Even though travelling costs have gone down, for most over-50s people, it’s quite difficult to find the right travel insurance that fulfils their requirements. Elderly travel insurance should be selected very carefully after comparing a lot of policies as their prices increase once you are over 65. Typical annual premiums exceed £100, and this situation will not change for the citizens of UK as the population grows older.

If you are travelling with your elderly parents for more than 45 days on a trip and if they have pre-existing medical conditions, then don’t assume that the senior travel insurance that you have purchased will cover everything. Elderly travellers should always check with the insurer whether they require additional “top-up” payments or not. Many policies contain caveats and exclusions, so besides checking the price, also look for medical, cancellation, and baggage cover. If you don’t take care of these issues at the beginning then you run the risk of your claims being refused later on.

Staysure.co.uk has launched a new travel insurance policy for over-50s age group, which is five times cheaper than the competition. If a 50-year old couple decides to go on a Europe trip for seven days, they’ll have to pay £14 minimum. This policy covers 220 medical conditions, without charging any extra money for it. Those who are up to 85 years of age can go for single policy cover and those up to 81 years of age can go for annual cover.

Age Concern Insurance Services provides customized travel insurance for the elderly, without any restrictions like upper age limits. According to Joe Young from the company, they aim to cover as many pre-existing medical conditions as possible.

As per the travel policy offered by Marks & Spencer’s, a 70 year old traveller who is in good health needs to pay a high premium of £148 that includes the Caribbean, USA and Canada. But it’s worth it as it has a good level of health cover. However, those who apply for this insurance have to go through additional screening, online or over the phone, for serious medical conditions like cancer that they may be suffering from in the last one year. The cover offered by Marks & Spencer’s is definitely much more than a standard policy. Average cancellation cover is between £2,000 and £3,000, up to a maximum of £6,000. Baggage cover is £2,500 and medical cover is £10m.

Rias, Saga, and Age Concern provide travel insurance for the elderly, while Marks & Spencer offers competitive products. So, before picking a policy, it is better to scan the entire travel insurance market for the elderly rather than to opt for a specialist.

The general notion is that older people tend to be weak and immobile, who need help to walk down the pavement to the next block. This notion might change with the World Masters Games that opened in Sydney on 12th October 2009. Involving about 28,000 athletes, mostly older people (some of whom have even crossed the 90-mark!), the grand event is all set to break the conventional notions of old age!

One of the prime examples of this is Ruth Frith, a 100-year old great-grandmother, who is also the oldest competitor in the event. Even at this age, Ruth managed a 4.07m in shot-put for the 100-104 aged category, and emerged with a gold medal. And to top it all, she also had some riveting advice for the younger generation – “Don’t eat vegetables, because I never eat vegetables. I know people that like diets that will scream at me, (but) don’t eat vegetables. I never have”!

Oleg Kotelko, another star at the event, won the shot-put and 100-meter finals in her category, leaving a world record in shot putting with a 5.6 meter throw in her wake. At just 90, she quipped most exuberantly, “There was no one else my age, but it felt really good and I’m quite pleased. I also beat an 80-year-old,”

But what has also helped mark this event as a stand-out is the fact that most athletes here participate for the sake of the thrill in finding new friends and exploring the host city, rather than fighting it out for prizes. And with thousands more travelling to the Australian city, the game also makes the cut as a great reason for elderly travel.

Besides all these, older people, especially, 80 and 90 year-olds competing in steeple-chases and shot-putting is no mean deal, even if the medals and competition are all secondary to the camaraderie they share with each other!