Travel insurance is useful only if you can successfully claim on it. Most failed or reduced claims come down to missing documentation, not the policy itself. Here is what to keep for every scenario.

Medical Claims

If you need medical treatment abroad, this is the highest-value claim type and the one requiring the most paperwork.

Keep: all hospital admission documents, every itemised receipt or invoice, a written diagnosis from the treating doctor or hospital, any prescription receipts, and proof of payment if you paid out of pocket. If the insurer has a 24/7 helpline, call it before you agree to treatment wherever possible. Insurers sometimes have preferred hospitals or want to pre-authorise expensive treatment.

If you have a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card), use it at state hospitals to access treatment at local rates. This reduces the overall claim size.

Cancellation and Curtailment Claims

Keep: your booking confirmations (flights, hotel, tours), proof of the reason for cancellation (a death certificate, doctor's note, or official document confirming the cause), and receipts for any irrecoverable costs.

For medical cancellations, you need a doctor's note confirming the condition made travel impossible. A note saying you were unwell is not sufficient if it does not confirm inability to travel.

Delayed and Lost Luggage

File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) with the airline before leaving the airport. This is the foundational document for any luggage claim. Without it, most insurers will not process a claim.

Keep: the PIR reference number, your boarding pass, a list of the bag's contents and their approximate values, receipts for any replacement items you bought while waiting. The more specific your contents list, the better. Vague descriptions like "clothes and toiletries" result in lower payouts than itemised lists.

Missed Departures and Delays

Keep: evidence of what caused the delay. If it was a train cancellation, get a written confirmation from the station or keep the cancellation notification on your phone. If it was a car breakdown, get the recovery operator's receipt. If it was a road accident, note the details.

Photograph anything relevant at the time. Evidence that is not captured immediately is often impossible to recreate later.

Theft and Loss

Report theft to local police within 24 hours and get a written crime report with a reference number. Insurers require a police report for theft claims. Without it, the claim will be denied. Many European cities have tourist police stations or online reporting options that make this easier.

Keep the crime report reference. Some insurers ask for the original document; others accept a photo or email confirmation.

General Principle

Keep a digital copy of everything. Photograph receipts, scan documents, email confirmations to yourself. A folder in your email labelled with the trip name and "insurance docs" takes five minutes to set up and has saved many claims. Physical documents get lost; photos do not.

Buy travel insurance before you book, not the day you fly. Coverage for cancellation starts from the moment you buy, not from the departure date.