Travel insurance and extreme weather events

When extreme weather strikes, people will naturally be concerned for their safety and we would encourage everyone to follow local health advice and pay attention to weather warnings. 

If your flight or accommodation is cancelled, refunds should be sought from the airline, accommodation provider or tour operator in the first instance. Any bookings made through a credit card may also have recoverable costs. 

If your policy includes trip disruption or natural disaster cover, you should be covered if you have to cut short or cancel your holiday. 

Check your policy details and speak to your insurer if you’re not sure what is included. If you’re injured or fall ill from the effects of extreme weather, your travel insurance will of course cover you in the usual way.  

If the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential overseas travel to a certain country then, providing the insurance was purchased and holiday booking was made before the advice changed, most travel disruption cover policies will cover cancellation costs that cannot be recovered from your airline or travel provider. 

Possessions you have lost or had to abandon will likely be covered by standard travel insurance policies. Terms and conditions may vary, so we would recommend speaking to your insurer to make sure. 

If you’re being forced to leave your accommodation, follow the advice of emergency services on the ground and any local health advice. When it is safe to do so, contact your insurer to check what your policy covers and they can provide advice on next steps. 

If you have not yet travelled to your destination, contact your insurer before you decide to cancel flights or book any new accommodation. They can advise on what your policy will cover you for. 

If your flight is cancelled or you have had to leave your accommodation, refunds should be sought from the airline, tour operator or accommodation provider in the first instance. Any bookings made through a credit card may also have recoverable costs. 

If you want to book another flight back to the UK or need alternative accommodation, we’d recommend speaking to your insurer first to check what is covered in your policy, and they can advise on next steps. 

If you’re injured or fall ill due to an extreme weather event, as with other emergency medical needs, your travel insurance will apply in the usual way.  

Travel insurance is primarily to protect you against what can be incredibly high costs of needing emergency medical treatment overseas, but is unlikely to provide cover if you’re unable to go outside on your holiday because of extreme weather. 

However, some insurers do offer add-ons which can be purchased at the same time you buy your policy, which will offer protection against disruption or natural disasters. So be sure to check your policy and speak to your insurer if you’re not clear what’s covered. 

It is always sensible to follow health advice, and if you’re injured or fall ill due to extreme weather it will of course cover you in the usual way.  

The primary purpose of travel insurance is to cover the costs of emergency medical treatments or repatriation should the worst happen, which can run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.

It can cover you if you need to cancel or cut short your holiday but it’s likely this will only be under limited circumstances, for example if you or a close family member fall ill, not because of a disinclination to travel.

Insurance can cover you if advice from the Government changes since you’ve booked your trip and it’s no longer considered safe to travel to the destination.

Travel insurance provides the peace of mind that, should you need emergency medical treatment overseas, you will be protected from the potentially jaw droppingly high fees. This includes falling ill due to a heatwave.

If you become ill, insurers will have a 24-hour phone number for you to call if you need to use your insurance.

In emergency situations, you should seek help at the nearest appropriate medical facility and contact your insurer as soon as it’s safe to do so. If you need support but it’s not an emergency, call your insurer before seeking medical assistance.