There are only a few things in life that are as exciting as planning a trip to a new country. As thrilling it is to experience a new place, meet new people and be captivated with new experiences, nothing in life is free of risks. Everything in life comes with its own set of perils and that’s probably why even though we can’t avoid them completely, we do have the option to make things better for ourselves, in case something does befall us. In today’s world, we could probably refer this to as international travel insurance. But what is it really and what are you supposed to expect from this single policy document? While this primarily depends on the kind of travel insurance you buy online, here are 10 things you could largely expect from good travel insurance.
1. Flight Delay Compensation
Think of all the times your flight has been delayed and you’re just sitting there at the airport, wondering how to really spend your time. One of the simplest things to expect and benefit from an international travel insurance is the fact that it’ll compensate a fixed amount of money you can spend at the airport in the case of a flight delay. Food. Books. A Foot Spa. Entertainment. You can spend it the way you like. While many travel insurances require you to make the required claim or apply for reimbursements, travel policy is simple and instant as it automatically transfers Rs 1,000 when your flight has been delayed.
2. Coverage For Medical Emergencies
Unfortunately, one of the most common things to happen to travelers on a foreign trip is falling ill. From something as minor as a common cold or fever to instances of allergies or god forbid, an accident. Now, depending on where you’re off too, medical expenses can differ and, in many cases, be extremely expensive. That’s where your travel insurance comes into use as it compensates for all medical emergencies and expenses during your trip. For example: If you’re traveling to the UK and are affected by a pollen allergy, just a generic visit to a doctor for a basic consultancy can cost you a minimum of Rs 3,500! Best travel policy would probably cost you less than one-third of that!
3. Saves You From Unfortunate Travel Scams
No place is devoured of its scams. Especially when it comes to popular tourist destinations such as Bangkok, Istanbul, New York, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, London, Bali, Canada and Mexico amongst many others. Largely what these scams lead to are, loss of money or valuable belongings and that’s exactly where you can expect your international travel insurance to help you. Depending on your travel insurance provider, all you need is to make a claim and if required, support it with a police complaint. For example; with the online travel insurance, all you need to do is give them a missed call and they’ll call you back within 10 minutes and based on what’s been stolen, you’ll be compensated accordingly.
4. Assures You During Adventure Sports
No trip is complete without trying out the city’s famous adventure sports. Whether you’re going to Bali or Thailand to enjoy some water sports activities or are going on a winter tour and would want to try your hand at skiing or ice skating, the options are endless. However, so are the risks involved with it- especially if you’re only an amateur. Lucky for you, select travel insurances, covers travelers for all adventure sports activities as well. You could check out their complete coverage details and buy travel insurance online.
5. Reimburses Nonrefundable Expenses
No matter how much we plan; no plans are really permanent and almost everything in life is at a risk of changing. Therefore, one of the most important benefits you can expect from an international travel insurance is the fact that, some travel insurances cover for trip abandonments due to emergencies. This means, all those nonrefundable expenses could be reimbursed for by your travel insurance when things don’t go as planned and you have to unfortunately cancel out on your upcoming trip.
Note: To use this benefit, you should have bought your travel insurance for your respective trip well before your date of departure. The easiest bet is to buy a travel insurance online.
6. Covers You On Personal Liability Bonds
A personal liability bond ensures you are financially protected. In an international travel insurance, you can expect your travel insurance to financially cover for you during times of legal trouble. However, you must ensure whether the same is covered for in your respective travel policy or not. For example; if you’re travelling to Croatia and you’ve decided to take the country down by road and plan to rent a car for the same. Now, in case you damage the car (even it’s just a minor scratch), travel insurances could cover for it, which will not only reduce your stress but, also save you from spending on a separate car insurance during your time there.
7. Will Be Okay With Your Change Of Plans
As mentioned above, our plans aren’t always permanent. That’s why, in case of any unforeseen circumstances or even medical emergencies, you can expect your international travel insurance to cover for the expenses that arise out of the same such as change in pre-booked flight tickets, nonrefundable bookings, etc. Only thing you need to plan and be sure of is, that you have bought a travel insurance well before your assumed departure dates. If you have a trip coming up soon and haven’t bought a travel insurance yet, you can buy travel insurance online.
8. Takes Care Of The Things You’ve Accidentally Missed Out
We’re all a little jinxed sometimes. For unfortunate times when we find ourselves losing important belongings to petty thieves, your travel insurance can be your guardian angel and make up for the loss of money or belongings. For example; a very common thing to face in Istanbul is, losing out on your money or even your mobile due to smart pick pocketers. If you’re ever to face something similar, you can make a claim with your respective travel insurance company and get covered for your losses.
9. Extends Your Trip For You In Case Of An Emergency
Apart from the fact that you’re having too much of a great time to come back, your travel insurance can cover for times when you need to extend your trip due to any kind of emergency. In this case, all finances that arise could be covered by your respective international travel insurance. For example; say you’ve been in Europe and due to an injury, you’re expected to be under care for a few more days. In this case, your travel insurance would ideally cover for the same.
10. Safeguards Your Pocket From Unplanned Expenses
The primary objective of a travel insurance is to financially protect you from any unforeseen situations like medical emergencies, thefts, loss of baggage or passport, etc. Therefore, ensuring you are safeguarded from making any unplanned expenses. For example; say you’re going on a two-week trip to the U.S.A and during your time there, mistakenly lose your passport. In this case, you can expect your travel insurance to sort this out for you, by getting your new passport done by the respective embassy and, covering all expenses that arise due to the same.
In conclusion, and to simply put it – the most basic thing to expect from any travel insurance is, someone to rely on when things go wrong.
If you haven’t yet bought a travel insurance for your upcoming trip, you can checkout insurance company that offers an international travel insurance for different countries at an extremely affordable price.