War Zone Travel Insurance: What is it?
Up until the Covid-19 pandemic, most Britons were unaware that ‘warzone insurance’ even existed.
This is because when the pandemic struck, regular travel insurance policies would not cover holiday makers if they caught coronavirus.
But war zone policies would.
And so, for a period, people heading to the beaches of Spain were taking out war zone cover.
In time, of course, insurers modified their products to cover travellers in the post-pandemic age.
High risk, high premiums
Buying something called 'war zone' insurance for somewhere like France or Spain seems a little excessive - but the possibility reveals just how serious the coronavirus pandemic was.
Facing potentially high costs if someone falls ill, insurers need to charge a higher premium with 'war zone ' insurance. This might add a considerable sum for a single traveller, but the costs rise significantly if you have to insure your entire family.
After all, getting an injured person out of a war zone is not cheap.
How much does war zone travel insurance cost?
War zone travel cover can cost several times the amount charged for regular travel insurance.
Problems with war zone insurance
War zone cover works in a very similar way to normal travel insurance, providing cover for things like medical claims and baggage.
However, some policies had exclusions. For example, some products wouldn’t cover cancellations or people over 60.
So war zone cover is the only option for travelling to a restricted destination?
The FCO strongly urges people to take out travel insurance before travelling overseas. It would therefore be unwise to go abroad without cover. If you had to travel to such a destination in an emergency, war zone cover might be your only realistic option.
What about the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)?
Gov.uk states those with EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) can continue to use them until their expiry date. After that, a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) must be applied for.
With a valid EHIC or GHIC you can expect to receive state medical care in any EU destination - at the cost paid by locals.
In some cases medical care is free.
Gov.uk points out that an EHIC or GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance.
For those who need to travel in an emergency and who understand the quarantine requirements upon their return to the UK, war zone insurance might make sense.
Will I ever need war zone cover?
For normal holidays to destinations that are not subject to a FCDO travel warning, it’s unlikely you would ever need to consider war zone travel insurance.
War zone cover might be useful for organisations (charities, NGOs, government departments) operating in high-risk countries - where they need to protect their employees.
But for the rest of us, regular travel insurance should be more than enough to travel with complete peace of mind.