Travel Insurance

In this COVID infested world, travel insurance becomes a challenge - as indeed is travel itself.

My travel insurance company, Liverpool Victoria, with whom I have an annual policy, has advised that upon renewal, due in a month’s time, they will not insure loss arising from COVID-19 or any other pandemic where the loss is a result of airline or other travel/holiday business cancelling for that reason, or due to government advice not to travel, in respect of any holiday booked after renewal. Whilst not unexpected, it means that if I renew I will have a policy that for at least the following 12 months won’t cover me in those circumstances. The simple answer is not to renew until either risk is small enough to accept it myself, or until they reinstate cover, if ever they do. However I can’t afford not to renew because I have an expensive holiday booked in December (booked before COVID) that if not cancelled before my renewal date will be without cover. I am not expecting it to go ahead, but I can’t cancel it without loss, and so have to wait for either the providers to cancel, when I may be able to recover the costs from them, or wait until the start date when the insurance if renewed will still cover me if government advice is not to travel.

I don’t think I can get round this in any way other than renew the insurance - with it’s probably higher premium - and accept that it is useless for the foreseeable future other than The cover it gives for said pre-booked hol. I suppose I could always book other holidays for the coming year now, before the renewal date, but that doesn’t seem sensible at the moment!

It may be that I should count myself lucky that LV are prepared to renew at all, so maintaining cover for the pre-booked hol.

What are people’s experiences with other insurance companies? Are any providing COVID-19 or other pandemic cover?

My travel insurance company did the same as yours. However, as I am extremely clinically vulnerable I have been advised not to travel so have decided not to renew my annual policy. In your situation I would renew I think.
I know that in some countries (e.g. Turkey) that the governments are offering specific Covid19 health cover to tourists, maybe you could buy additional cover for the Covid risk from another company?

I think an insurance company bases cover on things that, at the macro level, obviously do happen, but at the individual level are pretty unlikely. In the case of COVID the chance that your journey may be impacted somehow is probably greater than 1% which is going to fall into the uninsurable risk for most insurance companies.

The previous age of travel as we know it is probably over. It’s likely to be a much bigger deal (as it was in the mid 20th century) with greater expense, risk, and dare I say reward.

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