Why is it Vitally Important to Buy a Travel & Medical Insurance
when Booking a Trip?
Much has been written on the importance of having insurance
coverage while you are on a trip, away from home. This is an
issue that remains somewhat ignored by many travelers. After
all, they have been traveling frequently for many years, and
nothing happened so far to worry about. So, to buy a travel
insurance should not a be a must. It is only an optional
precaution!
But, reality urges us to believe traveling anywhere in the world
without protection today, is a vital mistake. Regardless of
where you are traveling in the world, you must have an insurance
coverage to survive any unexpected attacks and disasters,
especially after the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.A.
Let's say, you have been planning the trip of your dreams for a
long time; you have finally found the opportunity to make your
long time dreams of a special trip come true.
You are so excited! You have thought of all the details. You
have been actively preparing for this travel; thinking,
programming, shopping . . . spending a lot of time, money, and
energy! You are proud of yourself that you have finally managed
to materialize your dream!
Your trip can really be an unforgettable experience from start
to the end, on one condition.
When booking your trip, you should have remembered that, like
most exciting events in our lives, travel has some important
risks, too. For example, potential medical and/or financial
risks associated with travel, can suddenly turn all the
excitement and pleasures of the trip to a nightmare.
Your baggage and/or your hand bag with your money, passport,
credit cards in, can be stolen leaving you desperate &
frustrated in a foreign country.
No one can guarantee that a natural disaster would not happen at
the place you would be staying during your trip.
An unexpected accident, injury or illness would suddenly ruin
everything. In fact, in the recent years medical costs have
increased dramatically, worldwide. How would you be able to pay
the emergency medical expenses, expensive hospital bills if you
needed an urgent treatment, or surgery and care during your
travel when you have lost your money, credit cards, and
passport? Isn't it a real nightmare?
In such a frustration, the only thing you would have needed to
survive was a reliable medical and travel insurance policy,
wasn't it?
Especially in the light of the horrible threats on and after
September 11 terrorist attacks, the war on terror, other
ruthless terror attacks in Istanbul, Spain, Egypt and London,
frequent flight disruptions and cancellations, airlines'
bankruptcies, and more. In addition, travel suppliers such as
tour operators and airlines worldwide have made cancellation
policies more restrictive. Therefore, if you have to cancel a
trip, it's likely that a big portion of your pre-paid travel
expenses will not be refunded by travel suppliers.
Recent SARS and bird flu threats have also been urging travelers
and vacationers to seriously consider to buy a travel and
medical insurance.
Travel Insurance types and prices defer from one travel
insurance provider to another. You have to review, compare and
select the best offers to suit your personal needs.
For instance, some insurance providers do not offer coverage
outside the U.S.A. Some companies do not provide emergency
medical coverage and care, while others do.
Some airlines do not accept to be held responsible for the acts
of God, weather problems, natural disasters, riots and unrests,
SARS, bird flu, and similar outbreaks. The Insurance types you
will need on a trip are reviewed below:
Last Minute Cancellation Insurance
With the last minute cancellation and/or interruption insurance
you will get coverage on non-refundable deposits you had made
when you bought your travel insurance. Read the fine print on
the policy carefully when buying this insurance. You should
discuss your personal needs with your insurance agent before
buying it.
Medical Insurance
This is one of the most important insurance policies you should
have. Buying health and medical insurance must be considered as
an important part of your travel budget. You can face a health
problem or an accident anywhere and anytime during your trip. Be
sure your medical and health insurance policy covers illness,
accidents, surgeries, hospitalization bills in the countries you
will be visiting, emergency medical transportation to your home
country. Please remember to have your policies with you when
traveling, leaving the copies of your insurance policies with a
relative in your home country, in case the policies you have
with you are lost.
Comprehensive Insurance Policy
This policy generally covers emergency medical transportation
and trip cancellation and interruption, plus other needs you
would expect. This insurance costs 5 to 7 percent of the total
cost of the trip. You should have it for your safety.
What types of insurance policies do we need for a full
protection?
The Essential Insurance Types offered by most providers are
Travel, Last Minute, Medical, Health, Life, Hotel, Cruise, Air,
Vacations, Luxury, car insurance, sports, and Spa Insurance
policies.
Some travel insurance companies also offer affordable coverage
for a wide range of winter sports including Ski, Off-Piste and
Snowboarding.
We might need not one, but several types of insurance policies
according to the general conditions at the destinations we're
going to.
If your your kids are going with you, many travel insurance
providers let them go free with adults.
Some companies provide policies for students, backpackers, cheap
travel, holiday insurance, long stay, international, family
travel, single travel, annual travel, annual multi-trips, and
more. It's good to know that in this cyber age, you can buy the
insurance policies you need online, without even leaving your
home.
Most Travel Insurance policies cover Luggage Loss, too.
But you should definitely ask about what's covered and what's
not when choosing Travel Insurance Policy to buy. Do ask
questions, all questions you might have in mind, until you get
all the information you need. It's much better to ask questions
when buying insurance than to be sorry later.
How can I find the best insurance type to suit my personal or
family needs?
When choosing a travel insurance policy to buy, you should get
information on the offers of various insurance providers to
compare.
Knowing how time consuming is to search, compare and choose the
best travel and medical insurance types and prices to suit your
needs and budget, we advice to visit the websites where you can
find lists and information about various offers, then compare
them, and choose the best ones to suit your needs.
You should keep in mind that buying your travel insurance
through travel insurance providers, instead of travel agencies,
would save you money in most cases.
In the light of terrorist attacks, unexpected natural disasters
like earthquakes, tsunamis, deadly hurricanes, floods,
epidemics, accidents, illness, SARS, bird flu, claiming hundreds
of thousands of lives at many places around the world,
especially in the recent years, every traveler must seriously
consider to buy a travel health and a medical insurance, and
some other insurance policies if needed, providing a reliable
full coverage against both expected and unexpected threats.
# # #