Planning to go on a trip soon? Somewhere lovely and luxurious perhaps? A place that has fancy hotels and resorts with a beautiful beach where you can get a tan?
Travelling is a great way to explore a country or to just relax, unwind, and enjoy the more beautiful things that life can offer.
Planning a trip takes a lot of research, and one thing you shouldn’t forget and always have on the top of the list is to get travel insurance before jet-setting.
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Is travel insurance a must?
This one is a favourite question when it comes to the matter of travel insurance, along with “do I need travel insurance” and “why buy travel insurance?”
Ultimately, it’s all a matter of choice. But if being smart and prepared is something that ranks high on your list of priorities when travelling—then buying travel insurance as a part of your travel plan is highly recommended.
Let’s face it, at any time of the day, something could happen to you while travelling. It’s can be as easy as tripping and spraining an ankle, or maybe something more significant such as contracting a disease and needing emergency medical evacuation.
Without insurance, all of these can cost you tens of thousands of dollars!
At the end of the day, being prepared pays off. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s first break things down…
What is travel insurance?
When it comes to understanding the essence of things, it’s always a good point to make it a habit to start at the root of things. The same goes for the case of travel insurance. To understand the concept of what travel insurance is, defining it would be a great place to start.
Simply put, travel insurance is an insurance policy that the covers the risks that are associated with travelling. For those who are new to travel or for those who aren’t as well versed with travel insurance as they would like to be, it may all be a bit confusing.
Some people are even surprised that there are a lot of risks with travelling. The habit of overlooking things and thinking everything will be alright is stronger, and we tend to forget that bad things can (and do) occasionally happen.
It’s time to change that, and it’s time to be prepared because being prepared can help ease many problems you encounter travelling significantly.
Types of travel insurance
Now that we have a better grasp and understanding of what travel insurance is let’s tackle the types of coverage available for travellers.
Usually, there are two basic types of travel insurance consisting of “Vacation Plans” and “Travel Medical Plans.” Vacation Plans are more popular and sold most amongst travel insurance companies as it has the most coverage in a single package.
Meanwhile, Travel Medical Plans are more focused on medical coverage while you’re abroad. Under these two plans, you can find insurance coverage that tackles specific items.
Here are some of the most common ones covered under the two types of plans mentioned above:
Vacation Plans:
- Interrupted Trips: A trip interruption is a situation wherein the traveller has to unexpectedly end their trip and return back home.
- Cancelled Trips: For this, it’s a trip where the traveller hasn’t left yet and has to cancel the trip prior to leaving for some reason.
- Delayed Trips: A delayed trip is when the departure of a trip or return is unexpectedly delayed.
- Delayed Luggage: This is when a traveller is on a trip or has returned from a trip but their luggage has, for some reason, been delayed and not arrived on time.
- Lost Luggage: Simply put, lost luggage is when the traveller has checked bags that have not arrived at the correct destination.
- Medical Emergencies: This is when unforeseen sickness or injury happens and the traveller requires immediate medical treatment and assistance to alleviate the medical condition.
- Emergency Evacuation: This is the need for a timely and efficient movement to have the traveller extracted or evacuated from the scene of an accident to get proper medical care or go to a proper medical facility. It can also mean extraction from a scene of a crisis.
- 24/7 Assistance: For those who have a concern regarding their travels and what is covered, the 24/7 assistance assures them of help and advice being readily available at any given moment.
Travel Medical Plans:
- Emergency Evacuations: This is the same as the one mentioned above but focuses solely on just an emergency evacuation.
- Medical Expenses: It solely focuses on having any medical expenses while travelling being covered.
- Medical Coverage for Long-Term Travel: For those travelling for a longer period of time, this medical coverage covers the duration of one’s stay abroad.
We also feel it’s a must to mention the existence of Specialty Plans. Yes, there is also the option to choose a specialty plan when travelling. What are these? These specialty plans are made to meet the unique needs of travellers. Some example of these plans include:
- Evacuation-Only
- Travel Accident
- Car Rental Insurance
World Nomads Travel Insurance
As it is with everything, travel insurance policies aren’t all created equal, and no two types of travel insurance are the same. With specific benefits and exclusions, travel insurance policies can be tricky if one doesn’t know what to look for. It’s necessary to really take the time to research and read the policies on travel insurance carefully.
One company that can help travellers get reliable travel insurance coverage is World Nomads Travel Insurance.
How so? They make it easy for you to get the insurance you want from home or—and this is key!—while already travelling. Along with that, it’s super easy to make your claim online, and you can do it from any corner of the world.
World Nomads is very simple, and flexible to your needs, making them a top choice for many travellers. It also helps that these insurance policies are created by travellers for travellers, not just highfalutin financial executives locked up in boardrooms.
Get a direct quote on World Nomad’s various travel insurance packages easily by clicking the button below.
Conclusion: Is travel insurance worth it?
Yes, without a doubt, travel insurance is necessary.
The key to a happy and problem-free vacation is to be worry-free on your trip. The thing is, travel risks and threats are real and can be a headache when they decide to pop up. Availing of travel insurance ensures peace of mind that will allow you to truly enjoy your vacation without a problem.
