None of us like to think about what will happen if we are ill, hurt ourselves in an accident, or worse. When on a gap year, or away backpacking, we are likely to be thousands of miles from our families or our support network. If things go wrong, we need to know that someone has our back.

One of the most tempting ways to economise during a year away from home is to buy cheap travel insurance. Don't. This is false economy.

The costs of becoming seriously ill, or having an accident overseas, can be significant. Finding appropriate care can also be a challenge. At Gap Year Survival we will try to give you all the information you need to stay safe, but accidents happen, and infectious diseases can be difficult to avoid.

Finding a Decent Provider

Where do we start? Finding a decent insurance provider is probably the first step. Go on the comparison sites and see who offers products that might work for you, then see which companies actually deliver the goods.

The website Which.co.uk rates insurance companies. They are independent and are a good place to start. Even the best companies only get a satisfaction rating of between 75% and 80%. By definition this means one-in-five, or even one-in-four customers weren't satisfied.

Then look at the Defaqto rating online — the website is easy to find. Again, these ratings are supposedly independent. Somewhere between thirty and one hundred features and benefits of each travel insurance policy are compared and a star rating is given for each company and policy. This gives an indication of quality or levels of cover. However, the Defaqto rating does not consider how easy, fast, or efficient the companies are. Their rating is more a look at value for money.

The next idea might be to take a quick look at Trustpilot and other review apps and make sure that there are no horror stories regarding individual insurers, then use social media to ask for personal recommendations. If you take these steps you would definitely have shown true diligence, and should get a decent policy with a trusted provider who can provide the right cover for you.

Be Honest About What You Need

Then think about what you actually need — and be honest with the company as well as with yourself. Where do you plan to go? Include every location. How do you expect to travel? Might you hire a moped or scooter? What sports or activities will you undertake? Scuba diving? Skiing? Paragliding? Rafting? Disclose absolutely everything. Will you be trekking high in the mountains? Taking a small boat out to sea? Be totally open.

It makes sense that if you do have an accident and need assistance, it is most likely to happen if you are undertaking something risky. Moreover, many insurance companies will look to avoid paying out on claims if they can. Please don't give them any excuses to do this.

Understanding the Excess

Check the policy excess. An excess is a set amount of money you agree to pay against the cost of a claim before the insurer pays the rest. A larger excess will cost you more if you claim. This saves the insurance company money and also discourages people from actually making a claim. Therefore, as a general rule, the higher the excess of an insurance policy the cheaper the policy will be.

This isn't set in stone, so do the maths before buying your insurance. Ultimately, there is only one question you need to ask yourself regarding an excess: if everything goes wrong, you are in a remote area, you don't speak the language, your funds are low, you are ill or injured, you are also stressed — how much can you really afford to pay yourself if you have to make a claim?

Read the Small Print

Check the small print. If a policy is cheap there is probably a reason. Almost all companies will exclude pre-existing conditions. If you have one — maybe asthma or diabetes — ensure that it is covered. Also note, if alcohol or drugs contribute to an accident or illness then it is very likely that a claim will be refused.

Adventure sports, moped riding, quad use, and mountaineering or mountain hiking are usually excluded in standard policies. Here, check specifically for altitude limits. Some policies have strict elevation limits, which can be as low as 1,000 metres above sea level. This would make the policy void even if strolling up a little hill in the south of France.

Watch out for destination gaps on worldwide policies. The USA is often excluded, as are most locations to which the Foreign Office warns against travel.

Make sure that your single-item valuations are accurate. A decent mobile phone can cost up to £2,000 to replace. Also, be very careful not to leave any luggage unattended, and if you do have to make a claim for theft, report it to the local police within the time limit specified by your insurance provider — often 24 hours. These are both frequent reasons for non-payment of claims.

What Could It Actually Cost?

After all this, another critically important question is: what is the maximum I might need to claim if things really go wrong?

In the worst case you might need repatriation to the UK. If you are dead, and it's just your body that you — or your family — would like returned to the UK, the cost varies from about £3,500 to bring you back from places like India, to around £10,000 from Australia, and about £12,000 from the USA. It's easy to find quotes online with companies like Funero, Homeland International, Purves, or Middletons.

Financially, the situation is much more challenging if you are still alive following a major accident or illness. The cost of repatriation to the UK is then likely to be between £100,000 and £200,000 depending on what state you are in. Very few people have this sort of money lying around. We must all have seen desperate social media appeals, GoFundMe or JustGiving pages attempting to raise money for funeral costs or for repatriation of injured relatives from remote locations. Countless such pages have been set up to cover medical bills as well. Please, on all levels, don't let this be you.

Practical Steps Before You Go

Make sure that you carry paper details of the policy with you. It's no good keeping it on your phone if the phone is stolen. And leave details at home with someone close to you who you trust — the kind of person who might want to arrange for repatriating your body if things go badly wrong. You can't organise that kind of thing yourself if you are dead.

On this note, if parents want to keep their precious offspring safe, maybe arrange the travel insurance yourselves. It is the best investment you can make in your loved one's safety.

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