Imagine you have left behind your cubicle life and ready to stray away on the perfect vacation. The weather is in your favour and everything is scheduled on time. Just then, suddenly you realise that your luggage goes missing. Ah, what could be worse than this nightmare! In such a scenario travel insurance lets you come out of the hassle no matter whether you are on a domestic or international holiday. This was one out of many other issues. Travel Insurance promises you that nothing will spoil your perfect vacation. For a lot of people travel insurance might seem like one more expense but the peace of mind it buys is really worth the investment.
What exactly is Travel Insurance and Why You Need It?
Okay, let’s start with the basics before getting into the detail. Travel Insurance is designed to provide benefits to the travellers that cover them from any unexpected mishappening on a holiday. In the sense, if your accommodation gets cancelled or if you get yourself injured while trekking or doing any adventurous activity or if we imagine the worst-case scenario, then it could be loss or damage to your possessions. In such a case travel insurance will help you get covered from the mishappening caused while travelling.
Why Should You Get Travel Insurance for Your Vacation?
So this was all about what is travel insurance and why is it necessary. Now the hardest part is to know and understand which type of travel insurance you need to choose and when you should buy? Whether you are a solo globetrotter, a family vacation enthusiast or a business traveller, you might have to face unprecedented challenges and for that matter buying a travel insurance plan with all the coverage would be a wise decision. Let’s take a look at the handy breakdown of insurance for domestic and international trips and what each has to offer.
Travel Medical Insurance: The type of insurance is helpful if you happen to fall ill, or in some sort of accident when travelling outside your home country. This provides coverage for emergency evacuation, accidents, repatriation, injury, sudden disability and etc. The travel insurance plan is ideal for travellers leaving their home country, travelling abroad for vacations or business trips, long-term work or study abroad. All the more, medical emergencies overseas can be really expensive, so why not let travel medical insurance take care of you or any of your loved ones.
Trip Cancellation/ Travel Interruption Insurance: I know it could be really disheartening if you have to cancel your trip at the last moment but trip cancellation or travel interruption insurance would bail you out of the situation. The insurance would help you get covered if you have booked a non-refundable travel plan and due to some reasons or circumstances you aren’t able to take the trip. Similarly, if you experience any unexpected bumps or delays then travel interruption insurance would have your back.
Baggage Insurance: Finding out that your checked baggage/ luggage has been lost could be a terrible feeling which nobody wants to experience. You might tend to lose your personal belongings and other essentials that were needed for the trip. But luckily baggage insurance is there to save you. In the sense, if your baggage is delayed, the baggage insurance would cover the cost of the essentials you’ll need until you get back your bag. In the case of a lost baggage, the insurance will cover the entirety of its contents as well as the cost of the luggage itself.
All-Inclusive Travel Insurance: The all-inclusive travel insurance encompasses all the above-mentioned insurances into one handy policy. Although it might be a little expensive than all the other ones, buying a trip insurance program that would protect you against a holiday disaster can never be a wrong investment. You can gain the peace of mind of knowing that you have proper emergency medical, trip cancellation and interruption, as well as baggage insurance when you are on your long holidays or trips.
Advantages of buying a Family Travel Insurance Policy
If we expensive honest with ourselves, then we all will agree that travelling with family is fun. But with this, there is also a greater chance of risks. In the sense, a small change in the weather or food might not affect the grown-ups but may affect the younger ones on the trip. In such a case, with a family insurance policy:
- you don’t have to worry about arranging insurance policy for each and every member of your family.
- the premium you will pay for your family travel insurance policy will be lesser than any other insurance plans.
- you can get the policy customized as per your family’s requirement and type of trip you have planned (endless exclusions and limitations relating to outdoor activities). You can either select the policy for a period of a single trip, multi-trip or as a year-round scheme.
How to Choose the Right Insurance for Your Trip?
Now that we have discussed the importance of travel insurance, you must be wondering: “How do I find the best travel insurance plan?” Don’t worry; as we have eased your task a bit. Simply check out these best tips for buying a travel insurance plan.
Check with Your Existing Insurance Provider: Be vigilant and look for a suitable travel insurance policy that would assist you right from the scratch. It would be wise if you start with the existing insurance provider. Also, there are some insurance companies and banks that offer travel insurance free of charge along with an existing policy to the customer.
Know the Terminology: So you are all set to buy a travel insurance plan, make sure you don’t forget to get well acquainted with the terminology. Read the entire policy before purchasing that states what the travel insurance does and doesn’t cover (deductibles, claim to file etc.) This will help you eliminate the chances of any inconvenience on your trip. Also, know the other benefits of travel insurance that includes the duration of the policy. In the sense, depending on your travel plans, you may opt for a single trip (that would only cover you on a single trip) or a multi-trip policy (suited for travelers who make frequent trips in a single year).
Identify the Coverage Type: There are certain things to keep in mind before finalizing a travel insurance plan. Make sure you check the coverage type provided by the travel insurance plan. In the sense, if you are going to get the provision of reimbursement where you’ll have to pay once and then later claim the reimbursement from your insurance provider. Know whether the policy that you are buying has the cancellation insurance, medical insurance, evacuation insurance, baggage insurance and flight insurance or cover only a few of the insurances. Also, your tour itinerary involves adventure activities, check with your insurance provider if the activities are covered in your intended travel insurance policy.
Know the Exclusions: There are some travel insurance policies that might not cover certain things. The excluded list might contain- severe weather conditions or natural disasters, acts of war, terrorism etc. In such a case, make sure you read the insurance policy properly. Above all, I would suggest you to buy the travel insurance policy with least exclusions.
Check for Claim Filing Options: Last but not the least, don’t forget to check the travel insurance claim process. Be honest and fill in the detail about all the items that you plan to carry along on the trip. This will help in filing the claim in a hassle-free way.
Source: tourmyindia
