According to research by Azimo*, many Britons are now taking their own ‘grown-up gap year’, with 37% of 1,000 UK adults planning to tick off their bucket list on an extended trip abroad. For empty nesters planning a ‘Golden Gap Year’, Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) has put together a guide comparing travel insurance policies available to those aged over 65-years-old, available in the Know Before You Go section of the APH website at www.aph.com/goldengap.

The research compares 25 policies for travellers aged over 65-years-old available with 11 insurance providers, including Aviva, Saga and Stay Sure, and highlights the age limit for insured travellers, the duration of cover, the maximum cover provided for medical expenses and lost possessions, as well as various activities covered.

The majority of policies researched were found to provide cover for worldwide travel, with golden gappers able to personalise their insurance cover for the destinations they plan to visit. However, JustTravelCover.com restricts cover to only the UK and EU for mature travellers over the age of 86-years-old and likewise most travel insurance providers will not cover travel to destinations against the advice of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO).

With regards to the age limit for valid travel insurance, there is no upper age limit stated by six of the travel insurance providers researched, including Explorer Travel Insurance, AA Travel Insurance and Saga. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that some companies do enforce age restrictions including World First, who will only insure travellers aged under 100-years-old and Saga, who states that single trip policy holders must be aged over 50-years-old.

When claiming for an emergency while travelling, the maximum cover provided for medical expenses ranges from £5,000 while travelling in the UK under Saga’s Single Trip policy to £10,000,000 with 13 other policies, including Travel Insurance 4 Medical’s Superior policies. The excess for medical emergency claims ranges from zero excess with Flexicover Travel Insurance’s Platinum Single Trip policy, to £150 for the Travel Insurance 4 Medical’s Economy Extra policies. Intrepid travellers should also keep in mind that medical fees may not be covered if an injury is incurred as a result of a hazardous activity such as hang gliding or rock climbing. However, all providers do cover for sports and activities, such as abseiling, snorkelling and mountain biking, and Sainsbury’s Bank also provides cover for pursuits such as hot air ballooning and boogie boarding.

The maximum cover for lost, stolen or damaged possessions also varies from no cover with Flexicover Travel Insurance’s Bronze policy, to £5,000 for single trip policies with Saga. The amount provided for each type of possession lost, stolen or damaged also varies – for example, Sainsbury’s provides cover for £250-worth of lost, stolen or damaged valuables, while Saga will cover for £1,000-worth of valuables.

Finally, travellers should keep in mind to always declare their pre-existing medical conditions when applying for travel insurance as this may lead to a medical screening over the phone or online in the form of a questionnaire.

For further information on Airport Parking and Hotels (APH), visit www.aph.com or call 01342 859515.

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS
* According to online money transfer company Azimo in October 2017, available at: www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/866000/travel-holidays-grown-up-gap-year-destinations

About Airport Parking and Hotels (APH)
Established in 1980, Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) is an award-winning airport parking operator and retailer, after winning the ‘Best Airport Parking Company’ award at the British Travel Awards 2017 for an eighth year running. In addition to APH’s own car parks at Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham Airports, APH also offers parking at all major UK airports as well as airport hotels, airport lounges and travel extras such as car hire and travel insurance.

APH is a carbon-balanced company having worked closely with the World Land Trust for many years to off-set their carbon emissions and to help support rainforest conservation by protecting threatened forest habitats. APH is also a proud corporate sponsor of the University of Southampton Centre for Cancer Immunology, where the world’s most eminent experts come together in the quest to find new and innovative treatments.

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