you don’t, the policy may not pay out. Follow these tips:

• Don’t take large quantities of cash.
• Don’t take more valuables than you need.
• Never leave belongings unattended, especially at airports, stations, on the beach, in places of entertainment, in the care of strangers, or in a vehicle.
• Never keep your wallet in your back trouser pocket.
• Keep all valuables, passports and money in your hand baggage when travelling.
• At your hotel, keep valuables and cash in a safe deposit box or in the hotel safe.
• Don’t leave your home address visible on your baggage.
• Don’t enter unsafe areas.
• Take as much care of your property as if you were uninsured.

Cancellation& Curtailment

Your policy should pay out if you need to cancel or cut short a trip because, for example, you fall ill. It should cover pre-paid expenses, such as excursions, and any extra costs incurred in getting home. Check your policy documents to see what would be covered – accident, illness, pregnancy unknown when you buy the policy, jury service or witness summons, etc.

Cover may also be provided if you are needed at home because of fire, storm or flood, or if you are required by the police to come home following a burglary.

Some policies also cover cancellation arising from you being made redundant or if a strike or bad weather affects the departure of a flight or ship.

You need a policy with sufficient cover to refund the full cost of your holiday. Check your policy for details.

EmergencyAssistance

Take out a policy which has the benefit of a 24-hour emergency service / assistance company for a round the clock service.

The assistance company will provide you with help and advice and make any necessary arrangements, such as repatriation in the case of a serious accident or illness. They may also pay bills, or guarantee payment of bills, that are incurred during the emergency.

Remember to take your policy & the 24-hour emergency telephone number with you. Make sure you know what you must do in the event of a problem. Some insurers insist that you call their assistance company as soon as possible after a problem arises.

Some typical, approximate costs of medical treatment and repatriation are shown below.

Typical inpatient medical costs.
£600 Two days in a general ward - Mediterranean £1,600 Two days in intensive care – Mediterranean £5,000 Two days in intensive care – USA £400-600 Gastro-enteritis – Mediterranean £4,000-7,000 Broken limb, such as leg or wrist – Europe £10,000 Broken leg – USA £20,000-30,000 Heart attack - USA £3,000 Bronchitis requiring seven days inpatient treatment, Europe £15,000 Bronchitis requiring seven days inpatient treatment, Far East £20,000 Bronchitis requiring seven days inpatient treatment, USA

For simple conditions not requiring admission to hospital – such as upset stomach, ear infection, infected insect bites, sunburn, dehydration – the cost of each visit to the Doctor can be £35 in Mediterranean countries or £200 to £400 in the USA.

Typical repatriation costs.
The cost of flights back to the UK will depend on the class of travel required which will be dictated by their medical condition i.e. whether the passenger can travel seated or requires extra seats or transfer on a stretcher. It was also depend on their exact location and destination in the UK. There will also be additional costs such as hotel accommodation for the travel companions or medical escorts, medication, road ambulances and so on.

approximate figures...

£30-35,000 Air ambulance (Jet) - East coast of USA
£16,000 Air ambulance (Jet) - Canaries
£8,000 Air ambulance (turbo-prop) – Balearics
£2,000 Air taxi (propeller driven light aircraft) - Northern France
£8,500 Scheduled flight, stretcher and Doctor escort – Australia
£4,000 Scheduled flight, seated club, with a nurse escort - West coast of USA
£1,300 Scheduled flight, seated economy with a Doctor escort – Mediterranean
£300-£500 Scheduled flight, seated economy without an escort – Mediterranean
£3,000-£4,500 Scheduled flight, stretcher and Doctor escort – Mediterranean