24/7 travel insurance blog

Skiing holidays are immensely popular the world over, but some of the best destinations for a snow sports trip are located within Europe. The vast Alpine mountain range offers a huge number of different ski resorts, spaced out between several different countries, each with their own unique charms.

Perhaps foremost among the great Alpine ski centres is St Moritz in Switzerland. It has a rightfully earned reputation for being the playground of Europe’s rich and famous and its glamorous jetsetter clientele means that there is no shortage of luxury accommodation, as well as fine restaurants and nightlife. However, St Moritz is not all about excess and opulence (even if you can play snow cricket or polo, if the fancy takes you), it also has fantastic skiing over many different slopes and the natural beauty is quite astounding. In other words, it is understandable how St Moritz has become so popular among Europe’s elite.

For a more budget-friendly and accessible resort, it is hard to go wrong with Chamonix (or Chamoniz-Mont-Blanc, to give it its full name), situated in the French Alps. Although it has its fair share of luxury hotels and expensive private villas, its sheer size means that it is popular with skiers of all means because, after all, they’re here for the slopes. Here, Chamonix doesn`t disappoint, with the mighty Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, providing a great challenge and attraction for many visitors, as well as plenty of smaller novice slopes and a world-renowned off-piste area. The whole region is easily accessed by an extensive network of lifts.

Elsewhere, Zell am See, in the Austrian Alps, sells itself far more on its unparalleled natural beauty and huge range of activities available there all year round, than it does on its off-slope attractions, not that it`s short on those either. It is a charming and picturesque medieval town, situated on the edge of a lake, which not only distinguishes it from the other generic Austrian ski resorts, but also broadens the range of sports available. Alongside standard skiing and snowboarding, visitors are also able to partake in trekking, climbing, mountain biking, glacier skiing and water sports on the lake. Overall, Zell am See offers a more well-rounded Alpine experience.

Another popular ski destination is Zermatt, in Switzerland, which in off-season times is a small village with fewer than 6000 inhabitants but which swells massively when the skiers arrive. Perhaps the main attraction of this tiny town is its proximity to the impressive Matterhorn, with its sculpted pyramid shape not only giving it a striking appearance but also many great ski runs. In addition, Zermatt is ‘car-free’ to help prevent air pollution so it is best reached by a traditional red train and the station then gives way to cobbled streets and horse-drawn sleighs - an image that makes Zermatt almost impossible not to fall in love with.

Finally, Tignes, located in the French Alps and joined with nearby Val d’Isere as part of the Espace Killy ski region, is an immensely popular winter sports destination. During the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Tignes was home to the freestyle skiing competition and it isn`t hard to see why. The resort itself actually comprises five different villages, built around a huge dam and the nearby Grand Motte glacier provides skiing opportunities for the majority of the year. Tignes’ size makes it an obvious choice for those who are looking for a budget trip with some guaranteed quality skiing, rather than those seeking exclusivity.

Overall, Europe’s ski resorts provide a huge variety of different experiences, meaning there’s something on offer for everyone, whether they prefer luxury destinations, quaint villages or bustling vibrant centres. Whatever your choice a Barclays credit card is an essential for any trip, offering financial security and flexibility.

Labels: ski holiday, ski insurance, Skiing, winter holidays, winter sports travel insurance, winter travel insurance, wintersports, wintersports travel insurance

Research taken out by the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) has highlighted the fact that one in five* travellers who go away to take part in winter sports are not taking out travel insurance.

An accident on the slopes can creep into the thousands very easily. With a fractured leg in the US leaving the policyholder with a possible £40,000 medical bill - who can risk going on the slopes without travel insurance?!

During the 2010 skiing season, including Europe and the USA, the majority of claims came from injuries to the shoulder and collarbone and with an average cost of a ski injury claim during the same season costing £1,700!*

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is a must when temporarily visiting an EEA country including Switzerland. The EHIC allows UK nationals reduced-cost or sometimes free medical treatment but it is not a substitute for comprehensive travel insurance.

A lot of European ski resorts don’t have state-owned medical facilities, which means the EHIC may be refused by some private clinics. Unfortunately this may then mean that the injured person will have to foot the bill themselves if they don’t have winter travel insurance.

When you do purchase your winter sports travel insurance make sure you read the small print. Most insurance policies have exclusions attached and will not cover you for things like being under the influence of alcohol or if you venture off-piste. So if you have an accident and you find that your insurer won’t cover you, a large medical bill may be on its way!

Top tips when buying Ski travel insurance

• Make sure that your ski insurance has a sufficient cancellation limit that would cover you if you had to cancel your trip or if you had to curtail (come home early). If the limit doesn’t cover the cost of your trip then you may be out of pocket. 

• Ensure that you have cover for equipment. If you are taking your own equipment does the limit cover you or again would you be out of pocket if something was lost or stolen? Bare in mind that most policies have a single article limit. 

• Take your EHIC with you when you travel to the EEA including Switzerland. Insurers may reduce the excess of your emergency medical expenses cover if you use your card. 

• It needs to be noted that the EHIC will not pay for the costs of getting you home so make sure you have a travel insurance policy which covers you for repatriation. If you are injured abroad and hospitalised for a period of time, the insurance company in conjunction with the treating doctor may decide to get you home. 

• If you will be taking part in certain winter sports activities, you will need to check if your travel insurance policy includes them - especially if you will be doing something out of the realms of skiing and snowboarding on-piste! 

Labels: 24/7 travel insurance, ski insurance, winter sports insurance, winter sports travel insurance, wintersports

The first step of planning your holiday is deciding where you are going. The next stage is working out how you are going to get there.

There are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.

How long will it take to get there?

If your destination is a couple of hours by plane, would it be possible to drive instead? If driving is cheaper and less stressful than booking and boarding a flight it may be worth it. Not only will you have your own car with you at all times to be able to give you the freedom to go out when you are at your destination, but you can also pack as much as you can fit in your car as there are no baggage limits!

On the other hand, if you are travelling to Australia it can take you more than 24 hours by airplane from the UK. Driving would be a bit extreme to say the least, so get searching for those cheap flights!

How much can you afford on the travel arrangements?

The more you spend on the getting there, the less you may have to spend on accommodation or going out. Consider if taking the Eurostar is cheaper than booking a flight, or will making a stop-over on your flight shave a couple of hundred pounds off your ticket cost?

What equipment are you planning on taking with you?

Some flights may not allow you to take certain equipment on board, or they will charge you for certain items. For example, if you are taking Sports equipment with you on holiday, Ryanair will charge £80* per item for a return journey (maximum weight applies).

What about your canine friend?

Are you taking Fido with you? This may restrict your flight plans as it can be expensive to take a pet on board. Not only do you have the hassle of sorting out special arrangements, you need to think about the Pet Travel Rules applied by Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Driving to your destination may be less stressful for your pet as well as less hassle for you, meaning a pleasant journey all around.

Don’t forget your travel insurance! When you have decided how you are going to get to your chosen destination, don’t forget to purchase travel insurance as soon as you have booked your trip/holiday to cover you should you need to cancel your trip. Term and conditions apply to this of course so make sure you read the policy wording.

*http://www.ryanair.com/en/terms-and-conditions#regulations-tableoffees

Labels: 24/7 travel insurance, airline baggage restrictions, Airline services, car hire, cheap flights, eurostar, pet travel rules