Why Travel Insurance is Important

In this age of supersonic flights, cheap airfares, bullet trains and expressways, travel has never been more popular. Globe-trotting has never been so easy and even people with simple means can afford to travel as tourists either within or outside their countries.

Traveling is exciting. You get to see and experience different cultures, sights and sounds in places you have never been before. Backpacking young people love unfamiliar experiences. In this atmosphere of excitement for new things, people sometimes forget that in traveling there are risks also.

What are the risks that a traveler has to contend with? First there are risks to the health of the traveler. Traveling to new places exposes people to endemic diseases. For example, traveling to tropical countries exposes the traveler to malaria and yellow fever. Second there are also risks to the physical well being of the traveler as new places also come with their own issues of crime and rates of accidents. For instance in the US and the UK, the wearing of car seatbelts is a requirement but there are countries that do not have a seatbelt policy or their means of transportation is just plain risky (e.g. back riding on a motorcycle taxi in Hanoi, Vietnam). The traveler is also at risk from delays in travel plans due to lost luggage because it was routed erroneously or was soaked in the rain.

Travel insurance is a way to protect travelers from all these risks. With travel insurance one can easily seek medical assistance, help in replacing lost luggage or assistance in urgently arranging a flight back home. Travel insurance has been referred to by many names. It is sometimes called trip insurance, backpackers’ insurance or holiday insurance. These are all travel insurance but they differ in some areas. For instance, backpackers insurance will cover extreme activities such as bungee jumping, skiing and scuba diving and the equipment you are taking. Holiday insurance might include some perks unique to a vacationing family or honeymooners.

In getting travel insurance here are some pointers:

1. Make sure that the insurance companies you are considering have international recognition or at least to the country you are traveling into. Many internationally recognized insurers have a network of affiliates that can offer you assistance within and outside the country you’re visiting.
2. Also make sure that the policy you are considering buying covers traveling to the country you are planning to visit. See to it that the insurance company gives you direct contact numbers and persons within and outside the visited country to facilitate inquiries regarding medical assistance, travel advisories and emergencies.
3. Regarding medical coverage, make sure you have disclosed all important medical histories so that you can find out immediately if your medical condition is covered or not.

There are several websites that offer cheap holiday insurance, backpacker’s insurance or a single trip insurance. In comparing insurance companies look also for reviews of the quality of company service. It may be cheap but is lousy in processing claims. In making a comparison between policies, make sure that you are comparing the same coverage, benefits and exclusions.

In making your travel budget, always include travel insurance so that you can truly enjoy.