When it comes to taking out travel insurance it is easy to focus in on the advertised features like new for old cover for your personal effects such as your sunglasses and mobile, however in the grand scheme of things these material possessions are unimportant when one is faced with a real emergency. Ponder if you will on how important the loss of your phone will be if after being mugged while on holiday you are thrown to the ground badly damaging your hip?

The truth is when faced with damage to your person and your health all other matters fade into the background, having to worry about money matters at such a time will not contribute to a speedy recovery. What then should one focus on when taking out travel insurance? An important feature, if not the most important feature is that of medical and health provisions. Ensure that your travel insurance will cover you for any sudden illnesses contracted while abroad, similarly injury to your person should definitely be covered.

The levels of these two forms of cover should be comprehensive, one way to gauge how much cover is enough is to consider the costs of certain emergency procedures. The cost of an air ambulance from the USA’s East coast will set you back anywhere between £35 and £45 thousand pounds, similarly an air ambulance from the Canary Islands will cost in the region of £12 and £16 thousand pounds. In Australia if you were in an accident and required a scheduled flight with a stretcher and Doctor escort you would need to cough up anywhere from £15 thousand to a massive £20 thousand, so unless you have access to such funds you will need to ensure that your travel insurance can cover such fees.

The top insurance providers usually offer medical cover starting at £1 million for single trips to Europe and £2 million for worldwide travel, yearly cover will offer more as it takes into consideration the increased number of trips so the total amount usually starts at £3 million. Either way going with a reputable company usually guarantees you receive the appropriate level of cover. The smaller providers however can offer medical cover amounting to a meagre £50,000 which without knowing just how much international medical care can cost while abroad may appear to be sufficient.

Once you have been made aware of the potential bills that could come your way in the event of an accident you are forced to appreciate that such a policy may not be worth the pennies you paid for it. It’s important to note that the policies that prove to be inadequate are not always the cheapest, whether the companies acknowledge that a number of individuals assume the more you pay the more cover you receive and so simply price match against the more comprehensive travel insurers, highlighting their similarities and smothering the differences with the hope that you won't notice.

Unfortunately thousands of people don't notice and because they have only paid attention to the supposedly ‘main features’ they find themselves under-covered when it comes to making a claim. It is also vital that while you are looking at the protection provided by the policy you also make note of any exclusions. Few insurers will cover you following an accident that is drink or drug related so if the purpose of your trip is to indulge in such practices be aware that you may not be covered even if your policy is the best on the market.