Senior travel insurance

The fundamental reason why travel insurance for seniors is harder to come by is because older travellers are more likely to make a claim - there is a higher chance a senior traveller might fall or have an accident. As an older traveller you may also already have a pre-existing medical condition that requires you to travel with expensive medication or expensive medical equipment. A pre-existing medical condition is an illness that you have had prior to purchasing travel insurance. This could be something like a heart condition or cancer - a chronic illness that is likely to be long-term.  It’s always important to tell your insurer of any pre-existing medical condition as if you don’t this could invalidate your policy and leave you in a lot of trouble if you end up needing any medical assistance whilst you’re away.

All insurance policies are different and so you must always check your terms and conditions for particular wording, excess or exclusions but generally this is what to expect with senior travel insurance.

Senior travel insurance normally covers travellers above the age of 70. And depending on the cover you choose you will most likely be able to choose from either a standard policy for a cheaper premium (how much you pay for the insurance) or a comprehensive policy that for a more expensive premium will pay out more for any emergency medical expenses.

As a senior traveller, your insurance will generally cover the same as most other policies, like theft or loss of possessions such as your luggage, passport and money. Holiday disruptions like flight cancellations, delayed flights or cancelled accommodation.

As a senior traveller you’ll also be covered for a family member to travel to you if you if become ill, medical expenses, cancellation and curtailment and accidental deal and disablement. Insurers may also try and help ease any stressful situations you find yourself in, such as by getting you free access to an airport lounge when a flight is delayed.

It is strongly advisable to always travel with insurance incase anything goes wrong. If you had a fall and had to go to hospital and travel home early but didn’t have insurance this could cost you thousands. It’s always best to buy insurance as soon as your have booked you’re trip. If you are a regular traveller it may be more cost effective to purchase annual cover so you don’t have to find a new policy for every trip. You will be covered for every trip you take that year, but you'll have to make sure your annual policy covers you for all the activities you plan to undertake during the year.