We asked Home and Overseas to tell us what questions are most frequently asked by travel agents about travel insurance
What should I advise clients who might be travelling to a destination that could be dangerous?
Travel insurance policies do not usually cover people caught up in terrorist activity, although there are a few exceptions so it is worth shopping around.
If the Foreign Office tells people not to go to a specific country, you should also advise against it. In this case, tour operators are likely to have dropped their packages anyway.
My client wants to take part in sports such as go-karting while on holiday. How should I advise him?
Several activities are classed as dangerous sports, so the first thing to do is check your policy to see if the activity in question is covered by the standard premium. Home and Overseas would cover go-karting without requiring additional premium.
If it is a particularly dangerous activity, it might be worth looking for a niche insurer.
What are pre-existing medical conditions?
The majority of travel insurance policies require clients to give them details of any current medical condition, or one they have suffered from usually during the past six months.
This way the insurer can better assess if there is a higher claims risk. If there is, the client could be asked to pay a higher premium.
My client is flying over the New Year. Is he covered by his travel insurance?
Insurers collectively have decided they should not be liable for claims arising as a result of the millennium bug. Most policies have exclusions to this effect.
However, it was also agreed that it would be wrong to withdraw medical and personal accident cover. They remain in effect for the Home and Overseas policy, and it is important to check your policy to see if this is the case.
My client needs to cancel his holiday. How do I know if he covered?
All policies have specific clauses relating to cancellation. Clients will usually be able to make a cancellation claim if a close family member is ill or dies, or in the case of redundancy.
If there is an illness or death in the family while client is on holiday, and they have to come home early, it is called curtailment. As long as your client was not aware of the problem he now has when he took out the policy, he should be covered.