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Standard policies cover medical emergencies abroad, trip cancellation, baggage loss, travel delays, and personal liability. Better policies add gadget cover, higher limits, and cover for pre-existing conditions or adventure sports.

Yes. While GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) provides reduced-cost medical treatment in EU countries, it doesn't cover everything—repatriation, cancellation, or baggage loss, for example. Travel insurance is strongly recommended.

If you take more than 2-3 trips per year, annual multi-trip policies usually work out cheaper. They're also more convenient—no need to buy cover for each trip. Just check the maximum trip duration (often 31-45 days).

Buy it as soon as you book your trip. This way you're covered if something happens before departure—like needing to cancel due to illness. Buying last-minute means you miss out on cancellation cover.

For Europe, £2-5 million is adequate. For the USA, you need at least £5-10 million due to extremely high medical costs—a simple hospital stay can cost £20,000+. Worldwide policies should have £10 million minimum.

Not always. Very cheap policies often have low limits, high excesses, and many exclusions. Compare the cover levels, not just the price. A £10 policy with £1,000 cancellation cover is useless if your trip cost £3,000.

The excess is what you pay towards each claim, typically £50-150. You can often pay extra to reduce it to zero, which is worth considering if you have expensive belongings or are likely to make smaller claims.

Most policies now cover COVID-19 for medical treatment abroad and some cover cancellation if you test positive before travel. Check the policy wording—some exclude COVID entirely, others have specific conditions.