Buying travel insurance should be high up on the list of priorities for anyone planning a trip abroad, and that applies to students as well. It’s important to investigate appropriate student travel insurance, whether you are planning to work or study abroad, or take a gap year during your course. Just like general travel insurance, student policies can include cover for medical, dental, and health issues, lost baggage and passports, and unforeseen delays/cancellations. Alongside this, they also feature things that are specifically aimed at students which could prove to be very important.
One of the key differences between general and student insurance policies is the length of time covered and the travel limitations during the cover period. Although you can take out a general policy that’s valid for a year, you will only be able to travel for a certain number of days in that year, whereas a student policy will allow you to work/study abroad for the whole year. Although there may be some limitations, student policies can also cover trips and holidays within the countries/areas your insurance applies to, and a certain number of trips home as well. Other benefits of a student travel policy are refunds of course fee’s, if the course is cancelled, cover if you have to extend your stay and re-sit exams, and protection against the loss/theft of valuable items such as computer equipment, jewellery and mobile phones. Protection while taking part in extreme sports, or certain types of unpaid/paid work could also form part of a student travel insurance policy.
One of the first ports of call when looking for this type of travel insurance should be the International Association of Student Insurance Services. This association has partnered with language schools, au pair agencies, work abroad programmes, and other student travel providers worldwide, who issue flexible and affordable insurance in line with the association’s policies. Their website enables you to search for local issuing agents via country, and in the UK, two of the best known are Endsleigh and STA Travel.
Endsleigh have policies available for study abroad, gap years involving volunteering, working abroad, or adventure trips, and back packing. You can also take out a policy if you’re an international student coming to study in the UK, or a school group travelling abroad. School group travel insurance is specifically designed to provide liability cover for the whole group, liability for any group leaders, and medical expenses for the whole group. STA travel also offer group travel and study abroad, along with single and multi-trip travel insurance, with options aimed at under 35’s. Other companies worth considering include Insure and Go or Virgin Money, who provide value for money back-packers insurance, and general insurance providers like Navigator Insurance, that offer long stay trip policies. As long as the policy is flexible, affordable, and suited to all your needs, you should be able to tick another job off the list and be a step closer to experiencing all that student travel has to offer.
