Travel Insurance: What It Is and Why You Need It

8 mins read

magine getting ready for your scheduled holiday. You’ve been planning it for months. You’ll probably get to the airport early, make sure you check your baggage ahead of time, and prepare yourself for the long flight abroad by bringing your favourite selection of books, music, movies, snacks, and perhaps even a pillow. You make it through the flight and finally arrive at your destination, only to find out that they’ve lost your luggage, which held all of your clothes, shoes, and some gifts you were planning on bringing to your relatives. The airport apologises and says they’ll try to find it. But you might never see that suitcase again.

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Travel insurance prepares you for that scenario. If you are unsure what travel insurance is, what different types of travel insurance exist, what they cover, or what kind you need, continue reading. There are several types of travel insurance to make sure your next trip never suffers and you have the peace of mind you need to enjoy your holiday. Here are some of the types of travel insurance you need to know about.

Medical Travel Insurance : Medical travel insurance typically covers all medical issues. This includes pre-existing medical conditions. The conditions covered by most medical travel insurance includes high cholesterol, asthma, COPD, strokes, heart attacks, hernias, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Medical travel insurance can also cover other conditions, so be sure to ask if you are not suffering from one of these but are experiencing other conditions. If you experience flare-ups or repeat attacks from any of these conditions during your holiday, you are most likely covered by medical travel insurance.

How does it work? Inform the travel insurance company that offers medical travel insurance of your ailments and pre-existing conditions so that in case something happens while you’re on your trip, you’ll be covered.

Travel Insurance for Your Family : Family travel insurance typically covers the whole family, including children and other dependent individuals. Coverage often includes medical bills, luggage and other personal items, issues with travel such as delay or missed flights, and more. Familial travel insurance usually covers up to a specific amount of children, so be sure to do the research to make sure it will work for your family if you’re looking to get them covered as well.

Family travel insurance is great because kids are prone to accidents sometimes. Whether minor or major, the insurance policy will usually cover it. Ask your insurance agent what is covered under family travel insurance to find out more.

If you want to look for lower cost travel insurance, be sure to check online. Online insurance companies can provide different types of coverage and will usually give you plenty of information on the website.

Sporting Travel Insurance : One of the most fun things to do on holiday is to go on adventures, participate in outdoors activities, and do sporty things. For those of you who are planning a nonstop adventure from your plane’s touchdown until the last minute, sporting and adventure travel insurance might be for you. This type of insurance typically covers all physical activities while on holiday abroad. This includes activities like snorkelling and surfing, diving and fishing, skateboarding, skiing, and more. Accidents and broken equipment are typically covered under this type of insurance.

Cruise Ship Travel Insurance : Cruise ships, like planes, can be prone to unforeseen circumstances, accidents, and other unusual unplanned events. Cruise ship travel insurance covers virtually everything you might worry about on a cruise ship including medical coverage, incidental events like evacuations, missed embarking, lost luggage, and other major issues experienced on cruise ships. These insurance policies usually cover any interruptions or last minute cancellations, so you can be sure your money is saved if something unexpected comes up and the cruise needs to be cancelled.

Because cruise coverage includes medical and does cover pre-existing medical conditions, you should tell the insurance company about any pre-existing medical conditions you are suffering from. This ensures that you are covered if you experience any of these conditions while on your cruise voyage and travels.

Travel Insurance for Weddings : Wedding travel insurance, as the name suggests, covers wedding expenses, valuables and more. People frequently travel abroad or to other countries to get married because it is exciting, fresh, and romantic. However, there are risks associated with going to another country for your wedding. Because weddings are expensive affairs, the items that go along with weddings are usually worth a lot of money. This includes the event itself and all of the resources used to put it together, wedding clothes such as the dress and the groom’s outfit, wedding rings, presents, and more. Because there is a lot of money put into these weddings, it’s smartest to be covered when possible by wedding travel insurance.

Wedding travel insurance often covers the items listed above and more. However, if you’re unsure whether something is covered under your wedding travel insurance policy, it is best to ask the agent at the time of purchase or read through the policy to find out whether it’s covered. Wedding insurance while travelling is a great way to make sure your special day is untouchable and goes according to plan without loss.

Are There More Types of Insurance? : Yes, there are several more types of travel insurance, and each policy is designed to cover different items, people, medical issues, and transportation issues. Some other travel insurance policies cover fewer items like skiing and winter sports only, for instance. Depending on your need, you can purchase as many or as few travel insurance policies as you’d like. Overlapping two or three policies can ensure that everything you can possibly think of is covered.

Travel insurance is ultimately about peace of mind and being prepared. If you’re the type of person that likes to feel safe and prepared, travel insurance is for you. Even if you’re not the type to worry about accidents happening, they still might. When travelling somewhere, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.