Travel insurance: Annual or Single Trip Cover?

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by Barracuda Digital

Travel insurance should be considered essential. Wherever you are travelling to, whatever you are doing, there is always a chance something could go wrong. Each year, around 25% of travellers go away without adequate cover, risking big bills if something unexpected was to happen.

Making the decision to buy travel insurance may be easy, but there are things to consider. If you travel frequently, an annual multi-trip travel insurance policy might make sense. Annual cover can be found from as little as £29.00 for someone aged 65 or under who requires European cover, with Worldwide cover from £48.00. Usually paid in a one-off purchase, annual insurance policies offer you peace of mind, knowing you are covered for 12 months of travelling and that you don't have to worry about booking insurance every time you go away.

Family rates are also offered, often with children covered for free. For example, a European annual policy for a co-habiting couple and any number of their dependent children can cost as little as £46.00, adding just £17 to the price of an individual policy. As well as representing good value-for-money, family policies are also usually quite flexible and can include independent cover, meaning the insured travellers can travel separately from each other for a specific period of time.

Single trip travel insurance can be found from just £8.50 for a week in Europe. If you travel three times a year or more, three separate week long trips would equate to £25.50 – just another £2.50 would buy you an Annual policy in case you took another little trip within the 12 months.

Some annual multi-trip policies have no limit on the number of trips you can take, meaning they can prove extremely cost effective to frequent travellers. Some can also include skiing as well, covering all your types of holidays in one payment.


Do bear in mind trip limits – most travel insurance policies have a restriction on the number of days you can travel per trip, although the limits are often more than sufficient for the average traveller. For example, Direct Travel Insurance's Premier Plus Worldwide annual policy covers unlimited trips in the year, and each trip must last up to 62 days. Make sure you check the cover though, as some travel insurance providers may have a limit on the number of trips you can take during the 12 months.

Also ensure you are covered for the right travel area, and that you're not travelling to Australia on a European policy, for example.

(Prices are based on Direct Travel Insurance's Standard policy.)

Direct Travel Insurance
Shoreham Airport
Shoreham-by-Sea
West Sussex
BN43 5FF
Tel: 0845 605 2700
Fax: 0845 605 2710

Rob James is the Communications Coordinator for Direct Travel Insurance, providers of travel insurance.

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