Single Vs. Multi-Trip Travel Insurance in Ireland – 2020 Family Travel Guide

Planning a family trip or vacation without travel insurance is incredibly risky and should be avoided at all costs. Fortunately, there are so many options that there is no need to travel without it.

Choosing single vs. multi-trip travel insurance in Ireland is pretty straightforward. Single trip insurance is a cheaper option, and if you are planning just one trip, it is definitely a better option. You can choose from several levels of coverage, depending on your needs.

Multi-trip travel insurance, also called annual travel insurance, is valid throughout the whole year, regardless of how many travels you make. AA Insurance is usually a good choice for this type of insurance, as well as other kinds. For families that take two or more vacations every year, it is a far better option, regardless of the higher initial cost. Basically, the more you travel, the cheaper travel insurance becomes.

Although, it would be wise to check this with your insurance company since some of them do place limits on the number of trips. Typically, all companies limit the length of a single trip to 31 days. Anything longer is simply not considered traveling, but rather living abroad. In some cases, you can get a policy that allows you to stay up to 60 days on a single trip. For older people, age between 66 and 75, the limit is usually 21 days.

The most common multi-trip insurance covers all the usual risks. Medical expenses you incur during your trip are almost always covered. You also have access to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which will get you treatment in local hospitals. All pre-existing medical conditions must be disclosed to your insurance provider since there is separate insurance for people with them.

Cancellation and curtailment are also covered, as well as missed departures and delays. Finally, you have coverage for stolen, lost, or damaged luggage. If you are traveling with expensive items, you might want to consider upping the limit of your insurance, just to make sure it covers the value of your wardrobe.
Some policies also include personal liability cover, protecting you against any damages you may cause during your stay abroad.

If you are planning on engaging in sports activities, you may need additional clauses that are sold separately, like insurance for winter sports, extreme sports, water sports, and golf. Otherways, your eventual injuries won’t be covered.

Of course, insurance is just one thing you need to keep in mind when traveling with your family. Here is a few additional advice to help you plan your family vacation in 2020.

Leave A Lot of Time in Your Plans

The first rule of planning a vacation with children is that you can’t possibly plan for every eventuality. Leave a lot of time for all unplanned events that can derail your plans. For instance, don’t arrive at the airport with just a few minutes to spare. An unexpected visit to the bathroom can cause you to miss your flight. Also, planning a visit to the museum, a trip to the shopping mall, some beach time, and a diner at the restaurant all in one day when you are with kids is a sure way to not enjoy any of those activities. Chances are you will just rush through them and probably completely miss one or two. Leaving generous gaps between activities will leave you with plenty of spare time to adjust for all unplanned mishaps.

Prepare books and Magazines for kids

Sometimes, you will be stuck in a long line and forced to wait. This is when the kids will get restless and start making trouble. Bored kids are evil geniuses that will come with the most improper ways of entertaining themselves. That is why you have to step in with reading materials to keep them occupied. However, this won’t always work, so you have to have a backup plan. In most cases, that plan consists of giving them mobile devices. Phones and tablets aren’t really a popular choice when it comes to raising your children, but sometimes you have no other options.

Give Kids a Camera

A cheap camera is a great way of keeping your kids busy on your vacation. It will occupy them for hours. Just tell them to make some interesting photos and they will focus on the job while having fun doing it. Occasionally, you can point out interesting things they can shoot, like a cool architectural design or an animal. Kids like to take pride in their work and this is an excellent way of letting them be creative. If you don’t have a camera, you can give them your old phone, just make sure you have enough space on your memory cards. Kids can take hundreds of pictures during a day easily.

Involve Your Kids in Planning

When your children are old enough to understand what is going on a vacation, you should include them in planning. You can make suggestions based on their interest, but leave the final choice to them. This will foster responsibility and reduce the chances of them getting bored. Let them help with lodging selection. Another great way to involve them is to let each kid plan one full day of vacation, with your supervision of course.

Don’t Change Lodgings

Packing and unpacking once during a holiday is plenty enough. If you switch hotels, you will only add to your suffering without any good reason. You will also lose a whole day doing this, while kids get bored to tears. Then there is an acclimatization period every child has to pass when arriving at a new destination. This means getting used to new rooms, new surroundings and most importantly, a new bed. Spending the entire night taking care of a cranky kid is not anyone’s idea of a fun vacation. Tomorrow will be even less fun, with both of you nervous about lack of sleep.