Travel Insurance UK

It is important to buy an international travel insurance policy when travelling overseas, especially to expensive destinations such as the United Kingdom. Typically, international travel insurance provides coverage against travel-related and medical emergencies to travellers aged between 3 months and 85 years. Most overseas travel insurance plans are available without having to undergo medical check-up. Overseas travel insurance plans not only provide comprehensive coverage, but also offer a host of value-added facilities to ensure complete peace of mind for the policyholders.  

The United Kingdom (UK) is one of the most enchanting corners of the world that never fails to impress even the most jaded of travellers. Sprawling over approximately 242,495 square kilometres, the UK includes Wales, Scotland, north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and England. The UK bursts at its seams with world-class medical facilities, plush universities, bustling cities, world’s largest enterprises and a virtual ocean of attractions. Quite expectedly, approximately 2.9 million tourists travelled to the UK in 2018.

From London’s imperial Buckingham Palace to the sweeping peaks of Ben Nevis, the United Kingdom unfolds itself as an exhilarating concoction of modern-day wonders and old world charms. Revered for its old sleepy colonial towns, glittering cities, scrumptious cuisines, and exhilarating shopping scene, the UK packs in something to please travellers of all age and preferences.

Though any trip to the UK is mostly focused around joie de vivre, you never know what difficulties you may come across when in the country. This is where UK travel insurance comes to your rescue. UK travel insurance plans help you secure trip to the country against travel-related emergencies ensuring complete peace of mind for you. What’s more, UK travel insurance plans provide comprehensive coverage in the event of emergency hospitalisation, which is fairly higher in the UK and can easily make a dent in your savings.

Remember, travelling to the UK is all about exploring colonial attractions, spending quality time with your loved ones, and getting on astonishing experiences. And overseas travel insurance plans help you ensure a delightful trip to the UK, without having to worry about the unforeseen.

Benefits of Travel Insurance While Travelling in UK

The cost of living, healthcare expenses and other expenses are comparatively higher in the UK and an emergency medical situation may easily lead to financial crisis for visitors. Investing in the best travel insurance plan for travelling to the UK goes a long way in ensuring a hassle-free trip. Check out just some of the most outstanding benefits of buying UK travel insurance: 

• Coverage for Personal Accident
• Coverage for Total Loss of Checked-in Baggage
• Emergency Hotel Extension
• Cashless hospitalization
• Medical Evacuation

UK Fast Facts

Entry Essentials

The UK has its own set of intricate entry rules and regulations that visitors to the country are expected to follow. It makes sense to get acquainted with the different aspects of visa and passport policies for travelling to the UK to ensure hassle-free trip to the country.

• Passport Information - When planning to travel to the UK, ensure that your passport has 2 blank pages for stamping and it is valid for a minimum period of 180 days at the time of visa application.
• Visa Information - Ensure obtaining a valid visa when planning to travel to the UK.

Types of Visa

Standard Visa: Those planning to travel to the UK for holidays, meet family/friends, for business, or to take part in sports or creative events must apply for Standard Visa. The cost of Standard Visitor visa is £95. This fee may vary depending upon the intended stay in the country. Here’s how much does Standard Visitor Visa cost depending upon the duration of the stay:

• 2 years - £361
• 5 years - £655
• 10 years - £822

Student Visa (Tier 4) - Students planning to take admissions in UK universities and college must apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa. Applicants must be 16 or above. In order to qualify for Student Visa (Tier 4), you must:

• have secured a place on a course
• write, speak, understand and read English
• have sufficient money to support and pay for your course
• meet other eligibility requirements

Student Visa (Tier 4) costs £348. In addition, those applying for Student Visa also need to pay for healthcare surcharge.

Work Visa: You’ll need to procure work visa if you plan to undertake any work in the UK for more than 6 months.

Visa Procedure

To apply for visa to travel to the UK, you need to visit the official website of the UK government for visas and immigration in India and apply online. You will find all relevant and necessary information to apply for UK Visa on the website. In addition, you may even reach out to the UK Embassy and Consulates in India for any further information or updates.

Travel Insurance - While UK entry rules and regulations do not make it mandatory for the visitors to buy travel insurance before travelling to the country, it makes sense buy one to ensure protection against any medical or travel-related emergencies while on trip to the UK. Here are some of the many benefits of overseas travel insurance plans for people travelling to the UK:

• Coverage for trip delays, cancellations and interruptions
• Coverage for immediate medical assistance and hospitalization
• Coverage for medical evacuation
• Coverage for loss of baggage and/or delayed baggage
• Coverage for missed flights
• Coverage for loss of passport and travel documents

Best Time to Visit UK

Due to its relatively temperate climate, UK can be visited at anytime throughout the year. The climate never reaches to the extreme either in summer or in winter. However, spring and autumn is highly preferable to travel. Typically, there are three seasons:

• Spring (late March to May)
• Summer (June to August)
• Autumn or Fall (September to November)
• Winter (December to February)

UK is at its best when spring is there. You’ll surely witness the beautiful spring flowers or the changing hue of leaves in autumn. Winter can be enjoyable time; however, some places remain close in mountain areas due to heavy snowfall. In summer, the highest temperature reaches up to above 30°C, but this is rare case.

UK Transportation

All major cities in the UK are well-connected via rail, road and air transport. Metro rails, taxis and buses remain the most efficient mode transportation within the country. Air travel remains the fastest mode of travel within the country.

Here’s a list of 5 popular airports in the UK for those travelling from India:

List of International Airports in UK for Direct Flights from India

A large number of airlines operate numerous direct/indirect flights to the UK from India. However, connecting flights to the UK are cheaper as compared to the direct flights. Quite expectedly, these indirect flights remain immensely popular amongst travellers to the UK from India. But the likelihood of missing connecting flights on the way to London is fairly higher as most connecting flights are from some of the world’s busiest airports. Therefore, it makes sense to buy international travel insurance for travelling to the UK so that you need to pay for the travel charges that you may incur in case you miss your connecting flights to the UK.

Top Tourist Spots in the UK

• Buckingham Palace
• Hadrian’S Wall
• The Tower of London
• Stonehenge
• Tate Modern
• National Museum of Scotland
• Royal Albert Hall
• Chester Zoo
• Southbank Centre

Top Shopping Attractions in the UK

• Bluewater
• Westfield London
• Westfield Stratford
• Intu Lakeside
• Intu Trafford Centre
• Liverpool One
• Bullring Shopping Centre
• Westgate Oxford
• Cabot Circus
• Westquay

Top Dining Attractions in the UK

• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay - London
• Casamia - Bristol
• Restaurant Andrew Fairlie - Perthshire
• The Fat Duck - Berkshire
• Restaurant Sat Bains - Nottinghamshire
• Restaurant Nathan Outlaw - Cornwall
• Orwells - Oxfordshire
• The Waterside Inn - Berkshire
• The Sportsman - Kent
• Morston Hall - Norfolk

Top Hotels in the UK

• The Gleneagles Hotel - Perthshire
• Soho Farmhouse - Oxfordshire
• Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa - Hampshire
• Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa - Wiltshire
• Cliveden House - Berkshire
• Ham Yard Hotel - London
• Lime Wood - Hampshire
• The Scarlet Hotel - Cornwall
• The Balmoral - Edinburgh

Typical Costs

Top Hospitals in the UK

• Freeman Hospital - Newcastle
• Cambridge University Hospital - Cambridge
• Institute of Cancer Research Royal Hospital- London
• Royal Berkshire NHS - Berkshire
• Bedford Trust Hospital - Bedford

Average healthcare cost in the UK is expensive. This means you will end up making a dent in your savings if you get unwell on your trip to the country. Ambulance charges will cost you approximately £70-100. Medical tests will cost you £100-300. In case of hospitalization, you will end up spending t £700-1000 per day. If you add the cost of medicines to the entire healthcare expense that you may incur, you’ll realize that you easily end up splurging more than £4,000. Ensure buying an international travel insurance plan that provides adequate coverage against medical expenses when travelling to the UK.

Why International Travel Insurance for UK?

A travel insurance policy ensures safe travel across UK and helps you awaken to the enchanting beauty of this place. Moreover, the cost of living, healthcare expenses and other expenses are comparatively higher in the UK and an emergency medical situation may easily lead to financial crisis for visitors. Investing in the best travel insurance plan for travelling to the UK goes a long way in ensuring a hassle-free trip. With travel insurance you can cover a range of travel related risks such as medical emergencies, flight delay/cancellation, trip interruption, loss of important documents, personal accident, third party liability, bail bond, compassionate visit etc. One of the alluring features of international travel insurance is that you can avail cashless healthcare services worldwide. Let’s dive the benefits into detail:

Local law and Etiquette in the UK

• Buying/Drinking Age - Alcohol is classified as a drug in the UK and only people aged 18 or above can buy/drink alcohol in the UK. You may be required to furnish proper ID in order to buy or be served alcohol.
• Smoking Age - The legal smoking age in most states in the UK is 18 years. Smoking in strictly prohibited in workplaces and enclosed public spaces throughout the region.
• Emergency Contact - The nationwide emergency number in the UK is 999.

Money Saving Tips to UK Travellers

• Sightseeing - Buy heritage pass when planning sightseeing excursions on your trip to the UK. Heritage Pass will help you access hundreds of historical attractions including Stourhead and Stonehenge for affordable prices.
• Travel - Hop aboard trains when travelling in the UK to save money on transportation. Typically, you may secure free rail tickets for free entry to some of the most popular attractions.
• Eating Out - Typically, restaurants in the UK are costly but there is absolutely no dearth of local eateries that serve scrumptious cuisines. Save some money by savouring the local street flavours in the UK.
• Staying fit in the UK - Healthcare expenses are too costly in the UK. So it makes sense to take care of your health at all times. Do well to buy an international travel insurance plan to ensure protection against emergency medical expenses when travelling to the UK.

Embassy Information

It pays to get acquainted to the location of the nearest embassy or consulate. Remember, knowing the nearest embassy or consulate may help you reach out to them in the event of a difficult situations when travelling to the UK. Here is a list of the Indian Embassy and Consulate locations in the United Kingdom: