Travel Insurance Tips ~ Tips for travel planning
Travel insurance can be a minefield of legal terms, exclusions and baffling instructions for filing claims. Yet find yourself in dire straits in a foreign country, and you will be glad you took the time to arrange travel insurance. Here are some things to consider.
Trip Cancellation Insurance These types of travel insurance policies, which cover the cost if you have to cancel your travel plans, usually must be purchased at the same time as the trip tickets. If your travel tour package can be exchanged for a credit for future travel to another destination, or for a different date for the original trip, (and with minimum additional fees), then cancellation insurance may not be necessary.
If you have a non-refundable ticket, then consider getting cancellation insurance. Also check to see what types of reasons for cancelling your tip are covered. Consider also the cost of the ticket/package tour versus the amount of the cancellation insurance, as well as what conditions must be met *before* claims are paid. Some policies include both trip cancellation insurance and travel health insurance.
Travel Health Insurance To buy or not to buy, that is the question. The answer is It depends. If you're traveling within your own country, you may feel this is not necessary, if your other health insurance covers you anyhwere in country. For travel outside your own country, travel health insurance is a good idea.
Make sure the policy effective to-from dates match or overlap your travel dates. My rule of thumb is weigh the cost of the travel health policy against the cost of having to be flown to a hospital or flown home for treatment. (Or, as my daughter so charmingly puts it, How much it will cost her for a flight and hotels to escort my body home. Point taken.)
And it doesn't take a major illness or accident to take the fun out of your holiday. Just stumble off a curb or trip on broken pavement -- a hard fall may result holiday dampening experiences such as a cracked rib or broken arm. (This happened to two of my friends, neither of whom are particulary clumsy, which shows how suddenly bad things can happen.) Look for policies that best suit you and your pre-existing conditons, age etc. and number of trips you are likely to take.
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Existing Insurance Coverage I have an inexpensive policy through my bank that covers tripping and falling and other minor accidents should they occur in North America, Europe or the Caribbean. In other countries, I am on my own. Many credit cards and company group health plans offer travel insurance as part of the coverage. Read them carefully or call the company (get the name/ID number of the person you speak to) to be sure you are covered.
Annual Travel Insurance If you take several trips a year, you may find an annual policy less expensive. For about five years now, I have been buying an annual travel health policy that allows unlimited trips to a maximum stay of 30 days/trip. For longer trips, I can add on extra days as needed, and for a minimal fee. The year starts from the date you leave on the first trip under the annual policy, not the date you purchase it.
Take a copy of the policy / number with you AND leave a copy at home with friends or family!
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More Travel tips pages
What To Pack for a trip to pack light, and why!
Packing Clothes Part 1 (tops, pants etc)
Packing Clothes Part 2 (shoes, bathing suits,undies etc)
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