Already Departed Travel Insurance can be a lifesaver for those who are already on their holidays and forgot to take out cover or didn't realise they were no longer covered under their previous policy.  Voyager Plus Already Departed Travel Insurance has been specifically designed to cover exactly this eventuality, making sure your client isn’t left without cover, while they are abroad.

What is Already Departed Travel Insurance?

Already Departed Travel Insurance is exactly as its name suggests, Travel Insurance that is available to purchase after someone has already departed on their trip.

Most standard Travel Insurance policies available to brokers don't offer cover for people who have already left for their trip.  While definitions vary amongst policies, a common definition is when someone leaves their house, they have started their trip.

This means that as soon as someone steps outside their front door to travel to the airport, standard Travel Insurance policies are no longer suitable, leaving them without cover!

Voyager's Already Departed Travel Insurance solves this issue as, whether your client has just left their house, is waiting at the airport, or has already reached their destination, they are still able to take out a policy through you.

Are There Any Differences Between Standard and Already Departed Voyager Plus Travel Insurance Policies?

The good news is that the standard levels of cover you would expect on any Voyager Plus Travel Insurance policy, are the same on the Already Departed Travel Insurance policy, there are no differences. Our Already Departed policies offer these great benefits:

• up to £10 million Emergency Medical Expenses
• up to £10,000 Cancellation/Curtailment cover
• up to £3,500 Baggage cover
• up to £35,000 Personal Accident cover
• up to £3 million Personal Liability 

Is Already Departed Travel Insurance Available for Long Stay Policies?

Long Stay policies are frequently issued on an Already Departed basis, as quite often other policies cannot cover more than 12 months, leaving people with no cover after this time. Fortunately, Voyager Plus Already Departed cover is also available on a long stay basis, meaning cover is available for trips up to 18 months long (or up to 24 months on referral).

However, your clients total trip duration must not exceed this duration, for example if your client has been abroad on a different long stay policy for 18 months, you would not be able to issue a Voyager Plus Already Departed policy to cover another 18 months (total duration 36 months). For more on long stay policies, please click here.

What are the Differences with an Already Departed Travel Insurance Policy?

There are, however, some differences that you should be aware of when it comes to providing customers with Already Departed Travel Insurance policies.

1. No cover for pre-existing medical conditions

There is no screening available for Already Departed policies and as such we are unable to provide any cover for pre-existing medical conditions. 

2. Cover must start the day after the policy is taken out and must last the duration of the trip

Voyager Plus Already Departed Travel Insurance is not able to be taken out in advance of it being needed as it is specifically designed for those who have already left on their trip. As such, cover must start the day after the policy is purchased. Similarly, cover cannot be taken out for only part of your client’s trip. The policy must cover the entire remaining duration of their trip.

3. 14 day waiting period before medical expenses cover commences in respect of illness

If your client has been out of their home country for more than 7 days or they have been without cover following the expiry of their previous policy more than 7 days ago, there will be a 14-day waiting period before medical expenses cover commences in respect of illness.

4. 14 day 'cooling off period' for cancelling a policy does not apply

Due to the nature of this policy and how it is designed to be taken out once someone is already on holiday, the 'cooling off period' that is common on standard travel insurance policies does not apply.

5. Overall trip duration mustn't exceed the max trip duration for their age

Whilst cover is available for up to 18 months (24 months on referral), on a Long Stay basis for those up to and including 50 years old, the maximum trip duration mustn't exceed the max trip duration for the traveller age bracket. Below is a reminder of the max trip durations per age bracket:

*24 months on referral

**18 months on referral

6. Already Departed cover is not available on an annual multi-trip basis

As cover is intended to protect those who have already travelled, we are unable to offer this on an annual multi-trip basis, this is because any pre-existing medical conditions would not be covered for the entire year and so wouldn’t provide Fair Value. Instead, following the culmination of the already departed trip, if your client plans to travel again within the next 12 months, they can then take out a standard Voyager Plus Annual Multi-trip policy.

My Client Wants to Extend Their Trip - Is This Possible?

So long as their trip remains within the maximum duration for their age bracket then yes, you are able to extend your client’s trip. Remember that Already Departed policies must cover the entire remaining period of your client’s trip and that the caveats around pre-existing medical conditions would remain in force.

What Activities Are Covered on An Already Departed Policy?

All activities covered under the Leisure Activities in the policy wording are covered as standard on both short and long stay Already Departed policies.

Additional activity packs (Action or Action Plus) can be added by paying an additional premium, however, if this is on a long stay policy then this will be looked at on a case-by-case basis upon referral.

Winter Sports can also be added for an additional premium, however, on a long stay policy this is only for a maximum of 31 consecutive days and days cannot be split.

Our broker support team is happy to help with any queries you may have regarding Voyager Plus Already Departed Travel Insurance or any of our other policies. You can contact them by calling 01483 562 662.

Voyager Plus Travel Insurance is one of the most flexible travel insurance broker products on the market, giving you the power to cover more of your clients travel needs. The information here is correct at the time of publishing.