DESTINATIONS — ADD-ONS
average policy. Holiday Extras’ cruise insurance has missed departure cover – particularly crucial if you’re dynamically packaging a cruise with a low-cost flight, as this will cover the cost of getting clients to the next port. It also includes compensation
payments for missed ports, (if the ship fails to berth in a place named on the itinerary), and cabin confinement, if a passenger falls ill and cannot leave their stateroom. Skiing holidays need additional
levels of cover, and agents need to make sure clients are aware of all the small print in terms of exactly what is and isn’t included in each policy. Insure and Go’s winter sports travel insurance includes a range of different activities, from skiing and snowboarding to bobsleighing and tobogganing. It’s included for no extra charge with the insurer’s annual multi-trip policies, so clients who go away several times a year may be able to make a saving. Other specialist types
of insurance include policies for backpackers, typically covering much longer trips than the standard; golf insurance, which usually covers loss, theft or damage to clubs, and non- refundable green fees if a trip is cancelled; and insurance for overseas weddings. The last often covers loss of or damage to the ring, wedding attire and sometimes gifts, and can cover costs incurred if a pre-booked photographer has to cancel at the last minute. Clients with a disability or a pre- existing medical condition may also need products designed for their special requirements. Rock Insurance reports
significant growth in this area, and estimates that 35% of the UK population has some form of medical condition. Common challenges faced by agents include customers who do not disclose key information about their condition, which impacts on the pricing and cover available to them. Rock
Winter sports cover: skiing requires
special insurance
operates a dedicated screening team to work with customers to find the right cover. Rock Insurance
managing director Antony
Martin says: “Agents can offer additional value to customers with pre-existing medical conditions by offering them good destination advice. For example, a trip to Europe would be cheaper to cover that one to the US, where medical costs continue to rise way ahead of normal inflation levels. “The same applies when looking at flight durations – a flight time of four hours or less will be easier to obtain cover for than a longer one.” Holiday Extras’ Latitude
insurance is for over-50s or customers with pre-existing conditions. “Typically, clients would need to buy a base policy, then call to declare their medical conditions and be quoted an extra premium,” says Andrea
Clayton, Holiday Extras head of insurance. “Latitude combines these two processes, which makes for a better customer experience, and, because it is underwritten differently, the overall cost to the client is very competitive. We also pay commission on the whole premium [less the insurance premium tax], so agents benefit from recommending this product.” Latitude insurance provides single trip or annual cover for people aged up to 85 and is specially designed for those who have medical conditions, and even covers winter sports and cruising. Cover includes medical expenses, personal liability, delayed departure or arrival, legal expenses, cancellation cover, lost passports and lost baggage. The Holiday Extras website has specific pages explaining the insurance on offer for those with a range of conditions including diabetes, cancer, asthma, high blood pressure and epilepsy, as well as for disabled travellers.
DON’T LUG LUGGAGE
Clients who don’t want to
have to carry their own bags – or who want to avoid hefty
excess baggage fees – can book with First Luggage.
The international collection and delivery service, which
offers agents 10% commission, can collect anything from
suitcases to ski gear, golf bags or boxes from your customers’ homes and transport them directly to a hotel or villa. Prices start from £25 per suitcase on a trip from the UK to Holland.
firstluggage.com
Over-50s cover: Latitude insurance from Holiday Extras
1 May 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 61
FAST FACT
Agents can book two new London
exhibitions through SuperBreak –
Bond in Motion and Sherlock Holmes Exhibition
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