travel insurance
Travel Insurance – Don’t Leave Your Country Without It
If you are planning on travelling overseas it is vital that you take out travel insurance. Unexpected things can happen, such as natural disasters or accidents, or you may become ill while away, and without travel insurance you could find yourself facing huge expenses.
Natural disasters and accidents
We certainly never plan for accidents to happen and natural disasters can strike anywhere out of the blue. This is why having travel insurance is so important as it is at least the one thing you can organise and if something does go wrong then you covered. You may require medical assistance or find that you need to be flown home. Travel insurance can cover your medical expenses, which in a foreign hospital can cost you thousands if you are not covered. If you require further attention you may need to be flown home, and a medical evacuation can reach in to the tens of thousands of dollars.
Illness
If you become ill overseas you may need to be admitted to hospital, and when in a foreign country this can be extremely costly as you won’t be covered by their health system. If you need to return home early these additional costs can be covered if you have travel insurance. Your insurance will cover your hospital stay and any medical emergency costs.
Lost or stolen belongings
It is important to have travel insurance while travelling overseas in case you lose your belongings, or if they are stolen. Travel insurance will cover your luggage and any documents, such as your passport and visas, as well as any cash.
Death or disability
If you become permanently disabled you will find that most policies will cover expenses, or if you happen to die as a result of an accident then your travel insurance can cover this too. It can be extremely costly to transport remains, for example from Europe it can cost around ten thousand dollars to fly a body home. The stress of having to come up with this huge sum for a grieving family would be terrible, so it is worthwhile having the cover.
Things to check
Make sure that you are covered for all your travel items and that you have enough cover for the country you are going to. Do a bit of research and find out what the medical expenses are like where you are going and check your fund will cover you if you have to be hospitalised. You may find that dangerous activities like scuba diving and bungee jumping are not covered, so find out first and think about whether you are going to risk partaking in these activities while away. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions you may not be covered unless you let them know, so make sure you are upfront. When you take out your insurance be thorough and read the fine print, and double check your dates. You need to be covered for the entire duration of your trip so remember the difference in time zones.
Travel Insurance – Guidelines To Help You Pick A Good Deal
Travel and uncertainties walk besides each other. Buying a life insurance, to some extent, is of great help when it comes to assuring you some sort of financial security if you meet an unfavourable condition. But when you are travelling to foreign destination, you need an insurance, which is specifically meant to protect you against all unfavourable conditions during your tour. A travel insurance fulfills all such requirements of availing some sort of security during your tour.
Among the several types of insurance policies meant specifically for your trip, it becomes difficult to choose the best one suitable for you. There are two types of travel insurance available in the UK. Single trip insurance covers the single trip, while the annual trip holiday insurance covers all your trips in a year. If you are not a frequent traveller, you should opt for a single trip insurance. Similarly, if you are a frequent traveller, you should buy a multi-trip or an annual trip holiday insurance.
Choosing a right insurance for your trips depends on various factors. Before you have finally signed the deal, you need to check the reliability of the insurance. Check whether the cover you are having through this insurance is appropriate to protect you. Most of the travel insurance will cover luggage theft, stolen cash and other belongings. It will even give you healthcare and legal assistance. Many of the insurance fetch 24 hr medical and legal assistance.
It is not that all insurance covering your trip will give you fool-proof security. Most of the Travel Insurance policies do not cover you if you are going for adventure trips, which include activities like skiing, scuba diving, trekking and forest exploration. To avail insurance benefits on such trips, you need to buy a specific insurance covering all such adventurous activities. Moreover, you will not be covered if you have lost your cash, luggage and other belongings due to your own mistakes.
Travel Insurance – Common Pitfalls When Claiming Lost or Stolen Goods
Many of us will take out travel insurance when going on holiday but do you know what to do when something goes wrong? Knowing upfront can save a lot of heartache down the track. Read the following tips so that you can be prepared.
Proof of ownership
Travel insurance companies will often refuse to pay for lost or stolen items unless that you can prove that you own them. The best way is with the original receipt. We might keep receipts for the expensive items but who has a receipt for every item you are taking away with you!
Now, travel insurance companies are not all evil and will cover you for general things like clothes, toiletries, and luggage but without proof of brand or value you’ll often only get a fraction of the true replacement cost.
Digital cameras are cheap and most people will be taking them on holidays. So you should take a photo of everything that you are taking. Get the brand and style where possible. Detail all this in a spreadsheet as well. Scan all receipts, manuals, warranty cards, or tags. You can claim when you get home but I’d suggest emailing all the photos, scans and spreadsheet to a free email site like Gmail or Hotmail so you can claim while away if needed.
Replacement value
It has become common now for car or home and contents insurance to offer new for old replacement. This is generally not how travel insurance works. You’ll usually be offered the value of the goods minus depreciation. This should mean that the money you are offered can buy a replacement item second hand. Some items hold their value really well and you actually won’t be able to buy a replacement one for anywhere near the money the travel insurance company gives you. You should always lodge a complaint if this is the case. Provide proof of the true market value (e.g. from classifieds, second hand shops, or eBay). If the travel insurance company still refuses to cover the real cost then take it to the ombudsman.
Stolen goods and police reports
Travel insurance companies will generally not just take your word for it when something is stolen. They want some sort of proof. This is generally best in the form of a police report but can be a statement from the airline, cruise ship, etc if it happened there.
Police reports can be a tricky thing to obtain in some countries. You may be asked to pay a fee for this service. If the amount is small then just pay as it probably isn’t worth the hassle. If it is larger then you may want to consult your guidebook or the internet to see if this is normal. If not then your embassy or consulate should be able to help. Some countries have special tourist police who are the best to approach in regards to this.
If you have trouble speaking the local language and the police can’t understand you then you could try an online translation service (e.g. babelfish) or finding a local or fellow traveller who speaks English and take them along (a tip is generally appreciated).
Unattended luggage
A major area in which travel insurance will not cover you is when your bags are left unattended. This may seem like it would rarely happen as you normally don’t leave your luggage just lying around but unattended is usually defined as being left in an unlocked environment or with someone you don’t know. Common scenarios are left luggage at hotels or hostels, with doormen, or with tour companies.