Picture the scene, you get home after the perfect holiday and open your
suitcase and unpack. Only then do you question, “Where did I put the
camcorder? I’m sure I packed it alongside the souvenirs or did I?” “Not
to worry, I’ll claims against the travel insurance”.
But this is where it can all come unstuck because most insurers put
restrictions on items, such as photographic equipment, and lump them
under the disarming term, ‘valuables’.
And it doesn’t stop there as this term includes many other
articles, some which you would expect to be looked upon as a valuable
item, such as jewellery and watches, but can also include such everyday
items as spectacles, sunglasses, mobile phones, MP3 players and more.
You name it, and if it is an attractive and fashionable item, then you
can bet that, for insurance purposes, it will be grouped into the
valuables definition.
It doesn’t stop there because your money, travel documents,
passports, credit cards will all also come under the stricter care
rules that are applied to ‘valuables’. So returning to the camcorder,
most travel insurance
policies will not pay up if it looks like negligence on your part. For
example, valuable items packed into your hold luggage are rarely
covered because theft from unattended baggage will invariably be
excluded. If you can prove that the items were with you or locked in
your hotel accommodation then insurers will probably pay out but they
may ask for further information, such as the circumstances of the loss
or theft and a police report or hotel report to back up your story.
Highly valuable items, such as money and jewellery, will always be
expected to be locked away in a hotel safe or safety box when not on
your person; inside a locked suitcase inside a locked hotel room is
rarely good enough for the travel insurance
company. This is why it pays to look at the small print of your policy
before you travel, if only as a last minute reminder about the extra
care needed to look after your valuable items. No-one wants to lose
these items in the first place but it is doubly painful to find that
they are not covered when you come to claim because simple safety
precautions were not followed. A final point to remember is that if
your travel insurance
does not cover it, then some household insurance policies cover ‘all
risks.’ This means that personal belongings could still be covered but
travel insurance providers will still apply the golden rule that the
articles must be properly cared for whilst on holiday.
Keith McGregor is a partner of Strawberrysoup, a web design agency with offices in Chichester and Bournemouth. Strawberrysoup specialise in creative web design, content managed websites, search engine optimisation, search engine marketing and graphic design
