Because of recent changes to the UK's quarantine laws, you can now get a pet passport through the government's "passport for pets" programme and take your family pet on vacation with you. But before you go to your local travel agent and book tickets for the whole family to that exotic seaside tropical location you've always wanted to visit but haven't been able to because no one at home wanted to leave Fido in the kennel, you might want to think about getting you and your family travel insurance, including that all-important travel pet insurance.
Several of the best pet insurance companies now offer pet owners travel pet insurance. This gives pet owners the peace of mind that their pets will be covered if they get sick or have an accident, whether they are far away in exotic places enjoying the sun and sea or closer to home enjoying the cultural delights of Europe.
Most of the time, the following are covered by travel pet insurance:
- x-rays
- getting shots
- lab tests
- prescriptions
- costs while they're at the vet and getting better
Keep in mind, though, that travel pet insurance, like most other types of insurance, usually comes with something called a "excess." This means, in short, that you, as the pet's owner, will have to pay a certain amount until a certain amount is reached. After that, you can ask the insurance company to give you money back. But, unlike with people, the cost of travel insurance for pets is usually based on the type of animal you have and how old it is. So, you can put off getting travel insurance for your pet until the last minute and then buy it online once you know for sure that you will be taking your pet with you on your family vacation.
Also, just like travel insurance for people, travel insurance for pets can be bought as an annual policy or as a one-time policy. If you get an annual pet travel policy, you can take your pet with you when you travel to any of the 25+ countries outside of the UK where the UK government has arrangements for the "passport for pets" scheme or to any of the European Union countries, which are all already part of the "passport for pets" scheme. One-time pet travel insurance policies, on the other hand, require you to name the country you're going to and the dates you'll be there. The policy will only cover you for the time and place you say.
