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/