Traveling is a part of life. There are hardly any people who do not love to travel and explore new places. Travelling gives you a break from your hectic life and provides relaxation to your body and mind.
But mind you, nothing is completely safe and secure in today’s world. There is a huge risk factor attached with everything you do, be it the joining of a new job, buying a new house or travelling to a new place for a small vacation. You never know what you may have to face as soon as you step out from your house. Therefore, it is advisable to have a backup; to keep yourself safe to an extent which is possible and can be easily attained.
It is pretty obvious that nobody will stop going for vacations due to the fear of a road accident or a natural calamity such as landslide or flood, unless and until it is very clear that something of this sort is going to happen. But one thing that every individual could do and must do is to have a travel insurance plan.
Buying a travel insurance plan makes you feel safe and secured. You enjoy to the fullest when you know there is someone who will help you in the time of need if any sort of mishappening occurs.
But buying a travel insurance policy is not an easy job. What type should a person buy? How should he or she prioritize his or her needs? Should the focus lie on the premium costs or on the coverage? These are some of the questions that are always faced by an individual who is planning to buy travel insurance.
Well, there is not just one thing that needs to be focused upon. While buying a travel insurance plan a person needs to look in to a lot many aspects. The needs and requirements of his or her family members, the type and duration of the trip, etc. are all such things that really matter.
What type of trip are you going to?
Not every kind of trip requires travel insurance. But it is always a good idea to keep yourself insured whenever you take a step outside your door for a short trip.
Consider a situation where you are going for a two day trip to your grandmother’s house. Do you need any kind of travel insurance plan for the same? Obviously not!
Now consider another situation, where you are going with a group of your college friends to another country. Now this asks for a travel insurance plan, for sure.
So the type of trip that you are going to really matters a lot. Going in a group of around five young boys to another country involves risk. Trips that involve traveling by air are usually risky. There are chances of mishaps which includes flight delay due to poor weather conditions, baggage being misplaced etc. which can cost you a bit high. Good travel insurance plans help you to reimburse the financial loss up to the extent that your policy allows for.
If you have made any advance payments, which may get cancelled later on, you can avoid the risk with the help of your insurance policy.
Also, keep in mind the cost of the medical services at the place where you are going. If they happen to be expensive and far beyond your reach it is better you get your trip insured and avoid any sense of insecurity or fear.
Duration of your trip.
The type of travel insurance policy you choose depends a lot on the duration of your trip. Longer duration trips demand higher premiums. For example, if you have planned to stay for a period of say five days, your insurance company will charge low premium rates in comparison to the case when your stay exceeds more than a week.
People who fly on a regular basis for business trips or any other reason should opt for yearly multi-trip policies to save money. Such plans lasts up to a year and one can extend the duration of the trip to 35-40 days. This happens because the additional administration charges are not to be incurred again and again as is the case with single-trip policies. The paper-work is also less and you need not go through the monotonous verification process again and again. Thus, you end up saving a lot of time as well!
Compare all the plans before purchasing.
Do not be in a hurry!
You should compare all the plans before you purchase any. Do not just select the first travel insurance plan that is available on the website. Do proper research. Consult people. List down your priorities and then see whether the plan that you are opting for fulfills all your needs or not. It should fit in to your budget comfortably, should be suitable not just for you but for your family members as well etc. Filter out some of the best Travel Insurance Plans that you see and then choose the best amongst them.
At first glance, all travel insurance plans might look similar to you in terms of providing coverage for cancellation of trip, but when you get in to minute details such as flight delay and baggage misplace you will see a huge variety of plans offering different services at very different prices. This is where you need to make a choice.
What is not covered under your plan?
It is a general tendency of people to focus more on the things that are being provided to them rather than on the things that are not being provided. This should not be the case while buying a travel insurance policy. You should always know what your policy is not offering you.
Many insurance companies do not cover the following things:
- Events of terror attacks and war
- Poor weather conditions and natural calamities
- Adventure activities that involves huge risk
- Medical problems that pre-exist
- Traveling to risky countries
Make sure you are okay with these exclusions or else do not buy the insurance plan. Check to make sure travelling with a criminal record is not an issue before booking the trip. Make it a practice of buying the insurance plan with least number of exclusions, so that you have to pay minimal amount for getting these facilities as extra add-ons.
Be very clear with what your policy is offering you.
Suppose, some medical emergency arises when you are out of your hometown, in a new country. And your policy does not provide any support for this. You will die of hearing the prices that you need to pay just for visiting a doctor in countries like United States of America.
Save yourself from this trouble!
You might think that buying a travel insurance policy is a waste of time and money. It is a boring topic which does not deserve much attention. Well, there are many people of the same mindset. They think that paying for travel insurance premiums is the worst thing one can ever think of doing. But, this is not the case.
To put in simple words, if you cannot afford travel insurance for yourself and your near ones, you cannot afford to travel.
You are all excited to go with your wife and kids for a two-week vacation to Greece. All the bookings have been done. What if your mother suddenly faces an accident? What if there is a natural calamity at your destination? What if your belongings get stolen or damaged? What if you lose your passport on your way back home? All these events are likely to occur, isn’t it?
Better be safe than to be sorry!
Having a travel insurance at this point of time makes complete sense.
Just do not mess up with your needs. Do not compromise on anything that is not worth it. You are not buying it for free; therefore, you have every right to demand for the best services. Apart from the points mentioned above there are many other criteria’s that needs to be kept in mind before you purchase a travel insurance plan.
If you want to have a gala time with the beloved ones you need to be present with them not only physically but mentally also. And, this is possible only if you are tension free. Buying travel insurance is a stress buster. It puts an end to all your worries.
Thus, stop delaying buying insurance and make a decision right now. Do not listen to what people say. They have their own life. Nobody will come to help you in case of any unfortunate event. You need to be prepared for it!
