Travel Insurance? Yes.

I have used travel insurance on every trip I’ve been on and it’s been an absolute life saver. I’d consider myself a pretty savy, safe traveler, but on my adventures I’ve needed thousands and thousands of dollars of coverage. I wouldn’t have been able to afford to replace the things I’ve needed to replace without it. I always had the “it wont happen to me” mentality, but so many things I couldn’t have foreseen happened on my trips. 

When I was in India, a terrible earthquake destroyed my home city and unfortunately killed one of my nearest and dearest family members – my travel insurance eventually paid for my flights and flew me home. When I was stabbed in Indonesia, my insurance paid for my transport to the doctors, the cost of my camera’s repair, and my medical treatment. When I was in au pair in the Czech Republic my laptop screen randomly shattered and my travel insurance paid for that, too. Just before Coachella festival in Los Angeles, my camera was stolen and travel insurance once again footed the bill. 

If this hasn’t convinced you that you need travel insurance, maybe these 25 reasons why you need it will: 

1. If you fall ill before you even set off, you may be forced to cancel or postpone your holiday indefinitely. Without trip cancellation coverage, you could lose a huge amount of money.

2. Your flight has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, and your airline forces you to buy a new ticket.

3. Your tour operator goes into administration. Not only do you lose a holiday but the administrators are unable to offer refunds during the liquidation.

4. A parent or relative dies whilst you’re away from home and you’re forced to cut your trip short. The money lost on the trip could only add to your grief.

5. You’re pickpocketed and lose your wallet and passport. Insurance can provide much-needed emergency cash and put you up in a hotel.

6. A major project comes up and your boss tells you his hands are tied: you are required to work during your holiday time. You are forced to reschedule your trip.

7. A hurricane rips through the town you’re intending to visit, and the hotel you planned to stay in is badly damaged – no guests are able to stay there for at least 18 months.

8. You badly injure your leg whilst on a hike in the Himalayas and require immediate medical attention.

9. Due to delayed connecting flights, you find yourself staying overnight in a city you had not planned on staying in – extra costs that insurance can cover.

10. Following a spate of terrorist attacks in the city you plan on staying in, the Home Office advises all British tourists to avoid travel to the region.

11. You arrive at your destination but your luggage does not. You find yourself halfway around the world without any of your possessions. Insurance can provide cash for new clothes and supplies.

12. You fall ill in a remote part of the world. You require immediate medical attention and none is readily available. Medical evacuation is crucial.

13. On a coach journey around Europe, the bus breaks down and the driver says it’s beyond repair. Insurance can provide emergency assistive services to quickly provide alternative transport.

14. You lose a bag which contains essential insulin. Insurance can provide an emergency prescription.

15. You’re involved in a car accident during a road trip and another motorist is involved. A personal liability clause in your travel insurance covers you for legal costs and reimbursements.

16. You’re on your way to your sister’s wedding in America when your flight is cancelled. If you don’t find an alternative flight, you might miss the wedding. Insurance can cover alternative travel to special events.

17. You’re driving a rental car around Australia when you accidentally scratch the side. The rental car company charges a huge amount for the repair – insurance can reimburse this cost.

18. It is incredibly unlikely but it has happened: during a visit to a politically unstable area, you’re kidnapped by terrorists and held hostage. Some insurance can cover ransom demands and assist families.

19. There’s a strike at the airline you’re planning on flying with and all flights are cancelled. The airline refuses to refund you. Insurance will cover this.

20. Some tour operators require insurance. If you’re signing up to a package holiday, it may be in the terms and conditions.

21. You’re stuck in traffic on the way to the airport and miss your flight. Airlines will not reseat you if you’re late; insurance will cover you.

22. You break a leg while travelling around South America – your insurers can help you find an English-speaking doctor in a remote part of the world.

23. It’s simple and cheap. Travel insurance is easy to come by and will cost a lot less than if a mishap arises. Specialist travel insurers like Insure & Away offer plenty of packages – click here for more information, including details of unlimited cover all year round.

24. Any reason. If you have a ‘Cancel For Any Reason’ clause in your insurance, you can claim back a large majority of costs, however small or trivial the reason for cancelling might be.

25. And finally…peace of mind. You would hope that none of the scenarios above would ever happen and, touch wood, they won’t. But you don’t want to spend your trip worrying over what could happen. Travel insurance ensures a stress-free holiday.

Have you ever claimed anything on travel insurance? If so, let me know what in the comments below. I hope I’m not the only useless person!