Why Travel Insurance is Your Best Friend Abroad

As you prepare for that big trip you have coming up, there is likely extensive planning involved. Booking your flight and lodging, figuring out what to pack, researching how to get around, determining what activities you want to do… the list can go on and on. One of the most important things to have on your list that can be easy to overlook is travel insurance. It may seem like an unnecessary way to spend your money, but travel insurance can really pay off if something unfortunate were to happen.

Why Buy Travel Insurance?

It’s always good to be on the safe side when it comes to travel insurance. You never know when something bad could occur, and especially when traveling you want to make sure you are prepared. Whether you get sick, injured, lose your expensive camera, or need to cancel your flight, you can rest assured that you have travel insurance to cover you. Betting on your health is never worth it since accidents can happen at any time.

What’s the Difference Between Regular and Travel Insurance?

When traveling internationally, your regular travel insurance likely will not cover you when an accident happens. However, it is worth checking first with your current insurance provider to find out if coverage extends overseas since insurance companies and policies can vary widely. With that said, there is a lot more that travel insurance covers that a typical health insurance policy will not. In addition to coverage for accidents and illnesses, travel insurance can cover damage or theft of expensive equipment, trip cancellation, or last minute flights home if a family member passes away.

How to Choose a Travel Insurance Plan?

If you plan to be traveling long term or many times throughout the year, purchasing travel insurance online may be your best bet. There are plenty of options out there so it’s important to understand what makes the most sense for you to look for in a travel insurance plan, or to request if you are putting together a custom plan.

Medical coverage is of course the most important, especially having emergency evacuations covered as they can be very costly. You also want to be covered for stolen, lost, or damaged possessions so you are not left without your luggage/backpack or other necessities. Finally, if you are traveling with a laptop or other expensive equipment you want to be sure they are covered. There are typically supplemental plans offered specifically for these types of items, and if you have home insurance you can also check with your company to find out if your gear is already covered by that plan.

While this is by no means an all inclusive list, there is no way around spending time to do research on the travel insurance plan that fits best for you. Although I hope you never actually have to use the travel insurance, you will certainly not regret purchasing it anything were to happen.

Have you ever needed to make use of your travel insurance? Share in the comments below how it came in handy for you while traveling!