When is the Best Season to Buy Annual Travel Insurance?
Getting comprehensive travel insurance for EU residents is a must, especially for frequent travellers who are out of the country two to three times a year. Rather than acquiring single trip travel insurance, frequent travellers will save a lot of money when they opt for annual travel insurance. Annual multi-trip travel insurance makes sense because it provides coverage for short trips done in the course of a single year, saving travellers a lot of time in searching for insurance policies every time they travel. Annual travel insurance also provides a year’s cover for emergency medical expenses while travelling, repatriation expenses, trip cancellation, delayed flights, personal liabilities, and lost, stolen, or damaged baggage. Travellers need to make sure that their policy includes a ‘maximum trip duration’, which covers the longest trip that they might take during the course of the year.
Aside from choosing the best policy, one of the factors to consider is the best time to purchase annual travel insurance. People usually make travel plans and book their flights and accommodations at the beginning of the year. This is the reason why the most ideal time to purchase is winter time, particularly during the months of January and February. Since travel experts say that the best time to purchase travel insurance is the day you book a holiday, then this is the best time since tour agencies are coming up with different travel promotions meant for the rest of the year. Many travellers avail of beginning-of-year travel offerings, booking holidays abroad ahead of time. Along with booking holidays and trips for the coming year, it also makes sense to take out travel insurance that would provide coverage for those holidays that you booked.
Some of the best travel insurance companies usually offer free 17 days Winter Sports coverage when clients avail of the 45-day Annual Multi-trip travel insurance. This Winter Sports coverage can be used right away during the current season. This makes good sense because there are special provisions in the winter sports coverage than standard annual travel insurance does not cover, such as coverage for valuable sports equipment, avalanche closure, and coverage for specific winter sports such as off-piste skiing, snowboarding, and tobogganing.
It is highly recommended that you choose an immediate ‘start date’ to your annual travel insurance policy so that you can already be covered for holidays that you have already booked. Last-minute purchase of a travel insurance policy is not ideal since the insured will not be able to get the benefits of the pre-departure elements of the policy. Pre-departure elements include Missed Departure and Cancellation Cover.
These are the reasons why winter is the best time to purchase an annual travel insurance policy. Purchasing a travel insurance plan to cover for the next 12 months is very cost-effective, and buying it during the winter season makes sense because this is the time when people make plans for their trips during the year.
