While a lot of people “I’m healthy, I don’t need travel insurance. I won’t get sick,” travel insurance is much than just medical protection. It covers you when your camera breaks, your flight is cancelled, a family member dies and you have to come home, or if something is stolen. It’s all purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get but hope to never have to use. And, as it only costs a few dollars a day, you’re foolish not to get it. I never planned on falling in the sea in Italy with my camera or popping my ear drum in Thailand but I did and, if it wasn’t for my travel insurance, I would have been out a lot of money.
Travel insurance is one of the most complex and confusing aspects of trip planning. With the myriad of plans and companies out there, people can easily get confused about what they should get and why. Given its importance and the amount of time it’s been since I last discussed it, I want to start the year by discussing it again.
Travel insurance is something you absolutely need on the road. You never know what could happen, and most health plans don’t cover you overseas. I never thought I would pop my eardrum. My friend never thought he would break his leg hiking in New Zealand. A writer I know had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat. Another friend didn’t think her father would die and she would have to fly back home. But all those things did and cheap travel insurance was there when all those things happened.
I was recently in southern Africa for 3 weeks and my plan cost only $4 per day. Considering my domestic health plan wasn’t going to cover me while overseas, it was a small price to pay for knowing if I got attacked by a lion, bitten by a snake, or contracted malaria, I was protected.
I would rather be safe than sorry and not be stuck with a giant hospital bill.
But, like I said, it’s more than just medical care. Loose a bag? Insurance has you covered. Trip cancelled? Insurance is there. Get something stolen? Insurance is there too.
Travel insurance has more than proved its worth many, many times. It’s the kind of thing you will be very thankful for when you need it but hope you never do. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.
Here is how to avoid getting a bad insurance plan and not be properly covered:
What to look for in a great plan
There are a lot of options out there. This is a billion dollar business and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.
When looking for a plan, first make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap travel insurance policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.
Second, you want to make sure your policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.
Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.
A great policy will always include the following provisions:
Cover most countries in the world.
Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit).
Cover injury and sudden illnesses.
Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later).
Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.
Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency.
Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early.
Policies should include personal accident coverage.
Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country.
Source from: http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travel-insurance/
Friday 16 October 2015
HOW TO BUY GOOD TRAVEL INSURANCE
While a lot of people “I’m healthy, I don’t need travel insurance. I won’t get sick,” travel insurance is much than just medical protection. It covers you when your camera breaks, your flight is cancelled, a family member dies and you have to come home, or if something is stolen. It’s all purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get but hope to never have to use. And, as it only costs a few dollars a day, you’re foolish not to get it. I never planned on falling in the sea in Italy with my camera or popping my ear drum in Thailand but I did and, if it wasn’t for my travel insurance, I would have been out a lot of money.
Travel insurance is one of the most complex and confusing aspects of trip planning. With the myriad of plans and companies out there, people can easily get confused about what they should get and why. Given its importance and the amount of time it’s been since I last discussed it, I want to start the year by discussing it again.
Travel insurance is something you absolutely need on the road. You never know what could happen, and most health plans don’t cover you overseas. I never thought I would pop my eardrum. My friend never thought he would break his leg hiking in New Zealand. A writer I know had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat. Another friend didn’t think her father would die and she would have to fly back home. But all those things did and cheap travel insurance was there when all those things happened.
I was recently in southern Africa for 3 weeks and my plan cost only $4 per day. Considering my domestic health plan wasn’t going to cover me while overseas, it was a small price to pay for knowing if I got attacked by a lion, bitten by a snake, or contracted malaria, I was protected.
I would rather be safe than sorry and not be stuck with a giant hospital bill.
But, like I said, it’s more than just medical care. Loose a bag? Insurance has you covered. Trip cancelled? Insurance is there. Get something stolen? Insurance is there too.
Travel insurance has more than proved its worth many, many times. It’s the kind of thing you will be very thankful for when you need it but hope you never do. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.
Here is how to avoid getting a bad insurance plan and not be properly covered:
What to look for in a great plan
There are a lot of options out there. This is a billion dollar business and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.
When looking for a plan, first make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap travel insurance policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.
Second, you want to make sure your policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.
Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.
A great policy will always include the following provisions:
Cover most countries in the world.
Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit).
Cover injury and sudden illnesses.
Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later).
Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.
Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency.
Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early.
Policies should include personal accident coverage.
Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country.
Source from: http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travel-insurance/
Wednesday 14 October 2015
About Cheap Travel Insurance
When planning a trip, nobody wants to think about what might
go wrong, but the reality is that things can go wrong even with the most
meticulously prepared trips. Flights can get cancelled; luggage can get lost;
and injuries can occur. Do you have a plan for those less-than-perfect vacation
moments? Let’s read more information through the follow content. Let‘s read more
information through the follow content. Thanks for your patient reading, let us
move on.
To make sure your vacation isn’t completely derailed in case
something does come up, you may want to consider purchasing a travel insurance
policy. It’s a quick and inexpensive way to protect your family and your
finances so you can enjoy your travels worry-free.
package Plans
Package plans are popular among travelers because they bring
several types of coverage together into one policy.
Package plans typically include:
• Medical
coverage
• Emergency
evacuation/repatriation of remains
• Accidental
death and dismemberment coverage
• Last-minute
trip cancellation (due to illness, inclement weather, etc.)
• Delayed
or lost baggage insurance (including reimbursement for the replacement of
essentials)
• Flight
delay/cancellation insurance (If your travel plans are delayed for several
hours, the insurance company will cover hotel accommodations and meals while
you wait, and make new travel arrangements on your behalf)
• Trip
interruption coverage (If inclement weather, illness, or injury cuts your trip
short, you’ll be reimbursed for the unused portion of your trip)
• Replacement
of travel documents, belongings and money that is lost or stolen
• Legal
assistance
• 24-hour
concierge service (to help you find medical care, change travel plans, etc.)
Package plans are typically purchased by:
• Those
traveling abroad
• Purchasers
of vacation packages (where large, non-refundable pre-payments are required)
• People
going on a cruise (due to both the large, non-refundable pre-payments and the
distance from medical care)
• Business
travelers
• Senior
travelers
Travel Medical Plans
Travel medical plans provide emergency assistance, medical
coverage and emergency evacuation for those traveling abroad. In fact, these
plans can be purchased for years for those who will be travelling abroad for
extended periods of time.
Travel medical plans are typically purchased by:
• Students
• Expatriates
• Businessmen
• Individuals
who will be traveling outside of their country and the reach of their health
insurance
Other Travel Insurance Options to Consider:
Annual – If you travel several times throughout the year, it
may be cheap travel insurance to purchase annual
insurance rather than a separate policy for each trip. This insurance typically
includes medical coverage, emergency evacuation, baggage loss, and accidental
death and dismemberment coverage. It does not usually include trip cancellation
coverage, though it may be possible to add it.
Student – If you are a student with plans to travel abroad,
look into student insurance for travelers. Policies can be purchased for both
short trips and extended stays (up to four years) and are tailored to meet
student visa requirements.
Business – If you take frequent trips for work, consider
business travel insurance. It can be purchased for a single trip or on an
annual basis. Coverage extends beyond the normal insurance limits to include
reimbursement for canceled conferences and trade shows and reimbursement for
lost or stolen laptops, exhibits, cell phones and other work-related items.
Where to Buy Travel Insurance
This insurance can be purchased from a number of sources.
These include:
• Your
current insurance provider (for auto, life, etc.)
• Online
brokers
• Travel
agents
For help finding a reputable insurance provider, refer to
the U.S. Travel Insurance Association website. They maintain a list of members
that are in good standing.
Before You Buy Insurance
Before you invest in a policy, do a full review of your
existing insurance coverage. Many homeowner’s policies include property loss
protection and liability coverage that travels with you, while many credit card
companies offer medical assistance and baggage loss protection to customers who
charge their airfare to the card. You may even find that your health insurance
provider covers overseas medical emergencies. Explore your existing coverage to
see where you stand. Then, buy a policy that meets your travel needs.
Before you sign on the dotted line, be sure the policy meets
your needs.
Many policies exclude:
• Pre-existing
conditions
• Injuries
caused by high-risk activities like skydiving or scuba diving
• Travel to
high-risk countries (due to war, acts of terrorism or natural disaster)
Source from: http://www.travelinsurance.org/
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