How to Get Travel Insurance For A Child?

What is Travel Insurance?

Travel insurance is an agreement between the insurer and the insured that covers the latter against unforeseen circumstances while traveling. These could include loss of luggage, medical emergencies, accidental deaths, trip cancellations/delays, etc. Travel insurance becomes all the more crucial if you have dependent children. If anything unfortunate were to happen to you, your children will be compensated for the same. 

In current times, there are a lot of travel opportunities for minors in regards to educational pursuits, sports activities, competitive exams, etc. Children traveling alone may not be as equipped to handle the abovementioned challenges as with an adult. It is also naturally not feasible for a parent to accompany them at all times. Travel insurance for children can help offset the risk under such circumstances.  

How to Get Travel Insurance For A Child?

Remember that the best travel insurance for a child is one that offers protection against medical exigencies as well as travel-related expenses. Here’s how you can get a comprehensive travel insurance plan for your child:

1. Determine Your Child’s Requirements

   Before you blindly start looking for travel insurance options, understand why your child needs it. The coverage that you choose should factor in the type of travel (domestic travel or international), age of the child, prior medical conditions, common travel mishaps such as flight delays/cancellations, loss of tickets/baggage, etc. A child with a medical history should have travel insurance that covers hospitalizations fees. International travel would call for a bigger travel insurance package than domestic travel. 

2. Compare Travel Insurance Companies

   Once you have identified the goal of purchasing travel insurance for your child, you should look at insurance companies that offer products that align with your standards. Usually, travel insurance for traveling children will vary from one insurer to another. You should compare the quotes on their insurance policies and shortlist a few that matches your requirements and budget. While shortlisting insurance companies, do not forget to check their claims services, their network hospitals, and their presence across the globe. 

3. Check Exclusions

   You must check the exclusions and the coverage limits that come with the travel insurance schemes of your shortlisted insurers. These exclusions should not clash with your requirements or the cover makes no sense. Remember that premiums shouldn't be the only criteria to base your travel insurance selection for your child. Also, make sure that your child is aware of these exclusions when traveling to ensure that they avoid any activity that requires them to pay out-of-pocket.  

4. Pick a Comprehensive Cover

   Once you have identified the needs and shortlisted plans, you should be in a position to choose a suitable travel insurance plan for your child that offers maximum coverage at affordable premiums. While general travel insurance policies for children offer coverage against certain sports, you may have to pay additional premiums to cover high-risk activities. One important inclusion to look for right now is COVID cover with the travel insurance policy. 

5. Apply For A Proposal With A Travel Insurance Company

   Once you have the plan, go to the company’s website and purchase it online. You could also visit their respective branch to get travel insurance for your child. There are advantages of buying travel insurance online such as requiring a fewer number of documents, no medical check-ups, and instant policy issuance. Once you have made the purchase and paid the required premium amount, the insurer issues the policy within minutes. 

Coverage Under Travel Insurance For Children

You can expect to receive the following benefits with a travel insurance plan for your child:

• Reimbursement for medical treatment 

• Emergency hospital cash benefit

• Cost of medical evacuation

• Accidental death and permanent disability

• Repatriation of remains

• Loss of checked-in baggage

• Loss of passport and travel documents

• Flight cancellation

• Loss of currency

Summing Up!

Getting travel insurance for children separately is crucial as it offers a wider range of benefits and independent sum assured. If anything unfortunate were to happen to them during their travels, domestic or otherwise, you can rest assured that they have the means to deal with them. Make sure to keep all the relevant documents handy to ensure a smooth claims process. You shall be required to submit extensive details for approval from the travel insurance company. 

On top of all this, the next most crucial thing is to inform your child about the specificity of their travel insurance policy. Being aware of the inclusions and exclusions allows them to be careful, in addition to incurring lower out-of-pocket expenses when faced with challenging circumstances while traveling.