Travel Insurance - from Sladdin

Home Exchangers

Home exchangers can have problems finding a policy which includes adequate cover for cancellation.

Most travel policies do not cater for those who, like home exchangers, are independent travellers making their own arrangements for accommodation. For example, if you were going abroad to stay with relations, you would probably find that your travel policy did not cover you for cancellation if one of your relations fell ill. Fortunately, there is one company which recognises the need for this type of cover. Obviously you should check the small print of your policy document to ensure that it meets your needs.

Holiday Insurance

Retired members

Many members find it difficult to get travel insurance over the age of 65. RIAS offers annual policies up to the age of 79 and single trip policies up to the age of 89, both with a maximum trip duration of 90 days. While they do not offer cover if your home exchange partner falls ill, they may still be of interest. Further details can be found on their website at www.rias.co.uk

Car insurance

If you are planning to swap cars you will need to add your exchange partners to your policy for the duration of their stay. Not all insurance companies will allow the temporary addition of overseas drivers to a policy, so do check with your insurance provider before committing to a car exchange.

If you are not able to do this on your current policy, one solution is to move your policy to a more accommodating insurer. Temporary additions of up to a month are usually quite straight forward and longer additions may be possible. Our discussion forum contains plenty of information about companies that other members have used or do feel free to contact the HomeLink office for more advice.