Before you go on your next trip, you need to consider what type of coverage you should look for when researching a travel insurance policy. In reality, there are far more than 10 reasons to buy travel insurance. but we wanted to highlight the top things we suggest at looking at when you're comparing policies. So let's jump into our list, starting with one of the most common things travelers experience.
In 2019, there were over 50,000 flight cancellations leading to unexpected changes to trips for travelers. This was even worse in 2020, with 250,000 cancellations due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
We've been there - missing connecting flights, bagging not making it to your final destination - these are all headaches that we want to avoid. Additionally, the most beautiful places in the world have some of the most unpredictable variables that can suddenly change our long planned trips. You could be enjoying a nice trip in a place like Bali, when a typhoon hits and all of the flights are cancelled. Trip interruption can help recoup non-refundable costs associated with the return home or rejoining of your trip.
Did you leave your passport on that beautiful white sandy beach you were lounging on? Well, if you lose your passport while traveling, travel insurance can guide you through how to connect with the nearest embassy in order to retrieve all needed travel documents to get you home safely.
Being sick or getting injured in another country is never part of the planning of your travel - but it's something that only a small percentage of travelers plan for. Medicare and most US insurance plans do not cover international medical. You will want to make sure that you buy a plan because it can cover out of pocket expenses due to medical emergencies that occur during your trip.
Very similar to the trip interruption, traffic, weather, flight delays etc are all things we have experienced and that have caused us to be “late.” Trip delay coverage pays the additional cost and non-refundable prepaid expenses for things like transportation, meals, accommodations due to covered losses.
And the most extreme version of trip interruptions - trip cancellations. Big trips take a lot of planning, and many times have to be planned far in advance. From the time your pay for your trip to the time you depart, a lot can happen. Trip cancellation covers non-refundable prepaid trip costs for a wide variety of reasons including reasons in your control (medical emergencies) and reasons out of your control (i.e. mechanical issues with the airplane, unsafe travel conditions).
Like medical, most dental plans do not apply when traveling abroad. In the case of tooth infection, broken teeth, and injuries to your mouth and jaw your travel medical insurance may have coverage depending on your policy.
This is usually the first thing people usually think about when it comes to travel insurance because it is usually the most common thing to happen. On average, airlines will lose up to 25 million bags per year. Depending on the kind of trip your going on (business or vacation), you could have different kinds of valuables that you can't afford to lose. For business travelers, especially with many people bringing their offices home now, the thought of losing that "home office" (aka your work laptop) on your next trip isn't something to risk without coverage.
If you are like us, you travel to get away from most of the distractions life throws at you. Because of that, most of these remote places are difficult to access for medical personnel. If you get injured and need assistance getting to the nearest medical facility, it can be very expensive. You could be in a situation where you need to be airlifted out or transported by an ambulance to the nearest facility. Travel Insurance may cover these costs.
Death is something none of us want to think about. But, it needs to be talked about because there is a lot of planning and expenses that go along with the loss of a loved one - especially if something unexpected happens and their remains need to be repatriated back to your home country. Depending on your plan, your coverage may cover the expenses associated with the return of remains in the case of death while abroad.
We have all been there…at the rental car agency, as the keys are about to be handed over the clerk asks us, “do you want rental insurance?” Some rental car agencies even require it, however your traditional auto policy will most likely not cover international travel. Depending on your policy, travel insurance can also satisfy your rental car needs.
Luckily there are plenty of available options that provide some, or all of the types of coverage that we listed above. We suggest that you start with getting a quote through our pricing tool. If you review your medical plan details, you will see that a lot of our carriers offer the additional coverage for some of the things we talked about above.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article - and as always - Travel Safe. Travel Covered.
