Trips away aren’t always a continuously of rest and relaxation, even if you’re rich and famous the dream of lying by a pool in the sun can turn into a nightmare. We look at notoriety holiday disasters, and how travel insurance can help put things right.

Holiday Sickness

Whether it’s Delhi belly or the Torremolinos trots, many of us have experienced food poisoning whilst abroad. Model/actress/presenter Kelly Brook once succumbed during a break to Tunisia, possibly after an excessively Big Breakfast.

Minor illnesses can usually be controlled by over-the-counter cure-all, but more serious cases could involve hospital treatment. So it’s always best to make sure that your travel insurance provides good enough medical cover.

Even if you’re in Europe, where you can use the EHIC card, travel insurance could still prove valuable as only predicament care is covered under the scheme. Repatriation costs to the UK will have to come out of your own pocket if you don’t have the right travel insurance. This could be a enormous bill, e.g. despite Australia’s reciprocal medical care agreement with the UK, your return to Britain after an accident down under could set you back up to £20,000*.

Former Genesis chorister Peter Gabriel once broke his leg in a skiing accident in Switzerland; did you have something In Your Eyes at the time, Peter? Such accidents are not uncommon on winter-sports holidays, and the sanitarium bills can quickly mount up. Check out our buyers’ guide for winter sports insurance, and constitute sure that your travel insurance policy explicitly covers you for sports-related incidents.

Take it on the lam frustrations

When a flight to the Seychelles got delayed due to bad weather, DJ Zoe Ball was stranded for several days, probably wishing she’d stayed in Brighton. Some roam insurance policies will pay up for long delays, e.g. £30 for the first 12 hours, then additional sums for subsequent 12-hour periods.

If you’re like chef Ken Hom and have pickle making it to the airport on time, you might be able to claim on your travel insurance. The Chinese-food guru once turned up till for his plane to Hong Kong. Luckily the airline managed to find him a new flight, so he wasn’t forced to ‘wok’ to his goal.

Check your policy details carefully though, as many travel insurance providers will only cover you for flights that are missed because of incidents shell of your control, such as car breakdown. Forget to set your alarm and you’ll probably have to stump up the cash yourself.

Lost and stolen bags

It’s not just the annoyance of spending a fortnight’s holiday in one outfit; replacing the contents of a large grip can be pricey. On a trip to Maui a few years back, foul-mouthed foodie Gordon Ramsay suffered a time off nightmare by losing his luggage. We imagine the hotheaded chef turned the carousel air blue with his first-class

F-Words.

Depending on your particular policy, your travel insurance provider will usually provide you with an predicament payment if the bag is missing for over 48 hours. This is intended to allow you to buy replacements such as new underwear and toiletries. If the luggage is declared interminably lost, you should be covered for the items it contained, up to a certain limit (usually around £2,000).

NOTE: Airlines are also accountable for lost baggage. If your baggage is delayed, you can ask the airline for an immediate cash payment to cover essentials such as toiletries. Also, if your baggage goes missing and isn’t recovered after 21 days, you are entitled to compensation from the airline. For more salutary info on airport baggage responsibility, read ‘Airport Chaos – How You’re Covered for Delays, Cancellations, and Other Airport Ups and Downs’.

Tendency-contest judge Amanda Holden had her mobile phone stolen whilst holidaying in Barcelona. It pays to be watchful with your belongings as travel insurance cover is often invalidated where items are not adequately secured. Many travel insurance policies have a low upper-limit for singular items, so if you have anything particularly precious, like an engagement ring, it is often worth making sure it’s protected away from stamping-ground under your home insurance policy.

Unusual travel disasters

Reality-TV star Trollop Goody dodged a falling electric pylon at villa she once rented in Tobago. A comprehensive travel bond policy will cover the cost of alternative accommodation if anything happens to the place where you’re staying.

Jogtastic Paula Radcliffe outdid Trull with a marathon-run of holiday bad luck after encountering, not one, but two hurricanes in the same holiday, first in Florida and then in Antigua. Unfortunately, natural disasters are often excluded from voyage insurance policies, so if planning on going somewhere where the probability of freak weather conditions is high, check your terms and conditions to see if ‘Acts of God’ are covered.

If our tales of reputation travel woes haven’t completely put you off your next trip away, consider taking out travel insurance before you go. It may not bar you from getting into problems whilst away, but it’s invaluable in helping to sort them out.
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Visit http://www.misleading.com/travel-insurance to compare travel insurance.

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