Duke of Edinburgh travel insurance for residential

[goat1]

Help!! Just found out our family travel
insurance doesn’t cover my 17 year old for independent travel for their Duke of Ed gold residential. Please tell me where to go for travel insurance for an under 18 short trip!! Thanks mumsnetters 😊

Doesn’t the school or organising group cover it?

Does the school insurance not cover them?

Who are they doing the residential with? Is it an approved activity provider? If it is they should have some insurance in place.

The DofE provides limited personal accident insurance which covers payment of a certain benefits in the event of a participant sustaining accidental bodily injury whilst taking part in an approved DofE activity. Also, as a condition of their licence, each Licensed Organisation (usually a school or body like the Scouts, Guides etc) must also arrange Public Liability Insurance, which will cover any claims against them for injury or damage caused to a participant doing a DofE programme. However, personal belongings or equipment damaged or lost whilst doing a DofE activity are unlikely to be covered, so if they are taking lots of expensive kit, you may want to see if those are covered on your home contents insurance.

It’s the residential part of the award which they do independently. So unlike the expedition which the school insures, they are on their own for this part.

@goat1so the residential is not with an approved activity provider then?

@MargoLivebetter recommended agency (on their website) but operate independently of DofE

So if they are a specialised residential provider, they should have insurance. Have you asked them?

Any sort of provider should have public liability insurance, but if you are in the UK does he need travel insurance? What are you looking for cover for?

Different if he's going abroad.

Is it UK or abroad?

I did Raleigh International, which I didn't do for my residential, but a few others did. We all had travel insurance through different suppliers. (It came up, as some of us had walking boots nicked, and needed police reports and so on.)

What you need to check is what activities are covered- a lot of standard travel insurance won't cover the sort of activities he might do - like white water rafting, trekking at high altitudes and so on.

If he's going with an organisation like Raleigh (and there are various ones) which are UK-based, you should be able to get advice from them. If they're based overseas, they may still be able to advise.

Being under 18 might be an issue for some insurers, though.

Try the Post Office. They used to do insurance for under 18’s in the UK going on organised trips

Thanks all!

The Problem: Many family travel insurance policies do not cover under-18s traveling "independently" (without a parent).
The Solution (Providers): Look for specialist "Young Traveller" or "Backpacker" insurance. Common UK providers for this include:
Endsleigh: Often the go-to for student/youth travel and specifically mentions DofE.
Post Office: Their "Standard" or "Premium" policies can often be adjusted for independent minors, but check the small print.
Alpha Travel Insurance: Known for low-cost backpacker policies for young people.
What to Check:
Activity Approval: Ensure the policy covers "Volunteering" or "Residential Activities."
Independent Travel: Specifically confirm that an under-18 is covered while traveling alone to and from the venue.
Gadgets: If they are taking a phone or laptop, add "Gadget Cover" as standard travel insurance has very low limits for electronics.