Europe is a fantastic destination, a kaleidoscope of culture, history and stunning natural beauty; all wrapped up in an efficient and easy-to-navigate transport network that makes visiting country after country a breeze. Millions of people visit the continent every year, exploring cosmopolitan cities, stunning mountain ranges, dazzling white beaches and more during their time in Europe’s 44 countries.

The most responsible of those travellers will have some form of travel insurance to give them the peace of mind that’s so important when you’re on your holidays, so that you can really make the most of your time away. But with different policies, stipulations, requirements and rules, you might feel that European travel insurance can be quite tricky to navigate.

To help clear up misconceptions that can quickly arise around European travel insurance, we’ve written a useful list of recommended rules that you should remember when you’re heading off on your European escapades!

Buy travel insurance for European trips

The biggest questions that most people have about travel insurance for European trips and holidays is ‘do British citizens need travel insurance for Europe?’. Strictly speaking, the answer to this questions is no, since you are not legally required to have travel insurance to travel to Europe.

However, it is highly recommended, from official government advice, hospitals and airlines that you do take out a travel insurance policy before you head off on your travels. Having a comprehensive policy that covers everything you need, including healthcare, lost luggage, delays and more, can save you so much hassle for just a small one-off fee. That policy means you’ll get to enjoy your European adventure, safe in the knowledge that if anything goes wrong (touch wood it doesn’t!), you’ll be backed up by your insurance company to help sort it out.

Now more so than ever it’s important to make sure that you’re covered from the moment you book, rather than leaving the purchase as a last-minute afterthought for your upcoming trip. As soon as you’ve purchased your holiday, be sure to pick up your travel insurance straight away to make sure you’re covered in case anything goes wrong on the run-up for your trip.

Carefully research which policy is right for you before buying

When it comes to picking the best travel insurance for Europe for you, you’ll want to take a deep dive into the various options you have available.

Finding the policy that works for you is a fine balancing act between getting value for money, comprehensive cover and good support from your insurer in case things do take a turn for the worst. You’ll want to look at how much you’ll need to pay for your policy, how many days you’ll get covered for, whether it will cover any pre-existing medical conditions you have and how much you’ll get should you need to claim. Our travel insurance, for example, offers three different levels to choose from according to your needs, giving you the cover you need at a price to suit you.

Make sure the policy you choose has the essentials covered

The travel insurance you should pick should cover the basics at the very least. There are some things that all good travel insurance providers should cover and these basics include:

• Medical cover
• Personal injury
• Cover to get you home in case of a medical issue
• Cover for delayed or lost luggage
• Cover for a delayed or cancelled flight
• Cover for accidents or injuries caused by you

These are the essentials that you should be covered for and you can rest your mind if you’re buying from a trusted provider.

You should consider travel insurance when holidaying in the UK

While this blog is about European trips, since the UK staycation is rapidly becoming a favourite for many travellers, it’s relevant here to mention UK holidays. If you’re thinking of holidaying on your doorstep this year, you should still consider getting travel insurance to cover you. UK travel insurance  is a wise investment to protect you from things like cancelled accommodation and lost luggage.

Do not rely on your EHIC card after 31st December 2020

Many travellers, frequent and otherwise, have come to depend on the UK’s European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) as a basic form of health insurance for their trips, without buying a travel health insurance policy to go with it. The EHIC, is a card which would allow its holder to claim state-provided medical treatment while abroad if something happens to you (including with pre-existing medical conditions).

The EHIC card is available for free to UK citizens – however, with the Brexit transition period ending on 31st December 2020, the EHIC may not be valid. Official government advice on the ending of the EHIC scheme is to ensure that you buy travel insurance before you go, and to take special care with choosing a policy if you have pre-existing medical conditions. We recently wrote another blog post about what you can expect for your travel plans during the Brexit transition period – you can also learn more about what the transition means for travel overall with the government’s official guidance.

Asda Travel Insurance

Asda Travel Insurance offers award winning travel insurance with different levels of cover to choose from to suit all sorts of holidays and customers. Our policies are designed to help you save on your travels, putting value for money first. Check out our Travel Insurance page for more details and to get a quote.