Here you'll find our collection of tips and guides, combining our knowledge and experience in one place.
ABTA
The Travel Association, formerly known as the Association of British Travel Agents, offers travellers financial protection if their tour operator goes out of business. They specifically cover package holidays that involve train, ferry, bus, cruise, and self-drive travel. Travellers can only receive protection if they book with an ABTA Member.
Accident
An accident is a sudden, unexpected, and unintentional incident or event that occurs during your journey.
Accidental Damage
Accidental damage cover will protect your gadgets and business equipment from unexpected and unintentional damage, including damaged screens and liquid damage, and ensure that they are repaired or replaced.
Add-on
For an additional premium, you can get extra protection that isn't included in a standard policy. Our add-ons include, but are not limited to, enhanced COVID-19 protection, and cover for winter sports, golf, weddings, cruise travel, business travel, and pre-existing medical conditions.
Adverse Weather Conditions
Your travel insurance policy will cover you if elements of your trip or travel arrangements are affected cancellation, delays, or abandonment caused by poor weather. This type of cover does not include catastrophes. (See Catastrophe.)
Age Limit
Our policies have lower and upper age limits. Please see the policy wording for more information.
ATOL
Air Travel Organiser's Licencing (ATOL) offers financial protection for travellers who use ATOL-licenced tour operators to book package holidays with flight-based travel. ATOL will cover travellers if their tour operator ceases trading or if their airline goes bust. ATOL is run by the run by the Civil Aviation Authority. (See CAA.)
Annual Multi Trip
This type of travel insurance policy covers you for multiple trips within one year. There may be limits on the length of each individual trip depending on what policy you purchase.
Baggage Delay
If your baggage is delayed for more than the 2 hours on your outward journey, the Baggage Delay section of a policy will cover the cost of purchasing additional essential clothing, toiletries and other similar items.
Backpacker
This type of travel insurance cover is designed for people who plan to travel for longer periods and to multiple countries within the one trip.
Bodily Injury
This is bodily harm that is caused by an accident. Your travel insurance policy will provide emergency medical and repatriation expenses cover if you are accidentally injured during your trip.
Business Equipment
Business equipment is property owned by a company and used by an employee to conduct business during business trips, for example, mobile phones, laptops, and tablets.
Business Money
Money in the form of cash, debit cards, credit cards, and cheques that belong to a company and is used for business purposes.
Business Travel
This type of travel insurance covers journeys undertaken by an employer or employee on behalf of a company for the purpose of conducting business.
CAA
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates civil aviation in the United Kingdom. They are responsible for running the Air Travel Organiser's Licencing (ATOL) scheme.
Cabin Confinement
Cabin confinement cover protects you for each 24-hour period the captain or medical officer on the cruise ship requires you to remain confined to your cabin due to an illness or injury.
Cancellation
Travel, accommodation, visa or ESTA, and airport parking expenses will be covered if the policyholder needs to cancel their trip due to redundancy, jury duty, illness, injury, or death of the policyholder, travel companion, or a family member. This type of cover protects you from the start date of your policy until the day you leave for your trip.
Children
Our policies define children as unmarried dependent individuals under the age of 18 (or age 22 if in full-time education) who are travelling with a policyholder. This includes step-children, foster children, and adopted children.
Claim
When a policyholder requests payment or compensation for losses from their insurer under the terms of their policy. Existing policyholders can make a claim by heading to the Claims Information page.
Colleague
This is someone who works at the same company as you, and who's absence from work would affect the company's day-to-day operations. If you have paid the premium for our business travel add-on, you will be covered under your policy for the cancellation and curtailment of your trip and for loss of holiday in the event of the bodily injury, illness, or death of your colleague.
Consular Services
The FCDO provides support and specific travel-related services to British travellers while abroad. Consular services include helping British nationals to get an emergency travel document, providing information about the legal system of the country they're visiting, providing contact information for local lawyers and translators, providing notarial services, and contacting a British national's family in the UK should something happen to them while abroad. These services can be accessed by contacting the nearest British embassy, consulate, or high commission of the country you're visiting.
Consulate
This is an FCDO-run diplomatic mission in a Commonwealth or non-Commonwealth country where British travellers can receive consular services while abroad. (See Consular Services and FCDO.)
Couple
Couples travel insurance will cover you and your spouse, civil partner, or the person with whom you cohabitate who will be travelling with you.
Cover Type
Cover type refers to the different kinds of travel insurance we offer, such as single trip travel insurance, annual multi-trip travel insurance, and backpacker travel insurance.
Curtailment
Also known as ‘cutting your trip short,’ this section of cover provides reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses should you need to end your trip early. Examples of this may include illness, injury, or death.
Cruise
A trip involving a sea or river voyage of more than 3 days in total duration, where transportation and accommodation is primarily on an ocean/river going passenger ship.
Cruise cover protects you from unforeseen events and travel risks associated with cruise travel. Cruise Travel Insurance covers missed port, cabin confinement, unused excursions, increased personal baggage limits, and damage to or loss or theft of your evening wear.
Natural Catastrophe
Catastrophes are not covered by Oasis travel insurance policies. This includes earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity. Please see the policy wording for the full list.
Non-Refundable Travel Expenses
These are expenses associated with your trip (such as unused travel and accommodation expenses) that cannot be reimbursed. Your travel insurance policy will provide cover for non-refundable travel expenses in the event of cancellation, curtailment, travel delays, travel abandonment, and more.
Deduction
This is where the excess is deducted from your claims payment. (See Excess.)
Disablement
Personal accident is a payment of a benefit if you are permanently injured or die as described in the section of the policy wording.
EHIC
A European Health Insurance Card allows a person to receive state-provided healthcare in the EU. Since the UK has withdrawn from the EU, EHICs are being replaced with GHICs, though they are still valid until they expire. (See GHIC.)
Embassy
This is an FCDO-run diplomatic mission in a non-Commonwealth country where British travellers can receive consular services while abroad. (See Consular Services and FCDO.)
Emergency Medical
Emergency Medical is there to offer protection should you become ill or suffer from an injury while on holiday and offer reimbursement for your medical bills. This may also include any additional travel and accommodation expenses, UK prescriptions or care.
Emergency Travel Document
An emergency travel document is issued by an embassy or consulate when a passport is lost or stolen abroad. Your travel insurance policy will cover the costs of getting an emergency travel document if your passport is lost or stolen during your trip, the travel and accommodation expenses incurred while waiting to receive your emergency travel document, and the costs of replacing your passport upon your return to the UK. For Passports and Driving Licence - deductions will be made for the used/expired portion of the document, not the full amount to replace the document.
ESTA
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is run by the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and allows travellers to visit the USA without a visa for up to 90 days.
Event Tickets
These are tickets you have purchased to gain entry to a theme park or water park, sporting event, music or theatre performance, or gallery or museum during your trip. Your event tickets will be replaced or reinstated by your travel insurance policy if they are lost or stolen.
Excess
An excess is the amount you pay when you make a claim. This is usually defined within a table of benefits or section of a policy, and is per person, per claim.
Excess Waiver
If you need to make a claim, by purchasing Excess Waiver this means although you’ll likely pay a small one-off fee, this optional add on will leave you with zero excess to pay should you need to as part of a claim.
Excluded Hazardous Activities and Sports
These are sports and activities that are not covered by an Oasis Travel Insurance policy, such as base jumping, BMX stunt riding, hang gliding, martial arts, rock climbing, shark diving, scuba diving below 30 metres, and water ski jumping. This is not an exhaustive list. Please the policy wording for more information.
Exclusions
An exclusion is something is not covered by your travel insurance policy, such as bodily injury as a result of participating in specific hazardous sports and activities, pre-existing medical conditions that have not be declared prior to purchasing the policy, and unlawful acts that have been intentionally committed. A full list of exclusions is provided in your policy wording under "general policy exclusions".
Family Travel Insurance
Family travel insurance will cover you, your spouse, civil partner, or the person with whom you cohabitate, and up to 5 children who will be travelling with you under a single policy. This type of insurance also covers single parent families.
FCDO
This is the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The FCDO provides travel advice and consular services to British travellers, and run consulates, embassies, and high commissions in foreign countries.
Financial Failure
Financial failure is when an airline, cruise line, rental car company, hotel, or tour operator goes bust and ceases trading.
Fraud
This is when a person provides false or misleading information to their insurer or withholds information in order to obtain a policy or to make a claim. If a person provides their travel insurer with fraudulent information, then their travel insurance policy will become void and appropriate legal action will be taken.
Gadget
Gadget cover protects the devices you use during your trip from loss, theft, accidental or malicious damage.
Gadgets are defined as: Mobile phones, smart phones, laptops (including custom built), tablets, digital cameras, games consoles, video cameras, camera lenses, Bluetooth headsets, Bluetooth speakers, satellite navigation devices, e-readers, head/ earphones, smartwatches or a wrist worn health and fitness trackers. Please see your policy documents for more information.
GHIC
UK Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) have replaced European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC). Like an EHIC, a UK GHIC offers you state-provided healthcare in the European Union.
Golf Cover
Golf cover travel insurance will cover the loss theft, or damage of your equipment; the cost of replacing your golf equipment; your unused green fees should you not be able to play due to illness, injury, or adverse weather conditions; and the cost of a round of drinks up to £100 if you hit a hole-in-one while you're on a golfing holiday.
Golf Equipment
Our golf cover travel insurance will cover your clubs, golf bag, golf trolley, and golf shoes.
High Commission
This is an FCDO-run diplomatic mission in a Commonwealth country where British travellers can receive consular services while abroad. (See Consular Services and FCDO.)
Increased Personal Baggage Limits
Our cruise cover add-on offers increased personal baggage cover in case you need to bring more luggage with you on a longer trip.
Insurance Event
This is an incident that occurs during your trip which is covered by your policy and can be claimed for.
Insurance Policy
Your travel insurance policy is a legal contract between you and your insurance provider. Your policy consists of the policy wording and your policy schedule. (see Policy Wording and Policy Schedule.)
Insurance Renewal
A month before your annual-multi trip policy ends, you will be sent an invitation to renew your policy. Annual-multi trip travel insurance policies can be automatically renewed with a continuous payment method.
Insured Journey
This is a holiday or business trip that begins and ends during the policy period.
Insured Legal Costs and Expenses
A travel insurance policy will cover the costs and expenses of pursuing a person’s legal rights in the event of accidental injury or death.
Insured Person
An insured person is a person who is named on and is covered by the travel insurance policy.
Legal Costs
This section of a travel insurance policy will cover legal costs and expenses should you choose to pursue legal action in the event of bodily injury.
Leisure Trip
This is a vacation taken for leisure, recreation, and relaxation purposes. Leisure trips will be covered by most travel insurance policies, but not by business travel insurance.
Level of Cover
This refers to the amount of cover you choose for your policy. For example, you can choose from Emerald, Ruby, or Diamond cover for single trip and annual multi-trip travel insurance policies.
Limitations
This is the maximum amount of cover and compensation you will receive from your policy. This may vary depending on the policy type and level of cover you have chosen. The limitations appear in the policy wording as the "Sums Insured".
Malicious Damage
Malicious damage cover protects the property of an insured person from intentional damage caused by a third party.
Medical Practitioner
A registered practising member of the medical profession who is not related to you or to a travelling companion or is anyone you are intending to stay with.
To make a medical-related claim, you may be asked to receive a medical examination from and/or provide a medical certificate from a qualified doctor.
Missed Departure
This provides cover if you miss any pre booked flight, ferry, or other mode of transport on your outward journey, or returning home. Examples of this may include public transport services failing to get you to a departure point, or strike/industrial action. Additional travel and accommodation expenses may be required for you to reach your destination or catch up to your scheduled itinerary.
Missed Connection
This covers you if you miss a connecting flight, cruise, train, bus, or ferry, or if your rental vehicle or public transport vehicle is involved in an accident or breakdown. This also covers delays caused by strikes, adverse weather conditions, heavy traffic, and road closures. You will also be reimbursed for additional travel and accommodation expenses caused by a missed connection.
Missed Port
If you pay the additional premium for our Cruise Travel add-on, you will receive a missed port benefit if your cruise ship is unable to stop at a port due to time-table restrictions or adverse weather conditions.
Off-Piste
This is an unmarked, ungroomed trail or unprepared area within and outside the resort boundaries. This excludes terrain parks. You can receive cover for off-piste skiing within the resort boundaries with our winter sports add-on.
On-Piste
This is a marked trail or prepared ski run at a ski resort. This excludes terrain parks. On-piste skiing is covered by your policy when you pay a premium for our winter sports add-on.
Package Holiday
Personal Accident
This is cover for an accident that results in death or an injury, such as loss of limb, loss of sight, or permanent total disablement. (See Accident.)
Personal Liability
Covers you if during a trip you are involved in an accident which results in you becoming legally responsible to pay compensation for:
Accidental bodily injury or death to a party other than an immediate relative or a travelling companion; and / or
Accidental loss or damage to property, which is not owned by you, an immediate relative or a travelling companion.
Personal Money
These are: hard currency, i.e. bank notes and coins
Personal Possessions
Your personal possessions are bags, clothes, and personal belongings brought with you on or acquired during your journey. Your personal possessions will be covered for loss, theft, and damage under the terms of the policy. This does not include personal money or gadgets.
Pet Care
We will cover pre-booked kennel or cattery fees should you need to cancel or abandon your trip or should your return be delayed.
Policy Document
Your policy document features the terms and conditions of the travel insurance policy you have paid for. Your policy document and policy schedule are the two documents that make up your travel insurance policy. A policy document is also known as Policy Wording. (See Policy Wording.)
Policyholder
The policyholder is the person who has purchased the travel insurance policy and is covered by the policy.
Policy Number
This is a number you will receive when you have purchased an Oasis travel insurance policy. You will need this number to make a claim or a complaint, or if you have any queries about your policy.
Policy Period
This is the amount of time that your policy covers you. This will appear as the "cover start date" and "cover end date" on your policy schedule.
Policy Schedule
This is the certificate of insurance. Your policy schedule will show the policy period, cover type, level of cover, add-ons, premiums, the names of the policy holder and insured persons, and which sections of the policy wording are covered by the travel insurance policy you have purchased. A policy schedule and policy wording are what make up an insurance policy. (See Insurance Policy and Policy Wording.)
Policy Wording
The policy wording is a legal document that explains what coverage you're are entitled to under the travel insurance policy you have paid for. This includes conditions, benefits, limitations, and exclusions. It is important for you to carefully read the policy wording when you purchase an Oasis travel insurance policy. This is also referred to as a policy document. (See Policy Document.)
Pre-Existing Medical Condition
A pre-existing medical condition is an illness or injury that someone already has prior to purchasing a policy, such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, or epilepsy. All pre-existing medical conditions must be declared when purchasing a travel insurance policy.
Premium
This is the amount paid for a travel insurance policy or an add-on.
Private Accommodation
This is pre-paid accommodation for the private use of you and your travelling companion(s) during your trip.
Proof of Purchase
If one of your gadgets is lost, stolen, or damaged during your trip, you may need to prove that you are the legal owner of that gadget to make a claim. This proof can be in the form of a receipt or, if the gadget was a gift, a signed letter from the person who gifted it to you.
Public Transport
This is a means of transport used by the public that operates according to a timetable, such as a bus, coach, train, tram, or ferry.
Quote
A quote is the estimated cost of the travel insurance cover provided by the insurer.
Repatriation
This covers the costs of transporting a person back to the UK following an illness or injury during their journey, or transporting remains or ashes in the event of death.
Scheduled Departure Date
This is the date you are due to leave for your trip.
Scheduled Return Date
This is the date you are due to return home from your trip.
Single Item Limit
This is the maximum amount of compensation you will receive for any one item, pair of items, or set of items.
Single Trip
This type of travel insurance offers you cover for one trip or a one-off holiday.
Ski Pack
A ski pack includes the winter sports equipment, skiing lessons, or ski guide you have pre-paid for. Our winter sports add-on will provide compensation if you are prevented from participating in winter sports and from using your ski pack due to an illness or injury, adverse weather conditions, too much or too little snow, or due to an avalanche or landslide.
Sports and Activities
Our insurance policies will cover specific sports and activities, such as windsurfing, cycling, and non-manual work. However, some sports and activities will not be covered at all and others will not for personal accident and personal liability. Participation in competition is excluded. Please see the policy wording for exclusions. (See Sports and Activities NOT covered).
Strike or Industrial Action
Your policy will provide compensation if a strike or industrial action causes you to miss your departure, miss a connection, or abandon your outward trip; or if a strike or industrial action causes travel delays.
Terrain Park
This is a designated outdoor recreation area at a ski resort with jibs, jumps, and verticals on which skiers and snowboarders can perform tricks. Terrain parks are excluded from our winter sports add-on.
Tour Operator
Tour operators create and arrange package holidays.
Travel Abandonment
Your travel policy will cover your travel, accommodation, visa, ESTA, airport lounge pass, excursions, car hire, and airport parking expenses if you need to abandon your trip as a result of a 12-hour delay caused by adverse weather conditions, strikes, or mechanical breakdown of public transport.
Travel Agent
A travel agent assists people with making travel arrangements and sells package holidays created by tour operators.
Travel Delay
You will receive cover for delays that last twelve hours or more from your original departure time at the beginning of your trip or during your return journey. These delays can be the result of adverse weather conditions, strikes, or mechanical breakdown. Your unused travel, accommodation, visa, ESTA, care hire, lounge pass, and airport parking expenses will be covered by this part of a policy.
Travel Documents
Travel tickets, Green Card, driving licence, visas, prepaid car-hire or accommodation vouchers and passports.
Sometimes important travel documents are lost or stolen while abroad. Your policy will cover the cost of getting an emergency travel document to replace your passport and the additional travel and accommodation expenses incurred while waiting to receive your replacement passport. You will also be covered for the costs of replacing your passport or driver’s license when you have returned to the UK and will be covered for the costs of replacing other travel documents and event tickets if they are stolen or lost during your journey. For Passports and Driving Licence: - deductions will be made for the used/expired portion of the document, not the full amount to replace the document.
Travelling Companion
A travelling companion is someone who will be travelling with you and who is covered by the another travel insurance policy.
Trip
A single journey that begins and ends in the United Kingdom, starting when you leave your home address to travel to your departure point to begin your journey. The start and end dates when cover under all sections of this policy applies, (except for Cancelling Your Trip), are detailed on your policy certificate for single trip policies or in the case of annual multi trip policies, is the duration limit of each single journey taken in a 12-month period.
Unauthorised Use
Your policy will cover the unauthorised use of the gadgets you have brought with you on your trip by a third party if they are lost or stolen. Unauthorised use will not be covered by an Emerald or Bronze policy unless an additional premium has been paid for enhanced gadget cover.
Underwriter
This is a company that evaluates the risk of insuring an individual and decides whether to provide cover to that person. Our travel insurance policies are underwritten by Collinson Insurance.
Unused Excursions
Your travel insurance policy will cover the cost non-refundable pre-booked excursions that you are unable to use as a result of cancellation, curtailment, travel delays, travel abandonment, and cabin confinement.
Valuables
Valuable items include Watches, jewellery, items made of or containing precious stones, semi-precious stones, gold, silver or platinum, camcorders and accessories, all photographic/ digital/ optical/ audio/ video media and equipment, iPods, MP3/4 players or similar and/or accessories, E-book readers, satellite navigation systems. Your valuables will be covered by your travel insurance policy. Please see the policy wording for a full list of valuables that are covered and the amount they are insured for under the policy you have purchased.
Visa
This is a travel document that allows people to enter, remain in, and leave a foreign country. There are different types of visas which include, but are not limited to, tourist visas, work visas, and working holiday visas. The purpose of your travel will determine the kind of visa you will need to apply for. Not all countries require UK citizens to have a visa, so you should check the FCDO website for the entry requirements of the country you're travelling to.
Winter Sports Equipment
Our Winter Sports and Ski Travel Insurance add-on will repair or replace your winter sports equipment if they are lost, stolen, or damaged. We will also cover the cost of hiring replacement equipment if the outward journey of your winter sports equipment is delayed by more than 12 hours. Winter sports equipment is defined by a policy as skis, ski-boots, bindings, mono-skis, snowboards, split-boards, ski-helmets, and ski-poles.
Winter Sports and Ski Travel Insurance
This type of protection covers piste closure, skiing and snowboarding accidents, travel disruptions, and loss, theft, and damage to your equipment. The types of winters sports covered by this add-on include, skiing, snowboarding, Ice skating when not on a rink; Husky or Reindeer sledging; glacier skiing or walking as part of an organised tour; cross country skiing; air boarding; snow tubing; ski blading; snow shoe walking; big foot skiing; riding a snow mobile or a ski doo (Snow mobile and Ski doo exclude Personal Accident and Personal Liability cover).
Have you been looking for a definition which isn’t in our insurance glossary? Email us at feedback@oasis-insurance.co.uk and we’ll add it in.
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