Top 5 Reasons to Get Travel Insurance

 

Many travellers resent getting travel insurance, as it’s just another cost on the long list of things necessary to get ready for your trip overseas. The simple fact is that travel insurance provides a safety net most of us could not otherwise afford, just in case something goes wrong during our travels. There are a lot of scary stories out there, involving travellers in foreign countries without travel insurance. Many hospitals overseas will shut off treatment if you cannot provide evidence of being able to pay your bills. If your condition is life-threatening, then this is obviously quite serious. Travel insurance can also help with more minor issues, such as the cost of replacing lost luggage or stolen items. There are lots of travel insurance companies to choose from, such as travel insurance direct. Make sure that you choose a company that provides coverage for the following things:

 

 

Things don’t always run smoothly. Sometimes flights can be cancelled, train lines might be closed – anything can happen on the open road. Having travel insurance can help cover the costs of arranging alternative travel, ensuring you get where you need to be as soon as possible. Covering these costs without insurance can be painfully expensive and can sometimes put a halt to your trip if you don’t have the spare cash for it. 

 

 

This is perhaps one of the most important reasons to get travel insurance, as your life can literally depend on it. Unexpected overseas medical care can be very expensive, especially if you need surgeries or emergency treatment. Travel is much more comfortable when you have the security of knowing that your healthcare treatment will be covered. You can even get coverage for things such as doctors visits or prescriptions will overseas. I personally find this option very helpful as I’m much more likely to go to the doctor when I’m feeling off if I know it’s not going to cost me a small fortune. 

 

 

This can work in a number of ways. If you have to cancel your trip because of health reasons or personal reasons, then you will be reimbursed a portion, if not all, of your trip’s costs. This can soften the blow of not being able to go on your trip, while ensuring you haven’t poured thousands of dollars down the drain. If anything in your trip is cancelled, e.g. an airline cancels it’s route that you were planning to fly, then your insurance will generally cover the cost of booking a new ticket that meets your requirements. Travel insurance helps you deal with unforeseen instances that could otherwise ruin your trip. 

 

 

While this is a worst-case scenario situation, imagine being stuck somewhere with no access to medical treatment and not having the money to be able to afford it? Emergency evacuation is very, very expensive and you don’t have to be doing anything extreme to warrant it. Imagine getting hit by a car in Cambodia and needing to be air-lifted to Thailand for adequate medical treatment, only to not be able to afford the bill (which would probably be in the tens or hundreds of thousand dollars). That’s a scary thought. Having travel insurance will ensure you get the medical treatment you need, when you need it. 

 

 

If you lose your passport and need an emergency replacement passport, then travel insurance will foot the bill. If an airline loses all your baggage, then there’s usually a clause in your insurance that will help cover the costs of replacement items. While I was overseas, I accidentally broke my laptop screen, had my expensive digital SLR camera smashed and travel insurance footed the bill for all of these. 

 

Some people feel they can’t afford travel insurance, but in my experience you can’t afford NOT to have travel insurance.