Credit: Jeremy Wilburn (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremywilburn)
As a travelling student, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to take all your treasured possessions with you on your trip. You might be in the fortunate position of being able to leave some items in the care of your family or friends, but in the likely event that you’ll need to leave certain things in your student digs, then you’ll need to think about student contents insurance.
There are certain situations in which you might be able to leave your possessions behind without having to take out student contents insurance or tenants insurance to ensure their safety. For example, you may be covered under your parent’s home insurance policy. Check the policy details of your parents’ home contents insurance, and you may well find that it extends to cover the possessions of children who have left for university, or that it can be extended for a small fee.
Another way you might be able to save on the cost of student contents insurance is if you live in a hall of residence that has contents cover in place for students. Talk to the staff at your halls to find out whether you are covered and, if so, what the policy covers. Should you be leaving behind some expensive gear you might need to consider taking out some additional cover.
Should you come to the conclusion that you do need tenants insurance or student contents insurance, you might be able to bring the cost of that insurance down by insuring only items that you feel you really need to. For example, if all you are leaving behind while you’re away is a mattress, some old clothes, a broken television and a new laptop, you can find an insurer who will offer you cover for the laptop alone.
If you are travelling with friends, you might be able to club together and share the cost of student contents insurance. This can be done a number of ways; you could either buy a single premium that covers all of you and your friends’ possessions and split the cost of the premium, or you could take advantage of offers made by companies like Endsleigh, who give a 25 per cent discount to students living together who buy their insurance together.
No matter how you choose to insure your possessions while you’re travelling, it is highly recommended that you do take out some form of cover. After all, the last thing you want to be thinking about when you’re off seeing the world is whether or not your stereo is secure.
This is a company feature for MoneySupermarket.com
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