Travel insurance - which is best?

John_Mc · 10-01-2014 09:23AM #1

Can anyone recommend a good travel insurance plan which covers everything you'd need for Skiing off-piste (only a bit but coverage recovered nonetheless).

Thanks!

Fattes · 10-01-2014 10:04AM

John_Mc wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good travel insurance plan which covers everything you'd need for Skiing off-piste (only a bit but coverage recovered nonetheless).

Thanks!

Multi trip are about the best or get cover.ie all will require a guide if you are off piste to be covered

John_Mc · 10-01-2014 10:07AM

Thanks - I was with multi-trip so will renew with them. Just wanted to be sure before I go ahead with it

Fattes · 10-01-2014 10:08AM

John_Mc wrote: »

Thanks - I was with multi-trip so will renew with them. Just wanted to be sure before I go ahead with it

Most of the policies are quite poor there is another thread here so where with details on cover levels etc & multi trip and get over are the top ones from Ireland

fannymagee · 10-01-2014 01:02PM

Yes basic multi-trip covers you up for €5,000,000 for on-piste skiing (including personal liability), and off-piste skiing, providing you are accompanied by a qualified guide and are not skiing against local authoritative warning or advice. There is no personal liability cover for off-piste. The extra snow-cover pack is more to cover your skis, lift passes etc, and that's where it's worth shopping around if you want to cover specifics :-)

John_Mc · 10-01-2014 02:57PM

Thanks for the info

Rowley Birkin QC · 04-02-2014 08:54PM

Who did you go with in the end John?

sawdoubters · 04-02-2014 08:55PM

no insurance will cover you off piste

fannymagee · 04-02-2014 09:14PM

sawdoubters wrote: »

no insurance will cover you off piste

VHI Multi-Trip will, providing you are accompanied by a qualified guide and are not skiing against local authoritative warning or advice. Their personal liability cover does not extend to off-piste however.

John_Mc · 05-02-2014 05:22PM

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

Who did you go with in the end John?

I went with MultiTrip (not VHI)

fannymagee · 05-02-2014 06:15PM

I'm due to renew the VHI next month & I'm happy enough with the VHI cover except that we're not insured off-piste without a guide. I'm looking at that one now John it looks good, did you get winter sports cover?

It's working out at a tenner less than VHI, but also pays out considerably less in the event you'd need to use it (but I hate VHI, so would be happy to change!!). Do you know what the cover is like for off-piste?

CardinalJ · 05-02-2014 06:20PM

sawdoubters wrote: »

no insurance will cover you off piste

Pretty much all will once you're with a guide and not in a specifically banned area.

John_Mc · 05-02-2014 06:27PM

fannymagee wrote: »

I'm due to renew the VHI next month & I'm happy enough with the VHI cover except that we're not insured off-piste without a guide. I'm looking at that one now John it looks good, did you get winter sports cover?

It's working out at a tenner less than VHI, but also pays out considerably less in the event you'd need to use it (but I hate VHI, so would be happy to change!!). Do you know what the cover is like for off-piste?

I went with them because I wanted to cover my girlfriend and she doesn't have health insurance, where as I do.

I got the Premium level with Winter sports and Travel disruption and it worked out at about €100 for the 2 of us.

Here's a link to the policy document detailing everything.

It describes off piste cover as :

"Guided cross country skiing (Nordic skiing), glacier skiing, mono skiing, off piste skiing or snowboarding
except in areas designated as unsafe by local resort management unless accompanied by a locally qualified
guide, recreational racing, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and snow sledging. "

I'd interpret that as covered for off-piste except where there's signs saying not to, except your with a guide. Could be wrong though.

fannymagee · 05-02-2014 06:50PM

John_Mc wrote: »

I went with them because I wanted to cover my girlfriend and she doesn't have health insurance, where as I do.

I got the Premium level with Winter sports and Travel disruption and it worked out at about €100 for the 2 of us.

Here's a link to the policy document detailing everything.

It describes off piste cover as :

"Guided cross country skiing (Nordic skiing), glacier skiing, mono skiing, off piste skiing or snowboarding
except in areas designated as unsafe by local resort management unless accompanied by a locally qualified
guide, recreational racing, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and snow sledging. "

I'd interpret that as covered for off-piste except where there's signs saying not to, except your with a guide. Could be wrong though.

Brilliant, thanks so much!! I've just found the small print & the winter sports terms and conditions are pretty much the same as VHI, but their Premium Cover with a winter sports pack is actually much better than VHI basic, and only €4 more expensive.

So you still need a guide for off-piste, but that's par for the course really. Also, VHI don't cover recreational racing but it appears this one does, so that's a Brucie bonus! Need to clarify whether they count cross-country on tracks as off-piste, that's a strange little addition to the small print? But it just seems a bit more flexible in general (and pays out a lot more money, in a wider range of scenarios!)

I'll phone them tomorrow just to make sure I'm interpreting it all correctly, but I think this one's a winner for me!

Thanks a million John, now I just hope I never have to use it!! :-)

fannymagee · 05-02-2014 06:53PM

OK looks like these are the Winter Sports activities NOT covered- not bad!

"The following Winter sports activities even if Sections R1 – R5 are shown as operative in the validation certificate: Off piste skiing or snowboarding in areas designated as unsafe by local resort management unless accompanied by a locally qualified guide, skiing against local authoritative warning or advice, ski stunting, free-style skiing, ice hockey, bobbing, tobogganing, heli skiing, ski acrobatics, ski flying, ski jumping, ski mountaineering, snowcat skiing, snow carting or the use of bob sleighs, luges or skeletons"

fannymagee · 05-02-2014 07:14PM

OH MY GOD, I just looked at the VHI paperwork, the getcover premium policy actually works out €30 cheaper than VHI basic! They insure kids for FREE, they cover more and pay out more??! OK that's a no brainer! Nice one. I'm sold :-)

CardinalJ · 05-02-2014 08:19PM

One thing I always tell people with their own gear to look out for, is the 'single article limit' or 'any one item'.

No point in having a pair of ski's worth a few 100 if they're only covered for €200.

Travel insurance - which is best?

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