Don’t leave home without peace of mind travel insurance
“Being covered against flight or cruise cancellation, unexpected medical expenses, emergency evacuation and lost luggage, is affordable.”
If you are anything like us, a great part of the week leading up to your vacation is spent packing, or at least trying to - the snorkel gear, the second jacket, those new shoes, etc, etc. - then when you realize it's not all going to fit, starting all over again - trying to figure out what you really need and what you don't.
We can't help you decide what to pack but there is one thing we strongly advise you not to forget - travel insurance.
A lot of people when weighing up the additional expense of travel insurance ask, “Is it worth it?” Based on personal experience and stories we have heard from hundreds of travelers, our answer in bold letters is YES.
Here are five reasons why we and many others (even the US and Australian Governments) advise everyone to take out travel insurance, especially when traveling overseas.
1. Most of us can not afford to lose the money we invest in our vacation.
Imagine that you have paid $8,000 for a dream luxury cruise around the Mediterranean for your wedding anniversary. The day before you are due to leave, you fall and end up in the hospital. When you phone the cruise line to tell them what has happened, they are sympathetic BUT tell you that you are not getting a refund as their policy clearly states there are no refunds if one cancels within 14 days of departure.
If you have travel insurance with trip cancellation benefits, you can get reimbursed for prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs when you must cancel for a covered reason which can include situations like hospitalization, travel preventing illness, the illness or death of a family member; or a natural disaster that renders your destination uninhabitable..
2. Medical emergencies overseas can be very expensive.
Consider this situation: On your trip to Patagonia, another car crashes into your rental car, leaving you with a broken arm and other serious injuries. At the hospital, when you pull out your health insurance card, the staff shake their heads and tell you you need to pay up front for your treatment and your hospital bill will cost you multi-thousands of dollars. A medical evacuation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the country you are ’in and the distance to the nearest hospital.
When you have proper travel insurance with emergency medical benefits, it can pay for losses resulting from medical and dental emergencies, and emergency medical transportation benefits can pay for medically necessary transportation to the nearest appropriate medical facility, as well as the cost of getting you home. Many travel insurance companies can arrange payment in advance for emergency medical care. So when you are wondering if travel insurance is worth it, you should weigh the small cost of purchasing insurance against the often prohibitive costs of an overseas medical emergency.
3. You don’t want minor mishaps to ruin your trip.
Your much-needed vacation is an investment in your overall happiness, but when it begins with a canceled flight, a missed connection, missing luggage or some other travel hiccup, happiness is replaced with huge stress, unless of course, you have stress relieving travel insurance. Travel delay benefits can reimburse you for any extra accommodation, travel expenses and lost pre-paid expenses due to departure delays of six or more hours. Baggage delay benefits can reimburse you for reasonable purchase of essential items if your baggage is delayed for 24 hours or more by your carrier. There are other benefits that address other travel mishaps, so it is advisable to check your plan to see what's included. InsureMyTrip has hundreds of insurance plans you can choose from offered by many insurance companies.
4. Your Government says so
Do you know what is the first thing most travelers do when facing an emergency overseas? Call their embassy or High Commission (which is a very smart thing to do), but often they are disappointed to find out that embassy staff have limited powers. They can assist in replacing stolen passports; contact family or friends back home; find legal assistance and medical care; communicate with local police, etc. But they cannot pay for medical care, provide emergency transportation (the exception being rare, major catastrophes), or take care of any financial loss you suffer while traveling.
That is why most Governments advise travelers to take travel insurance that covers emergency medical transportation, emergency medical benefits, and coverage for trip cancellation and stolen or lost luggage.
5 It’s easy to find affordable travel insurance.
The number one reason people don’t buy travel insurance is probably cost. That may appear to be understandable if one has already paid thousands for a vacation, but the reality is travel insurance can be affordable and it certainly gives you peace of mind when you know you are covered against cancellation of your flights, cruises, unexpected medical expenses, emergency evacuation, and lost luggage. One place to start your search for travel insurance is InsureMyTrip. It really is a trustworthy and guaranteed one-stop shop for all your travel insurance needs.