Let’s be honest- there’s a lot of ways a gig can go wrong. Dud venue, horrible organisation, a flat vibe from the crowd….the list goes on. When you travel to perform, however, there’s one key policy you should never leave home without- and that’s your travel insurance. Keen to know why? Today Hencilla Canworth takes a long look at why excellent travel insurance is critical as a travelling musician.

Smoothing life’s little bumps

Lost luggage or a missed flight is annoying when you travel for leisure. When you’re working, it can be nothing short of chaos. Unfortunately, no matter how good an agent or end-organiser you have, and no matter how meticulously you travel, you can’t always plan your way out of trouble. That’s where travel insurance for musicians steps into the breach.

Of course, we are all only human, and (as with most insurance matters) it’s very tempting to simply say, ‘Well, it won’t happen to me, let me save some dough.’ And you’ll maybe even get away with it a time or two! But learning in hindsight why a secure, tailored travel insurance policy for musicians should be the first thing you book before travelling is a painful lesson.

What will travel insurance do for a working musician?

When you take out travel insurance specially designed for working musicians, you are taking out coverage against common travel risks. This includes standards like lost and stolen luggage, delayed flights and such. It will also offer you cancellation cover (if you find yourself unable to travel for legitimate reasons like a medical emergency) and cover your medical costs if you incur any abroad.

As a working musician- be it on a long-term assignment to a cruise ship, or travelling as part of a band, orchestra or even the cast of a theatre or opera production, it’s easy to imagine the disruption and chaos that could happen if there’s a snag in travel plans. This isn’t a mere funny story about your undies mistakenly ending up in Paraguay not Paris. What are the chances of replacing it immediately on a cruise ship, or in a foreign country? Do you need the added stress and hassle of trying to pull off a midnight save even if you do? Wouldn’t it be considerably easier to have the help and coverage of your specially-tailored performing arts insurance save the day?

This is why travel insurance should be top of your mind when taking gigs outside of the country. You simply have more to lose than the average tourist, and even an innocuous delay or mistake can quickly begin to affect your job, reputation and income. With a comprehensive travel insurance policy, you have full peace of mind.

What would a travel insurance policy for musicians cover?

Every travel insurance policy is built a little differently, but many will share some basic features. Here at Hencilla Canworth, we specially customise our policies to your exact needs, keeping costs down while ensuring comprehensive coverage. Our rates start from as little as £19.92 for a single trip rate for a 10 day trip to Europe. We cover travel throughout the globe, and also offer annual and ‘multi-use’ policies for those who travel for work frequently. We also offer coverage for many common pre-existing medical conditions, which many companies do not, provided you can comply with the medical warranty. We’ll also consider non-standard medical issues if we can come to an arrangement through medical screening and an additional premium. Fine details aside, look for a performing arts travel insurance policy that covers:

• Emergency medical
• Losses due to cancellations, delayed flights and curtailed trips
• Death, disability and repatriation cover
• Personal luggage cover

I’m travelling locally- do I need travel insurance?

Many people view the risks mitigated when they’re travelling familiar roads in a place they recognise. Alternatively, you may also already be carrying appropriate domestic insurance policies that cover you for everything you need. In these circumstances, you may be able to skip out on tailored performing arts insurance. It’s always a wise idea, however, to pay particular attention to what is and isn’t covered by the standard policies you hold- especially personal liability and those covering your instruments (including your voice). If you find them lacking for the specific circumstances of your locally-travelled gig, you can consider augmenting with a travel insurance policy tailored for domestic travel instead. Pay particular attention to items like, cancellation/curtailment cover and death/disease cover when evaluating existing coverage.

Won’t any travel insurance do?

It’s important to remember that the bulk of travel insurance policies available are created with the holiday market in mind. Most will not cover you at all (and will void the policy) if you are discovered to have been working, even a ‘busman's holiday’. Even where they might, you will typically find that the broader terms simply don’t give you what you’re looking for, especially with covering other issues unique to your role as a working musician.

Keen to create your tailored performing arts policy today? Whether you’re heading on board a cruise liner, or to the opera, Hencilla Canworth can help you get the travel insurance coverage you need for total peace of mind.

Please remember that different policies have different covers, so if you are in any doubt contact us to ensure the policy meets your needs.