The travel insurance market is now very competitive. The online business can help you save lots of money and you can even cover a full year of family travel insurance in some cases for the cost of a week with a less competitive policy.

A family of two adults and two children can get online travel insurance for Europe with annuamultitrip.com  here on our site for a week for €17.98 or €48.99 or a year. It is cheaper again if you have private medical insurance. Travel agents can charge from €45 upwards for a week for a family and some other policies for a year can be in the region of €150.

Take out a multi-trip annual policy if you are planning more than two trips a year as it works out much cheaper and covers you for weekends away as well.

Remember to opt out of the travel insurance added in by some cheeky low cost airlines which is a real bug bear of mine. With Aer Lingus you have to remove the insurance box and you have to navigate a drop down box on Ryanair. they are clearly designed to suck you in so keep your wits about you.

Use your mouse and shop around before making a decision. Quotes can be done in minutes and you can make great savings. Of course we think the annualmultitrip travel insurance online travel insurance is great value but have a look yourself and compare.

Do not leave taking out insurance until the the last minute. We would recommend you take it out as soon as you book the family holiday. It costs the same as the same period is covered but might mean you have no cover if the holiday has to be because one of you gets sick. The majority of all claims are for cancellations due to changing circumstances, or family bereavements.

The free European Health Insurance Card provides a certain level of medical cover and entitles the holder to basic healthcare across EU member states. It is not, however, an appropriate substitute for travel insurance, as the hospital care may be minimal and the last thing you wmat to be worried about when you are away is the level of medical your family can get. It does not cover the costs of getting home lost or damaged baggage or cancelled holidays or those that need to be cut short. Do make sure you apply for it and have it to hand as well.

Think very long and hard before you rely on the travel insurance offered with credit cards as the cover is generally very poor and in some cases worthless.

Make sure you are covered for the area you want to travel to and the type of things you will be doing. Some policies only cover trips within the EU and exclude winter sports or other adventure sports.

Compare what is on offer in the policies you are looking at as some policies have high excesses (the amount you have to cover yourself), exclude sports equipment, winter sports or even lost baggage or delayed flights.

The level of cover provided is also important in terms of medical cover, lost baggage and  travel delays. Many policies do not cover lost or delayed baggage, cancelled flights or missed connections so check this and the terms and conditions very carefully.

Some policies include children under eighteen for free which can be a good saving but do remember your dates if the kids are approaching that age to make sure you are not caught. Check also what the position is with the children travelling without you if they are say going on a school trip or away with a friend/on a gap year or post exam holiday.

Contact the local police in the event of an incident while you are travelling. In the absence of a police report, a claim will be difficult. Also keep your receipts (separate from your baggage) to prove the value if you have to make a claim.

For tips on family security have a look at our family security section which gives you more tips on managing your documents while on your family holiday and on family security and safety on holidays. 

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

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