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The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides free travel advice that is important for British nationals when travelling abroad.
This section explains the importance of having the appropriate travel insurance for Thailand, even though the FCDO may be advising against all but essential travel to certain areas.
It's important to be "travel aware" and have adequate protection and coverage for unexpected events.
The right travel insurance covers expensive issues abroad, such as:
Important: The information in this page does not replace the official foreign travel advice and warnings for British nationals who will travel to different parts of Thailand.
When you buy insurance cover it should always be appropriate for your proposed travel plans. In fact, some overseas issues can be very expensive if you need to pay for it yourself - or your insurance gets invalidated (e.g. riding a motorbike without a licence).
Plus, things can also get worse if a basic insurance policy fails to provide adequate medical coverage. In this case, having an unexpected health condition while on holiday can result in a huge financial burden.
In case you were wondering:
The policy should also cover any planned holiday activities that have an increased potential for injury. Typical examples for Thailand include:
There are many good hospitals for tourists in Thailand. But, emergency medical care will not be cheap if you are unable to secure sufficient funds to pay the bill.
In other words, there are ways to avoid paying out a lot of money. So, before you take a holiday in Thailand, make sure you understand these travel insurance guidelines.
When you buy travel insurance it will be important to declare any pre-existing medical conditions. Plus, check if the list is accurate and up to date if you already have an existing policy.
You may have your cover rejected if you fail to declare an illness or "avoid" telling the truth about an existing health problem. Typical examples include:
Are you planning on engaging in an adventure activity while you are abroad? If so, you may need to acquire specific insurance cover for those types of activities.
Travel insurance should cover the entire duration of the time spent overseas. In fact, some insurance policies limit the number of days you can spend abroad.
It's fair to assume that you wont need to be taken back home from Thailand for medical reasons. However, they may need to have you transported to a specialist government hospital in Bangkok if you get severely injured or become very ill.
Medical evacuations from Thailand to the United Kingdom can cost many thousands of pounds. That's why you should always check the policy covers medical evacuation before you travel out of your home country (e.g. the UK).
Before you leave, it's best to share the details of your insurance policy with any travel companions, and with friends or family back home.
Plus, make sure you fill in the details in the back of your passport about who the British Embassy in Bangkok should contact (e.g. next of kin).
This is particularly important if you get into trouble abroad and need guidance about legal issues in Thailand, or when someone dies alone.
It's always advisable to have a paper copy of the insurance policy on your person any time you travel abroad. Phones get lost or stolen. So, a copy will contain vital information, including policy number and emergency 24 hour telephone number of the insurer.
Note: Another section has a list of important emergency telephone numbers for tourists and expatriates in Pattaya and Thailand (e.g. the local and national tourist police).
Tip: The short video tutorial [1:51 seconds] presented by "Amazing Thailand" highlights some reasons to visit the Kingdom of Thailand and create new memories that will last for a lifetime.