Travel insurance recommendations for 18 year old going to Europe

[cheezncrackers]

DS (18) going on two long weekends away in Europe with friends this summer. Can anyone recommend good travel insurance that you have used?

I used Alpha Travel Insurance when my DS went away at that age - he still uses them years on.

https://www.alphatravelinsurance.co.uk/quote3/

You can tailor the quote to suit and add on things like gadget cover/sports etc.

There is always a discount code for them knocking around on the internet.

I usually just use a comparison site like compare the market, then choose the cheapest one, obviously making sure it covers me for what I need.

Absolutely this, and if they have no medical issues, just get them an annual one (it is under £20 unless they are ski-ing or going somewhere odd) and then have it on auto renew. Get them to apply for an EHIC https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-uk-global-health-insurance-card-ghic/
I always feel sad when I see posts about young people going abroad and then something happens to them, and the family is crowd-funding to try and get them home or treatment, and for what?, the price of a round of drinks ? I know it is a cost, and I know that you should not have to manage your child's life so much that they cannot do it for themselves, but they forget, get carried away with the holiday etc. There are exclusions on most, so if they are going hire mopeds etc. they will find themselves stuck, but I think it is generally a good idea. Hope this helps xx

Take the insurance out before you book the holiday as otherwise you may find that it won't be covered.

Not true. However once you have booked you're now 'at risk' eg if you're injured or become ill so cannot travel, so it's wise to buy it as soon as you book, so you're covered.

With young people and travel insurance the main thing for them to understand is what it does and doesn't cover. Many 'holiday activities' like jet skiing or hiring mopeds aren't covered as standard so needs to be added on if they do these things or they need to buy a more comprehensive policy. They also need to be mindful of exclusions if they're drunk and have an accident.

Thanks all. We thought he was covered by our family policy and just thought to check yesterday and he isn't! Argh! He has a GHIC, but agree about the crowd-funding. It's easy to make a mistake and think you're covered (like we did under our family multi-trip policy), but when a young person travels alone or with friends they need their own insurance.

Just to add - insurance now purchased after using Compare the Market.

Cost of annual multi-trip insurance with gadget cover? £19.25 Peace of mind? Priceless

@cheezncrackers make sure teenager understands the restrictions of the insurance coverage - ie no mopeds, no skiing, no water skiing or water skiing covered but only when wearing a helmet or whatever the specific exclusions are so they don't jump to a split second decision to do something exciting without understanding the risks.

It's not about being a party pooper but it instills some personal responsibility around decision making!

Thanks for this and I will. One thing he knows about is to not ride mopeds - the DS of a friend of mine was killed riding a moped abroad 😭