Frequently asked questions

All new Go Walkabout policies now include cancellation cover for if you have to cancel your trip as a result of changes to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advice, providing the directive came into force after you purchased this insurance or booked the trip (whichever is the later) UNLESS THE CHANGE IN ADVICE IS DUE TO AN EPIDEMIC, PANDEMIC OR DISEASE SUCH AS COVID-19.

There is no cover under any of our policies for:

– Cancellation, abandonment or curtailment claims if the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises you not to travel, for example where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to an area affected by Coronavirus, COVID-19, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-COV-2) or any mutation of Coronavirus, COVID-19 or SARs-COV-2.

Our First Class, Gold Single Trip, Gold Multi Trip and Walkabout Plus policies include the following additional cover as standard, subject to the full policy terms and conditions:

– Cancellation cover if you or anyone named on your policy contracts Covid-19 in the UK prior to the start of your trip.

– Cover for denial of boarding by an airline on your return flight to the UK as a result of having Covid-19. All of our policies will cover unexpected medical costs if treatment is needed having contracted Covid-19 during your trip.

For further information about the Coronavirus and your Go Walkabout policy, please click here.

Our First Class, Gold Single Trip, Gold Multi Trip and Walkabout Plus policies include the following additional cover as standard, subject to the full policy terms and conditions:

– Cancellation cover if you or anyone named on your policy contracts Covid-19 in the UK prior to the start of your trip.

– Cover for denial of boarding by an airline on your return flight to the UK as a result of having Covid-19.

Yes. The Emergency Medical Expenses section of the policy covers unexpected medical costs up to at least £ 5 million. This includes treatment for Covid-19 if it is contracted during your trip.

Please note that we cannot provide any cover for trips to countries that are against the advice of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) unless you have a valid exemption such as if you are emigrating or travelling for paid or voluntary work.

Should this happen, you must contact our 24-hour Medical Assistance Service at the time of being diagnosed. Contact details can be found on the policy wording that is issued when you purchase a policy. As stated above, if you are in a country where the FCDO has advised against all but essential travel due to COVID-19 risks, any claim would be denied.

If your holiday is cancelled (rather than you having to cancel), your airline or tour operator will either offer you revised travel dates, or refund you. You have a right to cancel any travel insurance policy within 14 days of purchase, as long as travel hasn’t commenced. If you have gone over the 14-day cooling off period, we can change the start date of your policy to any new date within 12 months of the original policy issue date.

If you’d like to change the dates of your trip, you must do this before your original trip was due to start. You can also change the area of cover and duration of your policy if you need to. Depending on where you’re going there may be an additional cost, so you’ll need to pay the difference in premium.

We do need any instructions in writing to arrange a cancellation or a date change, so please just use the Contact Us details on our website.

As long as the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) does not advise against travel to the country you are going to, you will be covered to travel to any of the countries within the region of travel you have selected at time of purchase.

The regions are as follows:

Europe, including territories formerly known as USSR west of the Ural Mountains. Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, the Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira and Mediterranean islands.

Australia and New Zealand

Worldwide, excluding USA, Canada and the Caribbean

Worldwide, including USA, Canada and the Caribbean

‘The Caribbean’ is classed as follows:

Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Navassa Island, Netherland Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands.

For a full list of countries and their associated region, please see the policy wording.

If you are unsure as to which region your destination is within or your country of travel isn’t listed above then please contact us.

We are usually able to change the area of cover for the policy whilst you are travelling, as long as you let us know of the new travel region before travelling to that region. If you need to change your region of travel then contact us as soon as possible and we will be able to provide a quote for this change.

To obtain up to date information about the country you are travelling to, we recommend that you visit the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) website.

We are able to insure travellers up to 99 years of age though we do have further restrictions regarding the duration of the trip we can cover once a traveller reaches 75 years of age.

When obtaining a quote and purchasing cover please enter your current age.

Cover is only available to persons resident in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, The Channel Islands and Isle of Man) and is only valid for round trips starting and returning to the United Kingdom (unless you have selected one of our Emigration policies for one way travel). You must have a permanent residential address in the United Kingdom and unrestricted right of entry to the United Kingdom.

Yes. We define a couple as the lead insured, spouse (or co-habiting partner) named on the schedule.

Whilst we don’t require that you have a return ticket booked we do require that you are able to prove your intention to return to the UK within the term of the policy. For example, if you know you are going away for two years a twelve month policy wouldn’t be valid.

Please see here for examples of what our underwriters accept as proof of intent to return to the UK. If you have any queries regarding this please contact us.

If you are travelling on a one way basis and are currently not intending to return to the UK, or are unsure when you’ll be returning, please consider our one way travel insurance.

If you are travelling to Australia you should register with Medicare upon your arrival. There is a Medicare office in most major towns. Medicare is a free reciprocal health care agreement that exists for travellers from the UK. Registration is free and this will entitle you to reduced medical charges from doctors, reduced prescription charges and access to Medicare hospitals. The cover under your policy tops up the cover on the Medicare agreement.

Please note this insurance contains restrictions regarding pre-existing medical conditions that are not listed under Automatically Covered Pre-Existing Medical Conditions below. You must tell us (to the best of your knowledge) about anything, which could give rise to a claim, particularly where your own health is concerned. In particular we will not cover medical problems referred to in the Health Declaration unless it was declared to us and accepted by us in writing after being screened by our online medical screening service.

If at any point you are unsure please contact the Medical Screening number to speak to one of our advisers.
Some pre-existing medical conditions can be covered at no extra cost. However, some conditions may require an additional premium to be paid. Once you have completed the medical screening process, you will be told whether your condition can be covered and whether you need to pay an extra premium.

Please see below for further information regarding declaring pre-existing medical conditions. It’s important to note that claims will be denied if conditions haven’t been declared so if in doubt, please declare the condition, diagnosis or treatment you may have received.
If you have any of the pre-existing medical conditions listed below you are automatically covered on this insurance and you do not need to declare any of these conditions:

Acid reflux, Gastric reflux, Acne, Blindness or partial sightedness, Cataracts, Deafness (or Partial hearing loss), Glaucoma, Hay fever, Hypothyroidism, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Polycystic ovary syndromeHealth declaration (applicable to non- automatically covered pre-existing conditions)

With the exception of the conditions listed above, you must declare all medical conditions for which you have received treatment, advice or medication in the last 12 months.

Failure to contact us could leave you with no right to make a claim, and may mean that you travel with insufficient cover. If cover can be provided for your condition, you will be given a medical screening endorsement upon receipt of payment.

You must advise us if you are waiting for the results of tests or investigations, or awaiting a referral for an existing medical condition. Failure to contact us could leave you with no right to make a claim, and may mean that you travel with insufficient cover.

We do have many automatically covered Pre-existing Medical Conditions which you can review by clicking (link to Pre Existing Medical Conditions page). In addition, you can declare any other medical conditions which you may have, and you may have to pay an additional premium to cover those conditions. In some circumstances, we may not be able to cover that condition, and if that happens, we will refer you to another specialist insurer. Please note, if you do not declare all your medical conditions, then any medical assistance you may need abroad for a claim which relates directly or indirectly to that condition will not be covered by your policy.

If you feel any additional premium for your pre-existing medical condition is too much, you can check out some other travel insurance options on the Money Advice Service website which lists a number of specialist firms. Please click here to go to that list.

Some pre-existing medical conditions can be covered at no extra cost, however some more serious conditions may require an additional premium to be paid. Once you’ve completed the medical screening process (on 0330 660 0563), you’ll be told whether your condition can be covered and whether you need to pay an extra premium.

When we have agreed to provide cover following a medical screening we will issue a medical screening endorsement. This endorsement will detail the premium which you have agreed to pay to include the specified medical condition(s) for cover under this policy and the period of time the endorsement is applicable for. Please note that the medical screening endorsement issued will form part of this contract along with the schedule.

You must notify us straight away if you’re diagnosed with a new medical condition by contacting our Medical Screening Service on 0330 660 0563. An advisor will ask you some questions about your condition, and will then inform you whether you are able to obtain cover. You should also notify us of any changes to medical conditions that were declared at the time of taking out the policy.

This cover for medical expenses is subject to the Insured individual returning back home with a minimum of 12 weeks prior to the estimated due date (unless you are travelling under one of our one way Emigration policies). If travelling beyond this time no cover is available in respect of pregnancy. If there are any known gynaecological disorders this should be considered a pre-existing medical condition which will need to be disclosed to the medical screening helpline. Please ensure you are travelling with the consent of your Doctor and the airline in question.

When purchasing a policy online you will be able to pay by Visa, Mastercard, Switch/Maestro or Solo. Please let us know if you have any problems making payment online. Our payments are processed by Sagepay and we make no additional charge for using credit and debit cards.

Yes, we use Sagepay to process your payment using a secure server and we never have access to or store your card details. Please get in touch if you have any concerns about entering your payment details online.

IPT stands for Insurance Premium Tax. It is a tax charged on all general insurance policies sold within the UK, including travel insurance, and it therefore forms part of the total payment price. The current level of IPT is 20%. If you are a permanent resident of the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man then you do not need to pay IPT. If this is the case please give us a call on 01424 223964 and we will be able to set the policy up for you excluding the IPT.

Your policy is delivered via email so it is important to ensure the email address you supply is correct. You will receive two emails, one a payment processing email from Sagepay and the other with your policy documents attached. The documents are in Adobe PDF format for which a free viewer can be downloaded from here. Documents are usually emailed within an hour of purchase. If you have not received your documents within 24 hours or have any problems opening the attachments please don’t hesitate to contact us.

All our policies provide a 14 day cooling-off period. This gives you time to read through the policy to ensure that the cover you have purchased meets your requirements. Provided that you haven’t already travelled and you have not or do not intend to submit a claim, please confirm in writing or email that you wish to cancel your policy and we will issue a full refund, usually within 5 working days.

In the first instance, please contact us stating your policy number and the required alteration. In many cases we will simply update and re-send your amended certificate by email if there is no change to cover levels or duration. If you need to extend your cover there may be an additional premium to pay, in which case we will provide a quote and a secure link to make payment. For security reasons, we do not retain your credit card details so would need a new payment to be submitted.

If you have already left the UK, please contact us so that we can consider cover on a case by case basis. This is on the understanding that nothing has occurred at the time of taking out the cover which has led to a claim or may lead to a potential claim. Obviously, this insurance will not pay for your belongings if you’ve already lost them, medical bills if you’ve already incurred them or any other events known to exist at the time of arranging cover which might give rise to a subsequent claim. As a fraud prevention measure, no claims will be accepted within 48 hours of a policy being taken out, with the exception of course of you sustaining a serious injury in connection with an accident.

If you are currently a Go Walkabout customer, please complete our Extension Request Form.

If you had a policy that has recently expired, please contact us so that we can consider cover on a case by case basis. This is on the understanding that nothing has occurred at the time of taking out the cover which has led to a claim or may lead to a potential claim. Obviously, this insurance will not pay for your belongings if you’ve already lost them, medical bills if you’ve already incurred them or any other events known to exist at the time of arranging cover which might give rise to a subsequent claim. As a fraud prevention measure, no claims will be accepted within 48 hours of a policy being taken out, with the exception of course of you sustaining a serious injury in connection with an accident.

As long as you haven’t started your trip and are still within the UK we can still offer travel insurance if you are travelling today. If you purchase online your policy documents are emailed shortly afterwards.

Single Trip Insurance is valid for a single journey which you intend to make, whether it be 7 days on a holiday to Spain, or 12 months or more travelling around the world. It’s a Single Trip, not a single country!

Multi-Trip is designed for multiple trips from and back to your home country; useful for example if you have a winter sports holiday, a summer holiday and maybe the odd weekend abroad. The maximum duration of each trip, as far as we’re concerned, cannot exceed 31 or 45 days, depending on which policy you take out.

In our case, Backpacker Insurance is the same as Single Trip, depending on the age of the traveller and the duration of the trip.

If you want to return home during your travels,  say for the wedding or Christmas with your family, our Walkabout, Walkabout Plus and Working Holiday policies allow you to do this. Return tips are not allowed under any of our other policies which will automatically be terminated when you return to the UK.

Your cover will be suspended from the time that you arrive in your home country, until the moment you resume your original journey. You don’t have to cancel your policy and buy a new one, and you do not need to notify us of any trip home.

Please note that you must still return to the UK at the end of your trip by the expiry date noted on your policy schedule.

If you have to come back early as a result of a claim, then the insurance ends as it has done its job.

Yes, that’s correct. As of May 2010 the Cuban Authorities insisted that all travellers to Cuba have proper medical insurance, which they will check on arrival. If you don’t have medical insurance, you have to buy a policy from the State’s tourist assistance company.

Whilst a return flight booking isn’t a requirement, in the event of a claim you may be asked to provide evidence that you intend to return to the UK within the term of the policy.

Update 20th October 2017 – please see here for examples of what our underwriters accept as proof of intent to return to the UK. If you are emigrating, not intending to return to the UK or are unsure when you’ll be returning then please choose our specialist one way cover.

None of our policies will cover you for these types of work:

• Working Underground
• Working at heights above two storeys
• Lifting weight in excess of 25kgs

If you are doing basic forms of work (bar, waitress, retail or office work) , then we can cover you under our standard policies. If you are doing a different type of work to those listed above, you will need to take out our specialist Working Holiday policy.

Please note that no cover would be in place under the personal liability sections of our policies whilst working and you would also not be eligible for the lump sum payments under the personal accident section if an incident occurred whilst working.

Please contact our 24 hour Emergency Medical Assistance Service on +44 (0) 330 660 0785. You will need to have your policy details and policy number to hand to verify your cover. Their role is to guide and advise you, and to liaise with the medical staff where appropriate. If you have to make any payments relating to sickness overseas, remember to hold onto all the receipts as you’ll need these when making a claim.

If you are asked to pay a small cost for medicines and/or outpatient treatment at a state facility, it is often easier to settle your bill direct, keep all receipts and claim for the costs incurred on your return home. If your treatment is more extensive or you are admitted as an in-patient or require private treatment, the Emergency Medical Assistance Service line must be contacted as soon as possible on +44 (0) 330 660 0785. If you do not do this, then payment of any medical bills cannot be guaranteed.

If in any doubt, please contact the Emergency Medical Assistance Service who can discuss your options and can also arrange for any medical expenses covered by the policy, to be paid direct to the hospital/clinic where appropriate.

The policy would automatically extend to cover you whilst receiving treatment in hospital.

If you have an existing emergency medical expenses claim with us, please forward the original invoice to our claims handler quoting your claim reference number and we will arrange payment of the invoice.

If you have not submitted a claim to us, please obtain an Emergency medical expenses claim form and return the completed form to us along with the outstanding invoice and other supporting documentation requested.

Yes. When you contact the 24 hour Emergency Medical Assistance Service, should Helicopter/Air Ambulances be required if necessary on medical grounds it would normally be authorised by the insurers. Note in Nepal, if you need a Helicopter then a higher excess of £875 applies.

This policy covers accident and emergency expenses only and is not a private health insurance policy. This means that you are covered if there is a sudden and unexpected accident or if you become ill during a trip. We will pay for private treatment, but only if there is no appropriate reciprocal health agreement in existence and no public medical service available. Likewise we would not expect you to be treated in a medical facility if it does not have the equivalent care that we would expect ourselves under European standards. However, if you have been taken to a private hospital and there is a public service in the area that we can move you to safely, then we reserve the right to organise a transfer where it is medically appropriate.

Details about making a claim can be found in your policy wording documents emailed at time of purchase. Further information can also be found on the making a claim section of our website.

An excess is the amount you have to contribute towards the cost of any claim under the policy. The excess will be applied per person, per incident, per section claimed under. For example, if you make an approved claim of £300 and the policy excess is £75, you will receive £225 in final settlement.

As soon as you are aware you have to cancel your travel plans, you must inform your tour operator/booking agent immediately. Charges are sometimes made for cancellations and these will depend on how close the cancellation is to your travel date. You will be issued with a cancellation invoice which you should return with your completed claim form. Claims can only be made under certain circumstances. Please see the policy wording document for full details.

You are covered under your policy for cancellation caused by the death, injury or illness of a close relative or close business associate, providing that their condition was not known about at the time of purchasing the Policy or the booking date of the trip. There is no cover as a result of a pre-existing medical condition of a close relative or close business associate.

Immediate relative is defined as: Mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband, daughter, son, grandparent, grandchild, parent-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, step-parent, step-child, step-brother, step-sister, co-habiting partner (including common law and civil partnerships), legal guardian, or foster child, resident in the United Kingdom

If you are made redundant after booking your holiday and before the start of your trip, you will be covered for cancellation costs. Unless:

1. you have not been continuously employed for 2 years
2. the redundancy was voluntary
3. you are self employed
4. you were employed on a short term contract

As long as the illness is NOT as a result of a pre-existing medical condition, there will be cover under the curtailment section of the policy for you to return home if it is thought necessary. Before you begin to make arrangements you should contact the Emergency Medical Assistance Service on +44 (0) 330 660 0785.

If the illness is due to an unexpected medical condition, cover will be provided for you to cut short your trip, but only if it is deemed necessary.

Please note, if you don’t already have a return ticket back home, this isn’t something you can claim for as you would have had to buy one eventually in any event.

If you’re away for a long period of time, for example on a working holiday, you may just wish to come home for a short period of time to visit your relative or attend their funeral. In this instance, rather than put in a Curtailment claim which will end your policy, you may wish instead to just exercise a “home visit”, and just fly back to recommence your working holiday afterwards. Doing this will not affect the validity of your policy.

In all situations, the Claim form for your Curtailment would need to be completed by the patient’s Doctor confirming that at the time you took out your policy, or travelled, they had seen no substantial likelihood that their patient’s condition (if any existed at that time) would have deteriorated to such a degree to require you to come back. If the patient’s Doctor cannot do this, then any curtailment claim would, in all probability, fail.

Millstream Underwriting Ltd on behalf of AWP P&C SA administered in the United Kingdom by AWP Assistance UK Limited.

Millstream Underwriting Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Firm reference number: 308584). Millstream Underwriting Limited. Registered in England and Wales No 3896220. Registered office: 52-56 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 2EB.

AWP Assistance UK Limited Registered in England. Registration No. 1710361. Registered office: AWP Assistance UK Ltd, PO Box 74005, 60 Gracechurch Street. London, EC3P 3DS.

AWP Assistance UK Limited (FCA Firm reference number: 311909) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. AWP P&C SA is authorised and regulated by L’Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution in France. Deemed authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). Subject to regulation by the FCA and limited regulation by the PRA. Details of the Temporary Permissions Regime, which allows EEA-based firms to operate in the UK for a limited period while seeking full authorisation, are available on the FCA’s website.

Our policies cover scuba diving up to a depth of 30 metres as standard but the insured must hold a PADI certificate of proficiency or must be diving with a PADI qualified instructor to dive to this depth. If you require a more comprehensive level of Scuba Diving cover, you may be able to purchase a cover upgrade. Please contact us if you have any queries regarding the cover on your policy.