Travel insurance for a long trip

On a long trip the real risk is rarely a stolen bag. It is a scooter accident, a stomach infection, altitude sickness, or an injury on a trek in a country where evacuation from the mountains means a private helicopter and a four-figure bill.

Four things to check before you buy

• How long it covers you, and whether you can extend it from the road — long trips routinely outgrow the policy that was bought for them.
• Whether it covers medical evacuation and repatriation, not only treatment.
• Whether it covers what you actually plan to do: diving, climbing, riding a motorbike, trekking above 3,000 metres.
• Whether you can start it after you have already left home, because plenty of travellers decide to extend mid-trip.

Affiliate link — SherryStay may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. As with any policy, what counts is what the terms say, not what the headline says.