Holiday Insurance and Flight Procedures (1 Viewer)

Tim Taylor · Jan 19, 2007

1. My holiday insurance doesn't seem to provide more than £400 per article or set of articles. I don't have a lot of confidence that this would cover loss of or damage to my camera kit as I guess they'd lump it all in as a single 'set of articles'. Has anyone found a good camera policy for non-pros that covers kit properly while abroad as I doubt my household insurance would do it?

2. Is it safe to carry camera kit onto the plane or do the security people paw the lenses and delve inside camera bodies? Can't seem to find many mentions of this in the threads - what I have seen seems to favour carrying onto the plane.

Thanks for any advice.

Tim

paulwfromtheden · Jan 19, 2007

Tim Taylor said:
1. My holiday insurance doesn't seem to provide more than £400 per article or set of articles. I don't have a lot of confidence that this would cover loss of or damage to my camera kit as I guess they'd lump it all in as a single 'set of articles'. Has anyone found a good camera policy for non-pros that covers kit properly while abroad as I doubt my household insurance would do it?

2. Is it safe to carry camera kit onto the plane or do the security people paw the lenses and delve inside camera bodies? Can't seem to find many mentions of this in the threads - what I have seen seems to favour carrying onto the plane.

Thanks for any advice.

Tim

Your Houshold insurance will cover it if you have an 'all risks' policy. But check the limits on each item. It's usually £400. I went skiing and took my binos and it cost me £20 to upgrade the limit/article to £2,000.
Take the camera kit in the hand luggage. Dont let it go it the hold for any reason!

andrewgrimstead · Jan 19, 2007

some advice

i had no problems when i went to zambia a while back i dont know what i is like now
Regards
Andrew :brains:

Tim Taylor · Jan 19, 2007

Thanks Paul and Andrew. I'll double check with my household insurers and hope I don't meet an idiot at airport security! I just imagine them wanting to take my 100-400 lens apart etc.

John Eaton · Jan 23, 2007

Tim,

Most household insurances have a limit per item of £1000, or at least the ones I've looked at do. This might not cover a 100-400 IS lens but as Paul says you can get extra cover if necessary.
The new restrictions on the size of hand luggage is becoming a real pain if you have a lot of gear to carry. Even so chuck everything else out and make sure your gear is with you at all times. I've never had a problem with the security people wanting to check cameras, lens, scope or binos. Guess they see thousands of these things in the course of a year.

SueBryan · Jan 23, 2007

Hi Tim
I insure my optics with Pavilion photoguard, a specialist insurance firm, www.pinplc.co.uk If you go into their products page you will see a variety of choices for 'us amateurs'. As you say most household insurances will only cover items away from the home up to a certain limit and as most of us are using them away from the home it could get 'sticky'.
I have certainly had my optics 'rummaged' through at airport security. I don't know whether this is because the airport security staff cannot take on board a lone female birder or not, or whether I am just a suspicios looking character when dressed in birding gear!!
Sue

John Eaton · Jan 23, 2007

"As you say most household insurances will only cover items away from the home up to a certain limit and as most of us are using them away from the home it could get 'sticky'."[/QUOTE]

I had my scope nicked in Spain 4 years ago and Cornhill paid up without a problem on my household insurance. I've looked into Pavilion in the past, but it is expensive unless you are away from home for an extended period not covered by the household policy.

Tim Taylor · Jan 23, 2007

Thanks John and Sue. Most helpful.

paulwfromtheden · Jan 23, 2007

John Eaton said:
"As you say most household insurances will only cover items away from the home up to a certain limit and as most of us are using them away from the home it could get 'sticky'."

I had my scope nicked in Spain 4 years ago and Cornhill paid up without a problem on my household insurance. I've looked into Pavilion in the past, but it is expensive unless you are away from home for an extended period not covered by the household policy.

Specialist insurance companies tend to be more expensive.

joannec · Jan 23, 2007

Tim Taylor said:
2. Is it safe to carry camera kit onto the plane or do the security people paw the lenses and delve inside camera bodies?

Tim

Hi Tim,

I have carried camera equipment for years on planes as hand luggage and never had anyone rumage through it. Birders are not the only people with with valuable camera equipment and they are pretty used to it. Many ordinary tourists have expensive equipment. Just be sure to keep it as hand luggage and not in your suitcase. That's a completely different matter and with the current regs they are permitted to search everything and pilferring does occur.

Joanne

Tim Taylor · Mar 4, 2007

I just thought I'd feed back following my trip. No-one took a blind bit of notice of my camera bag stuffed full of hard metal/glass/electronics. On the way back my wife added to our arsenal with a pair of crutches which she was allowed to take onto the plane. It's a pretty bizarre situation when bottles of water excite more attention than items that really could conceal explosives!

As predicted, the household insurance company was the way to go for covering the camera kit.

Cheers, Tim.

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