Trying to protect your own travel insurance claim is a good idea — there’s nothing worse than paying in your monthly, quarterly, or annual premium and having your claim rejected. Traveling through the year is a great opportunity to see the world, make new friends, and even just rest, recharge, and let the stress go. However, when accidents happen, or emergencies strike, it’s important to realize how to protect your claim. Just applying for the claim and hoping for the best isn’t going to work anymore. You’re going to need to really think about all of your options in a much more strategic fashion. As the market has gotten worse and worse, many insurers are starting to reject claims even more — they claim they are doing this as an anti-fraud mechanism. However, many UK consumers feel they are doing it as a cost saving measure as well. Who is right?

Well, we think it’s a little mix of both — getting the costs down but also fighting fraud. So if you’re going to make sure that your claim “sticks”, it’s time to go back to the basics.

First and foremost, you want to make sure that you are definitely filing a claim the moment the event occurs. You want to write all of the details down as fast as possible so they are fresh in your mind. We assume that we will remember things forever, but the truth is that our brains are always processing new information. Sometimes old information gets pushed back to make room. You can only do so much, so you have to ensure that you have the power to take care of things appropriately. Don’t beat yourself up over the fact that you have to file a claim — deal with it and move on.

You also want to attach copies of anything that will support your case. Make sure everything is listed and numbered appropriately. Claims workers are busy, and if they feel that you haven’t included enough evidence, they’ll dismiss you and move on. This will require you to appeal.

Yes, it’s true — you will want to appeal a decision that you know is unfair. A lot of people are hesitant to appeal over and over again, but when you know you’re right, you should definitely do so. This is why you should never send in original copies to support any travel insurance claim. You never know when you will have to appeal and without the originals, you can’t prove anything.

Is travel insurance still worth it then, given all of the problems? In a word? Yes, absolutely — you just need to make sure that you are pushing as hard as possible to get what you’re entitled to. Most people will never have a problem with travel insurance. This guide is just designed to give you options in the even that you do have problems in the future.