Going on holiday and traveling to exotic countries is a great way to experience new things and satisfy your adventuring spirit. The fun and exciting part of traveling is getting out of your comfort zone, which can be a scary thing for some people. Unfortunately, accidents and misfortunes sometimes occur when traveling, so it is always better to be prepared for these costly misadventures.
Many people combat these possible unfortunate situations by purchasing travel insurance. This helps give them peace of mind throughout their travels because they know that if something goes wrong, they will be taken care of financially. This can be especially true for older individuals who have worked their whole lives saving money to travel the world, but have pre-existing conditions, which make these travels medically risky. You simply never know when a medical emergency may arise—and doctor, hospital and emergency room visits can be quite expensive in some countries. Thankfully, there are great travel insurance websites where you can find coverage even with a pre-existing condition. So before heading off on an adventure of a lifetime, take a look at the benefits of travel insurance, because it can certainly be quite useful.
Medical Treatment
Perhaps the most important benefit of travel insurance is coverage in the case of an illness or accident while traveling. Having medical travel insurance will protect you from the monetary costs of treating any and all medical mishaps while on holiday. Whether it is food poisoning, a fall or an allergic reaction, you will be covered. Also, there are some medical travel insurance plans that will not only cover your hospital bills, but transportation costs as well if you need transport to a different hospital or even back home. Some of the more high-quality plans will also cover expenses for a loved one to travel to visit a sick or injured person, and sometimes even a few days at a hotel too. This protection makes traveling a little less worrisome for people because they know they will be taken care of.
Though most medical travel insurance packages will only cover new injuries or illnesses, there are some sites, such as Medical Travel Compared, where you can find travel insurance that will cover certain pre-existing conditions, such as epilepsy, high blood pressure and asthma. Coverage for some of these conditions may not always be available, but insurance providers will work with you in order to get the coverage you need.
Another great benefit of medical travel insurance is that some plans will cover prescription drugs. Usually, as long as the condition you are taking medication for is covered by your travel insurance plan, then your prescriptions will be covered as well. This is helpful because sometimes luggage will get lost during a trip, and if your medication is with that luggage, you may be forced to pay full price for your prescription if it is not covered.
Unexpected Cancellations
Planning a holiday is often a costly venture, so if your plans abruptly change while on holiday, more often than not, the hard-earned money you spent is simply lost. For example, you are in the middle of a fantastic cruise, when all of a sudden there is a terrorist attack on one of the ports you were supposed to visit. The rest of the cruise is therefore cancelled and there will be no refunds. This is just one of the endless examples of a holiday being ended prematurely and you being stuck with the bill. Travel insurance will protect you from these types of situations because most plans will cover many non-refundable holiday costs.
Also, travel insurance will cover hotel room costs and other fees if there is a delay in your travels. For example, if your flight to catch a cruise ship is delayed due to weather or whatever other reason, travel insurance will cover the costs to get you on a new cruise ship, or pay for the transportation expenses to meet up with your already departed cruise.
Miscellaneous Coverage
Other types of coverage, which are usually included in most travel insurance packages, can be helpful as well. One of these includes coverage in the case of death while travelling; this type of coverage will pay for the cost of transporting the body back home and will provide monetary compensation as laid out in the insurance plan.
Another common point of coverage is for lost luggage and other travel services. Luggage is lost all the time, after all, and people traveling without insurance are simply out of luck in many instances. Travellers with insurance, on the other hand, will receive full compensation for their luggage. Insurance for travel services such as credit card replacements, translators, glasses repair and lost or stolen prescription drugs is also provided through most of these plans. Some will also offer twenty-four-hour emergency services to their customers. This can be incredibly helpful if you are caught in a natural disaster or some other unforeseen event. Having your insurance company helping you out in these types of circumstances can literally be a life saver, especially when you’re in a country where you don’t speak the language.
Lastly, travel insurance can help individuals who have lost their passports. They will work quickly and judiciously to get you replacement documents and some will even pay for hotels and transportation during this sometimes lengthy waiting process.
The Only Way to Travel
Nothing in life is guaranteed. You can plan the most spectacular holiday known to man, and believe that everything will go according to plan, only to have it unravel due to a series of unfortunate events. Of course, holidays usually do go according to plan, but it is certainly advisable to at least prepare for the worst even while you hope for the best. Travel insurance gives people the protection they need for all sorts of travel mishaps. Don’t let your dream holiday become a financial nightmare due to outlandish hospital bills or any one of the other costly mishaps that can not only ruin your holiday, but set you back financially as well.