Ian Jennings, also known as ‘The Travel Insurance Expert’, has encouraged young travellers and their parents to be ‘SMART’ and ensure they have proper insurance before setting off on backpacking trips this autumn.
Ian, who runs his own travel insurance company and embarked on his own backpacking journey 30 years ago this month, has urged backpackers to review their policies to ensure they are fully covered, with no hidden exclusions, before departing.
In addition to being known as ‘The Travel Insurance Expert’, Ian launched Explorer Travel Insurance in 2011 and has now introduced the ‘SMART Backpacker Checklist’, a free downloadable PDF designed to help travellers secure the appropriate level of cover.
The checklist is built around the acronym SMART: Sort it now, Medical Expenses, Activities and Work, Return Home, and Tech/Gadgets. It provides straightforward, practical advice, including ensuring that a policy includes at least £1 million in medical coverage, verifying that the policy covers work undertaken while travelling, and confirming that cover remains valid after returning to the UK, especially if planning further travel before the policy ends.
Ian explained: “It’s always important to have travel insurance whenever you go abroad, but it is particularly important for backpacking holidays where the risk of illness or injury is higher.
“The chances are that you are planning to visit multiple countries and enjoy activities like scuba diving and white water rafting. While these experiences will create lifelong memories, we cannot hide from the fact that they have an element of risk attached to them.
“If something goes wrong, you need to be satisfied that your insurer will protect you. In the UK we are very fortunate to have access to free healthcare on the NHS, but that is a rarity in the rest of the world.”
Ian developed the SMART checklist to offer backpackers greater peace of mind when travelling.
He added: “The checklist covers essential backpacker insurance aspects that may not have been thought of and may not apply to a standard annual policy for travelling on a European break, for example.
“The idea is to ensure that backpackers do not get caught out with an inadequate level of cover because the dream trip can soon become a nightmare if they do not protect themselves adequately.”
Explorer Travel Insurance specialises in providing affordable Single Trip, Annual Multi Trip, Winter Sports, Cruise, and Backpacker travel insurance.
Explorer’s Backpacker Travel Insurance offers cover for over 100 adventure activities as standard, with the option to include an additional 70 more hazardous activities. It provides up to £10 million in medical cover and 24-hour emergency assistance, as well as Gadget, Return Home, and Terrorism cover as standard.
For more details, visit www.backpacksmartchecklist.com.
