The common ways you could have invalidated your travel insurance – and how to avoid them

Making sure you have enough cover when going abroad is vital to ensure that you are not met with any unexpected expenses.

Travel insurance is one of the five insurance policies you should have, and will typically cover your medical expenses if you fall ill while on holiday, or the cost of replacing your belongings if your baggage is stolen.

You'll need to fork out an average of £25 for a single trip, according to Co.Compare (while it's much more for the over 70s, whose average cover is £107.56 per single trip, MoneySuperMarket says) to get coverage. Nevertheless, travel insurance tends to be worth it to make sure you are not left thousands of pounds out of pocket should an incident arise.

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However, each year, some travellers inadvertently invalidate their travel insurance by breaching a condition of their policy, or accidentally being under-insured.

We look at five common ways you can invalidate your travel insurance, and how to avoid the issues.

1. Not declaring pre-existing medical conditions

One of the easiest ways to invalidate your travel insurance is by forgetting to tell your provider that you suffer from a medical condition.

Though travel insurance premiums tend to be higher when you declare your medical condition, failing to do so could mean you breach the terms of your coverage and will not qualify for a payout in an emergency.

This is doubly concerning as if you have a pre-existing condition, you may be more likely to fall ill on holiday. Should your cover fall through, you could be left stuck with a large hospital bill.

Tom Lyon, insurance expert at Compare the Market, told MoneyWeek: “Travel insurance is there to help protect you if things go wrong while you’re travelling, but there are instances where you can invalidate your policy without realising it.

“One pitfall is not declaring pre-existing medical conditions which could leave you with no cover for related claims, so it’s always best to declare everything when you purchase your policy.”

2. Doing extreme sport

Some people think that when you buy travel insurance, you are covered no matter what – but this is often not the case.

Most travel insurance plans do not include extreme activities, so if you are injured doing them, you may not be able to claim back some medical expenses.

For example, the government estimates that if you have a quad bike accident in Greece and need surgery and medical repatriation, it could cost you more than £25,000 if you did not opt for the right type of insurance.

Common activities that your travel insurance might not cover include jet skiing, kayaking, bungee jumping, horse riding.

If you are planning on doing an extreme activity on holiday, contact your insurer to make sure that you will be covered.

Lyon said: “Most standard travel insurance policies tend to exclude more extreme activities such as skiing or scuba diving but some also will exclude less extreme activities such as hiring a jet ski or quad bike.”

To avoid invalidating your insurance this way, Lyon advises travellers to plan ahead and “take out additional or specialist cover for relevant activities before you travel, but always check your policy before undertaking any unplanned activities to understand the cover you have purchased”.

3. Leaving your belongings unattended

Another common way for your travel insurance to be invalidated is if your belongings were lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed while you left them unattended.

The definition of ‘unattended’ differs between insurers, so it is best to check before submitting your claim.

For example, the Post Office’s definition means that if you are not in full view of your property or are unable to stop a third party from taking it, you are classed as leaving them unattended.

Lyon at Compare the Market said: “Keep your valuables close by, and make sure your policy matches your trip.”

4. Being drunk when an accident takes place

While some people like to enjoy a drink while on their holidays, excessive drinking can jeopardise your travel insurance coverage.

Being drunk makes people more at risk of acting in a dangerous manner. As insurers don’t want to foot the bill for reckless behaviour, they often include a clause stating excessive drinking invalidates any cover.

Insurers also invalidate cover if you are under the influence of illegal drugs too.

5. Travelling against Foreign Office guidance

If you travel to countries that the Foreign Office (FCDO) advises against visiting, you may invalidate your travel insurance, depending on your provider.

If you have to go to a country that the FCDO tells you to avoid, you should make sure that this is permitted by your insurer and contact them to avoid complications.