Who Needs Travel Insurance?
You may be an experienced traveller returning to a destination with which you are quite familiar. In this case you may wonder if it is necessary to buy special travel insurance.
Probably yes, since it will protect your travel investment and you and your family. If you have an injury or an automobile accident, or become ill your existing health care coverage may not be enough or even be valid in another country. Certainly no existing insurance policy will cover costs if you have to cancel your cruise or airplane flight. Your ordinary insurance policies may protect against theft and pickpockets but will probably not cover lost luggage. Although some credit cards include baggage protection and flight travel insurance, those policies are limited to the specific covered item and will not protect against health care issues.
A comprehensive travel insurance plan offers coverage for you and your family that covers most serious risks, and offers adequate medical and evacuation coverage for the region to which you are travelling. This policy will also cover replacement of all non-refundable airline tickets in the event you can not travel because of illness or if your ticket is lost or stolen. Travel insurance provides protection for many events that may occur before and during your vacation, such as trip cancellation or interruption, travel delay, baggage loss, death from aircraft mishap, medical expense, and medical transportation, if needed.
The medical coverage component of travel insurance is crucial, since few health plans are in effect outside their country of issue. In fact, most United States medical policies reduce benefits outside their local networks that are even within the US. In addition, the length of time that you will be travelling is an important issue for consideration.
Long term medical insurance is recommended for persons who are living and working outside their country of citizenship of permanent residence. A very important element of travel insurance is trip cancellation and interruption coverage that reimburses the cost of cancellation penalties or the cost of returning home if you have to cut your trip short.
Travel Assistance Service included in most travel insurance policies provides a variety of services for individuals, which are especially welcome when the traveller does not speak the language of the country he or she is visiting. This travel assistance includes translation services, emergency cash advance, bail bond, and prescription eyeglass replacement. It is even possible to buy travel plan insurance after your departure, in some cases.
by Sally.Anderson 19 years ago