Going Abroad? Why You Need Good Travel Insurance: People Need More Than Just Medical Insurance

There are many things that can go wrong on a trip abroad for work or pleasure. It is not pleasant to think about them, but adequate travel insurance can help deal with them if they do occur. Here are some of the most important problems.

Medical Emergencies Abroad

This is the problem that everyone thinks of first. Although it is not the only one, it is probably the most important one. If a passenger falls sick or becomes injured when abroad, their regular medical insurance may not cover the cost of treatment in the foreign country.

It may also be necessary to deal with a foreign medical system in a language they do not understand. There may also be legal matters to deal with, if there has been an accident.

A good travel insurance policy will offer helpline support. It should also have a high top limit for medical and legal coverage. The costs of a serious accident could run into millions.

Good Travel Insurers Have a 24-Hour Helpline

Good travel insurers have a 24-hour toll-free helpline which customers can call for advice and help when problems occur.

Trip Cancellation or Interruption

Another problem may be that it is hard to get out at all – or hard to get back home. For instance, a tour operator may go out of business, leaving passengers stranded. A passenger may become ill before departure and not be able to leave. Perhaps the weather makes it impossible to travel, and important appointments or connections are missed. Carriers may not reimburse for these problems.

Insurance can help in these situations. For instance, they will often provide repatriation if an airline goes out of business during a holiday.

Lost or Delayed Luggage

If luggage goes missing, it is often necessary to go out and buy new clothes and personal items. Insurance will help to minimise the inconvenience and expense of this, and pay for replacements.

Lost Passports, Airline Tickets and Other Important Travel Documents

Losing a passport or other travel documents can cause great inconvenience. If they have been stolen, then perhaps a wallet or bag has been taken too, creating additional problems and making it hard to find the cash to sort matters out.

Insurance helps with getting cash transfers and usually the helpline will advise how to start sorting out problems with missing travel documents.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is an increasing problem all over the world. Some policies cover the cost of pursuing and remedying the problem if a passenger discovers their identity has been stolen while on holiday.

Important Exceptions

There are always exceptions listed in travel policies. Most travel insurers ask to be notified of extra risks – for instance if the customer will be taking part in dangerous sports. Also, they will rarely take on a customer who is travelling against the advice of a doctor.

In many countries, it can also be hard to obtain travel insurance to cover pre-existing medical conditions such as epilepsy. This is not the case in many EU countries, which only require that the customer state he or she is not travelling against doctors’ advice.

Foreign Based Insurance – Useful but Read the Small Print

If it is diffcult to get insurance for health reasons, it may be worth considering a foreign based policy. However, caution should be exercised when doing this and it is even more necessary than usual to read the small print.

It is likely that the policy will not cover the country where the customer lives, as well as the country where the policy is issued. Therefore, a UK resident, for instance, should be aware that a German travel insurance policy will not cover them for travel in England or Germany. Also, the emergency helpline may not have an English speaker. The law of the country of issue (in this example, Germany) would also prevail.

In Fact, Always Read the Small Print!

Reading the small print is a golden rule with any insurance document. If the traveller is unsure of any points, they MUST ask before accepting the quotation.

If, too, the traveller has any unusual requirements — for instance, taking certain types of baggage — then it is advisable to check with the company too.

The golden rule for any passenger is to know what is being purchased, and be sure that the insurance covers the things that are specially important to them.