Travel agents have recently been under scrutiny regarding their charges for travel insurance policies sold alongside packaged holidays.

Travel insurance policies have been regulated by the FSA since 2005, however, policies sold alongside packaged holidays by Travel agents currently do not fall under the FSA regime.

Travel agents and tour operators were last year accused by Which?, the consumer champion, of mis-selling their policies.

A rule of selling travel insurance is to ensure questions are asked, specifically questions regarding pre-existing medical conditions, however, it was revealed that only 30% of travel agents were asking questions regarding pre-existing medical conditions.

Only 19% explained what the policies covered, however, it was not explained what the policies did not cover.

Mike Monk, head of the financial services for Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) requested for those selling insurance to take exams and questioned the reliability of the Which? Report.

“Abta sent its own survey to 500 people who had recently bought travel insurance. The results said that 82 per cent of those who bought travel insurance through a travel agent or tour operator were asked about pre-existing medical conditions, compared to 84 per cent through brokers and other channels,” he says, “There’s no evidence to suggest that travel agents mis-sell travel insurance.”

Teresa Fritz of Which? responded by saying:

“The survey used a perfectly adequate sample size - 24 travel agents - and the majority didn’t get a good deal. ”

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said that it would make life easier if all insurers were regulated in the same way, but added that if Travel agents ceased selling insurance, then there would be concern that people would be tempted to travel with no insurance at all.

Financial analysist Defaqto performed research and discovered that travel insurance sold alongside packaged holidays via travel agents do tend to cost more than those sold by other insurance companies in the market.

I would conclude from this that it is wise to shop around when looking for Travel insurance and not to necessary go with the packaged deal.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition and you are looking for travel insurance, it is important to check with the insurance company that you are properly covered as some insurances differ in the way they offer policies if you have had an illness in the past.

You may believe those who travel abroad are either going for business or pleasure, however there is another type of traveller. Nearly 30,000 British people a year pack their bags and travel abroad to have cosmetic surgery, dental work or other medical procedures. Going private was the only option for many who want cosmetic surgery, or want the procedure quicker than the NHS can provide, or require dental work when they have no NHS dentist. Private treatment can cost a fortune so now many look further a field for treatment.Compared to private treatment prices, treatments abroad can cost a fraction of the price, for example a knee replacement in Britain might cost £14,000 compared with about £6,000 in Poland, while a spinal fusion operation to ease acute back pain might cost £18,000 in Britain compared with £5,500 in India, including travel and accommodation. There are similar price differences for cosmetic surgery and dentistry.

Before travelling abroad for treatment a huge amount of research should be carried out. There are nearly 200 companies or individuals who recommend countries and surgeons, however many have no medical qualifications and don’t operate under any regulations.

Many who receive treatment abroad are completely satisfied, feeling they received the best care and treatment. Rarely patients can experience problems meaning they are more than likely to be liable for the additional costs, as most insurers have no specific travel insurance to cover those going under the knife. If this is the case, the procedure may have been cheaper by going private in the UK, rather than travelling abroad.

A survey carried out at the beginning of June found that nearly half of holidaymakers admitted to travelling without insurance. Over 16% had been on a long holiday in Europe without travel insurance and a shocking 7% had travelled to worldwide destinations without it.The general consensus is that when travelling in Europe travel insurance is not needed as the European Heath Insurance Card (EHIC) provides free medical treatment if it is needed. This is true in some cases but many of the clinics in Europe are private and the EHIC won’t cover you for private treatment.

19% of those who travel without insurances have the attitude of “it’ll never happen to me” and 15% believe the policies are too expensive. These people probably don’t realise that more than 1 in 10 people fall ill or have an accident on holiday each year, making travel insurance very important. With regards to the cost of the travel insurance, policies can be bought relatively cheaply compared to the overall cost of the holiday. Shopping around for policies is the best way to ensure a good deal. With many insurers an emergency contact number will be provided, which can give advice if the policyholder runs into difficulty.

Booking a holiday and taking out insurance should go hand in hand. Having insurance can remove the financial implications and the stress experienced when abroad, if the worst happens and medical treatment is needed. Depending on the type of policy taken out travel insurance can cover, missed or delayed flights, lost luggage as well as medical expenses. Proving it is very worth while having travel insurance.