- Don’t forget insurance for the family trip!
Traveling creates memories of a lifetime, and can also mean encountering the unexpected; ranging from an inconvenient flight delay to a truly serious medical emergency or evacuation. In today’s travel environment it’s increasingly important to protect yourself and your travel investment.
For a true sense of security, a comprehensive travel insurance policy from a reputable, independent travel insurance company is paramount. Medical insurance policies may not protect your travels abroad and often have out-of-network deductibles. Likewise, coverage through credit cards and travel suppliers can have shortfalls and not fully protect you in travel situations like the above.
A variety of travel insurance plans are available in today’s marketplace ranging from the most basic to the best in coverage. Consider the importance of these highlights when selecting the right travel insurance plan for your journey.
The Basics
Travel insurance plans offer coverage for your trip investment in the event you need to cancel or interrupt your travels. You recover prepaid, non-refundable trip costs if filing a claim for a covered reason. These reasons vary greatly from plan to plan but commonly include unexpected events such as sickness, injury, death, weather, residence/destination uninhabitable, and employment termination.
Should your trip become delayed for a covered reason, you don’t need to worry about additional expenses. Reimbursement for extra accommodations, transportation and meals are usually included. Trip delay coverage generally begins after 5 hours with the most extensive plans and up to 24 hours on others.
Baggage coverage is included with a typical travel insurance plan to protect your personal belongings if they become lost, stolen, damaged or delayed. A number of plans also include a type of accidental death and dismemberment benefit to cover loss of life, limbs or sight while traveling.
Coverage for medical expenses and evacuation are also common and two very important benefits to consider when purchasing a travel insurance policy. These are worthy of special attention and explained in full detail below.
Primary Coverage is Best
This becomes important when considering the amount of time that is required to file and process a claim, moreover, how long it will take to receive your payment. Choose primary coverage to avoid any added hassle. Filing fewer claims means a quicker payout and one less thing to worry about.
Unexpected Medical Expenses
- Be ready for the unexpected.
Ensure you’re covered if you need to see a doctor for a medical emergency while traveling, especially if going abroad. Your personal medical healthcare policy may offer limited coverage or none at all, once you travel outside the United States. The plan may also have lower benefits or have deductibles when using an out-of-network doctor.
For coverage of a sickness or injury while traveling, choose a travel insurance plan with the appropriate amount of medical coverage needed for your destination to ensure you receive adequate medical attention and treatment if necessary.
Value of Emergency Transportation
Should a sickness or injury escalate to the need for an emergency medical evacuation, travel insurance plans can cover the cost of transportation to the nearest qualified medical facility to receive treatment. Today’s price tag for this service, without travel insurance coverage, can be staggering.
Choosing this benefit in your travel insurance plan is a wise decision and a must if your destination is an exotic or remote location. Plans with a high amount of medical evacuation coverage are recommended for those far-off destinations.
Many policies include transportation of a visitor of your choice to stay with you or to transport any traveling children back home. Some plans also offer evacuation to your hospital of choice and include repatriation of remains.
Pre-Existing Condition Waiver
Place particular importance on travel insurance plans with a pre-existing condition waiver. Policies can have exclusions for coverage if you have a pre-existing medical condition. If your travel insurance purchase is made within so many days of your initial trip deposit, numerous plans offer a waiver for these conditions, making them eligible for coverage.
24 Hour Travel Assistance
- Travel insurance can help keep you stress-free while in paradise.
Several plans even include concierge services for advice on planning your trip or help with booking reservations for a golf tee time, dinner, event tickets, etc.
For all of these reasons, we recommend Travelex Insurance Services to our customers. Travelex plans are considered an “industry best” and offer a variety of coverage to fit any travel lifestyle. Whether you lose your job, or have the misfortune of becoming sick while traveling, a comprehensive travel insurance plan with Travelex helps get you back on track and find the peace of mind your trip deserves.
