What Different Things Does Travel Insurance Cover You For?

Checking his travel insurance on Changi International Airport, Singapore – Photo Courtesy: Jeremy Foo

If you happen to be travelling, whether on holiday, to visit family on the other side of the world, or on a business trip, it makes a lot of sense to have travel insurance. Basically, travel insurance will cover various situations and can provide you with peace of mind. Travel insurance will typically cover you for certain losses you many incur while travelling and it can also help for certain expenses in a varying number of circumstances.

You will find that the type of insurance or protection you have, will vary from company to company and therefore it’s important to make sure you are insured for the situations and losses that matter to you most.

Medical and Health

Image Courtesy: 401(K) 2013

The vast majority of policies will provide medical coverage in the event of a medical emergency. So, should you become ill or suffer some form of medical condition, you should find that part (if not all) of your hospital stay and medications will be covered. With that being said, it will depend on the circumstances under which you became ill and you may find that some situations are not covered, e.g. an accident which occurred while you were in a different town.

Most policies will also provide coverage for accidental death (and certain dismemberments, such as loss of limbs, etc.), which can help with transporting a body back to its home country, as well as funeral expenses. This is something that most people don’t want to think about, but transporting a body back by plane to a different country could run into thousands of dollars. You may have a serious health condition and the country you are in is unable to provide proper medical care, although once again your insurance can help to have you taken to another hospital or country who can deal with this situation.

However, you should be aware that medical cover will often have terms and conditions applied to it, e.g. you will not be covered for a pre-existing medical condition that you currently suffer from.

The Basics

Photo Courtesy: Robert Banh

Most of us look to take out travel insurance to protect ourselves against certain losses. This typically includes the loss of personal possessions, money or credit and debit cards. A policy will also usually provide protection against loss of, or damage to, baggage, and even if some of the contents of your luggage is stolen. Another great reason to have travel insurance is that you can recoup some, if not all, of your flight costs if it has been delayed or cancelled. This is even true in the case of “non-refundable” airline tickets.

Often, if a flight has been delayed or cancelled, but you have to reach your destination, you will need to purchase another airline ticket for another flight. Once again, most policies will cover you in these circumstances. You may even be unlucky enough to lose your passport or driving license and a good insurance policy will help to recover these, i.e. have new ones issued faster than you may expect.

There are various perks to having travel insurance, although often people will ignore the need for it, as they believe their travel agent is just out to earn some extra commission. There are those who don’t believe they require travel insurance, as they have never used it before. As with all insurances, you hope you will never need to use it, but it’s there to provide you with protection just in case.

Andrea Wright is an avid blogger who often writes for Welcome Canada which offers extensive travel insurance policies. She enjoys cooking and baking in her leisure time. Log on to http://www.welcomecanada.com/ to know more about her work.