When it comes to choosing your family travel insurance plan, too many options can make it rather confusing. Unless you know what you’re looking for you may end up either paying too much for items you don’t need, or end up underinsured when things go very wrong. So how do you know you have the right amount of coverage and choose the right insurer? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Correct Coverage Limits

Not all items on your policy should have the same amount of coverage. Coverage limits on medical expenses, for instance, should be on the high side: even up to two to three million pounds or more. High coverage limits are important, especially when travelling with children or older members of the family. You need to ensure that whatever happens, when someone in your travel party gets sick or injured you will be able to afford the best professional medical care, hospital bills, and even transportation.

Emergency evacuation should be part of the medical coverage, too – both to the nearest first-class hospital and to your home country should that be necessary. Make sure you check that the cost of your flight back home is covered if you need it.

Necessary Provisions

Countries covered. A good family travel insurance policy should cover most countries in the world, or, at the very least, the countries you are travelling to, and perhaps the nearby ones. There have been cases when people traveling to certain countries had to be transported to countries nearby for better care.

Medical. 24-hour emergency coverage should always be provided for in your policy. If you have any experience with children, you’re probably aware that they do tend to choose the most inopportune time to come down with something!

Electronics coverage. While cover for lost, damaged and stolen luggage is often standard, some policies do not cover electronics and documents – which are among the most frequently lost, snatched or stolen items in the world. Check your policy for coverage for your electronics, and if necessary, add a rider.

Natural and political emergencies. Certain occurrences such as typhoons, strife and war that will necessitate heading home earlier than planned may or may not be included in your policy. Depending on the country you intend to visit, always make sure this kind of provision is included if necessary.

Liability and damage cover. Included, but not often used in many policies, this provision ensures that you are covered in the event that you injure someone or damage their property while travelling. This also includes legal expenses should they be necessary.

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Insuremore. We provide low cost travel insurance and offer a range of policies including family travel insurance, annual, multi-trip and single-trip. For all your needs, Insuremore can help you in the quickest and most cost-efficient way.