WHAT COVER DO I NEED FOR PARIS?
Have a question? Ask our travel expert Simon Calder
Q I normally holiday in the UK with my family, but next month I am going on a girls’ trip to Paris for four days. What shall I do about travel insurance?
Name withheld
A First, it’s a wise idea to get an EHIC card. The European Health Insurance Card isn’t a direct substitute for travel insurance, but it does prove your entitlement to treatment at public hospitals in all EU countries on the same basis as local people — which means basically free, though with some charges possible for things like prescription medicine.
Go direct to the NHS's website, rather than any of the commercial sites that charge money for something that is actually free.
The most significant element of travel insurance is for medical treatment, and you may rationally decide that you are happy with the level of cover provided by the EHIC card. If you are hospitalised, the French NHS would pick up the bill.
If you want more comprehensive cover, which for example could involve the provision of an air ambulance, you need to take out a travel insurance policy. You can find a no-frills policy online for as little as £5 for a week, but you should make sure you are happy with the cover offered – if protection against the loss or theft of valuables is important to you, then you could pay several times more.
It may be more beneficial to extend your household insurance policy, particularly if you have a long-term relationship with the insurer – that could mean any claim is processed more smoothly.