How To Travel With Your Pet - What Travel Insurance Do You Need?

by Jean Andrews

As a race, we Brits are very attached to our pets. So much so that we can't even go on holiday without taking our best-friend and companion with us. Therefore, while it is essential to purchase a good travel insurance policy for yourself and your family, don't forget pet insurance - as well as pet travel insurance - for your beloved four-legged friend!

Purchasing pet insurance to cover vet bills at home is essential, but what would happen if you took your pet on holiday to another country and it went missing or was stolen? Would your ordinary pet insurance policy cover the costs if your pet needed the emergency care of a vet while there? Just as for your own travel insurance, pet travel insurance can be purchased for single trips or annual policies and multiple trips.

More and more people are choosing not to trust their best friend to pet-sitters, kennels and catteries, instead choosing to take their pets with them on holiday. Pet owners often prefer to take road-trips within the UK and there are websites, books and directories listing pet-friendly hotels which will welcome your pet. If you decide to go by car, don't forget to make sure that your Vehicle Breakdown insurance is up-to-date before you set off! You may think that all these insurance premiums are too much trouble and unnecessary, but they are a small price to pay for peace of mind - and a fraction of the price you'd pay if things should go wrong.

Pet owners can take their pet abroad with them now without all the headaches of quarantine, thanks to PETS (the Pet Travel Scheme) set up by DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The scheme makes pet travel (cats, dogs and ferrets) easier for everyone. The scheme applies to many European Union countries and some listed non-European countries.

Your pet will need a pet passport - and photographs are optional (check on latest rules re ears up or down, tongue in or out, tail wagging in background, etc.). A pet passport is required to take any cat or dog (including assistance - seeing-eye and hearing dogs) out of the country. It is also necessary to have your pet micro-chipped. Then there will be the rabies vaccinations and blood tests in order to obtain the necessary PETS certificate. Lastly, will be treatment for tapeworms and ticks.

Be realistic about whether your pet is healthy and fit enough to make the journey as travel can be stressful for them. You'll need to buy a suitable and approved travel container. It's a nice idea to get your pet used to the container prior to the journey and put their favourite toy, or perhaps an old piece of your clothing in it. Check with the company which will be transporting your pet to make sure you have complied with their rules and regulations.

Those who choose not to take Rover or Diva on holiday with them are not off the hook either… Be warned that there are laws to protect your pet! The Animal Welfare Act came into effect in April 2007 in the UK, meaning that you have a legal responsibility to make sure your pet is cared for properly - even in your absence. Penalties for neglecting or abusing an animal could result in a fine or free room and board at one of Her Majesty's no-frills human boarding establishments.

One additional advantage of having your own travel insurance policy is that it may contain a section pertaining to pet care and provide cover for kennel or cattery fees in the event you should be delayed in returning for any reason.

Thinking about going on holiday and taking your pet with you is just the beginning of the journey - there is so much more information you need to research to ensure that the trip will be an enjoyable one for you, your family and your pet! Your travel insurance agent is a good place to start. They will be able to offer information and advice regarding all your travel insurance needs.

About the Author
Jean Andrews is a freelance writer living in the UK. She regularly contributes articles for TIA Ltd who offer travel insurance for pets, children and even adults!

3 First Class Reasons For Buying Travel Medical Insurance

by Donald Saunders

For most people travel insurance is merely seen as one of several extras that the travel agent tries to get us to add to our holiday package to help boost his profits and to make our holiday even more expensive than it already is. But, there are 3 very important reasons for ensuring that you do not leave home without your international travel medical insurance policy in your pocket.

First, a travel insurance policy will protect you from losing all of your financial investment in your holiday should an emergency crop up and you are forced to cancel your trip. This is especially true when you are arranging your holiday well in advance because you never know what may happen in the weeks or months leading up to your trip. This said, by their very nature emergencies tend to appear at any time and without warning and so this is one form of protection that really should not be set against any timeframe.

It is only natural to think that nothing is ever going to happen to us but a holiday trip can often involve a considerable up-front payment and the loss of this money could well mean that you are unable to re-arrange your trip later on.

Second, a travel insurance policy permits you to pay for medical treatment both while you are traveling and at your destination and, if you are unlucky enough to have a serious illness or accident, will also pay for you and your family to return home if this proves necessary.

Medical treatment could well be excellent abroad and it might even be considerably less expensive than it is at home. Nevertheless, a stay in hospital might still lead to a very large bill that will eat deeply into your spending money. You might also find that medical treatment abroad leaves a lot to be desired and you might well need to curtail your trip and head back home to get the treatment you require.

Third, a travel insurance policy will protect the value of your possessions both while you are traveling and abroad so that you will receive compensation in the event of loss.

If you have spent any time traveling then you will almost certainly have suffered the loss of your luggage at some time and will know only too well just how inconvenient and costly it is. I will never forget stopping for a meal on my way to the airport at the end of one particular holiday and very carefully securing my bag in the trunk of my hire car. When I returned about thirty minutes later I found that someone had picked the lock on the passenger door and folded the rear seat down to get into the boot and remove my case.

I also remember only too well sitting at a road junction one hot and sunny day when a motorcycle pulled up alongside the car and a man reached in through the open passenger side window and snatched my mother's purse which was by her feet on the floor.

Traveling overseas is expensive at the best of times but traveling without adequate insurance can land you with bills which you simply do not have the money to pay. So, if you are planning a trip remember to add travel insurance to your holiday list.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MedicalHealthInsuranceToday.com provides a wealth of information on everything from finding low cost health care insurance to health insurance for a student