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Do You Need Travel Insurance for Your International Trip?
Julie and Ron had been planning their Mediterranean cruise for months. Imagine their dismay when, less than twenty-four hours before they were set to sail, Julie's mother had to be taken into hospital. The couple couldn't go, but imagine their dismay when they learnt that they couldn't even get most of their money back. They would have been refunded if only they had purchased a trip cancellation insurance policy. Of course, this is a worst case scenario, but too many people plan their trip with the idea that it couldn't happen to them. It's a very dangerous approach when you consider that it could not only cost you your holiday, but even thousands of pounds.
Types of Travel Insurance
There are several different types of travel insurance, but the four most common are trip cancellation, international medical, baggage insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment.
Trip Cancellation
Trip cancellation insurance will reimburse you for your trip if you can't travel for the following reasons:
- Your carrier goes out of business
- You suffer an illness
- Someone in your family becomes ill or dies
- Other, as specified in the insurance policy
In addition, if you must interrupt your trip en route and return home due to any of the above reasons, trip cancellation insurance will reimburse you for the remaining portion of the trip. When you travel internationally, you're looking at spending over a couple of hundred pounds unless you get a real bargain, so it makes sense to get insurance to protect your investment.
International Medical
Before you purchase international medical insurance, check with your own health insurance policy (should you have one) to see what they would cover should you become ill while traveling. Unfortunately, you're likely to find that most companies offer little or no coverage once you leave the country.
An international medical policy will pay for you to receive medical care should you need it while traveling out of the country.
Most policies also pay for you to be flown back to the United States to receive further treatment.
Baggage Insurance
Many people who travel out of the country, especially on cruises, want to glam it up, so they pack their nicest clothes and most expensive jewelry. Some people also pack electronic equipment such as laptops and digital cameras. If these items are lost or stolen, it's a huge economic setback. Baggage insurance can protect you against lost, stolen, or damaged luggage.
A word to the wise: Before you sign on that dotted line, check your home owner's policy. Some home owner's insurance also protects you from theft or damage to items out of the home.
Accidental Death or Dismemberment
If you lose a limb, or worse, lose your life, while traveling, this policy makes sure that youwell, your next of kin, anywayget a nice financial settlement. Remember to double-check any life insurance policies you may already have so you don't duplicate coverage.
It's also a good idea to read the fine print in these policies. Many, for example, do not cover death as the result of an act of war.
So the next time you're planning a trip abroad, take a few m
inutes to consider your insurance options. You'll feel much more secure about your trip if you know you're covered for all contingencies. Take a look at AA Travel for travel insurance, while Go Travel
also has a very good travel
insurance website.
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