When is the right time to book a travel insurance policy? A day before the trip or a month beforehand? You have booked your holiday package and you know the importance of having a domestic or overseas travel insurance, but the question is when should you buy it? Our suggestion is that you book your travel insurance policy as soon as your flights and hotel bookings are done. If the flight and hotel tickets are non-refundable then pushing it for the last moment is equivalent to pushing your luck. If an emergency arises, you will lose out on both time and money. Hence, it’s advisable that you book your travel insurance policy beforehand to cover yourself against any uncertainties. The sooner you do it, the sooner you will be protected against any medical, financial or legal emergency before and during your trip.

If you need to take one or two trips in a year, then you can buy a single trip travel insurance to cover yourself for the entire duration from the date of purchase of policy to until trip ends. The cover will cease once you return. It’s much wiser to get your travel insurance in advance as it can cover you from the date of booking till the trip is ends. If you travel frequently, then taking up a multi-trip policy like Reliance travel insurance can be a smart choice. Reliance travel care policy for annual multi trips covers you and all your trips against any unforeseen emergency. To get pre-departure risk cover, make sure that you buy the policy at least one month in advance, as the benefits begin from the date of purchase and end on the stipulated return-date.

Benefits of Purchasing Travel Insurance in Advance
Protection Against Trip Cancellation

The reason why you should take travel insurance is to safeguard yourself against trip cancellations. If, due to an exigency, you have to cancel your trip, then you will lose the entire booking amount you paid for the trip. But if you have a travel insurance policy, it will protect you against this kind of unexpected cancellation expense. Remember, your travel insurer will not provide claim for any predictable event.

Protection Against Illnesses

A travel insurance policy provides coverage against any illness or emergency during a trip. What if you, or any of your family members, falls ill before the trip and have to cancel it? If such a situation arises, and you have booked a travel policy in advance, it would protect you against any sudden illness from the time of booking your travel insurance policy. If you are not able to board your flight due to these uncertainties, then your insurer shall compensate you. Remember to inform your travel insurance company about any pre-existing illnesses at the time of booking the policy, and determine if these illnesses can be given a cover as well.

Protection Against Uncertainties

If you are travelling abroad and you have an overseas travel insurance bought in advance, then any uncertainty which may curtail your trip can be compensated by your insurer. Do read the policy documents to determine whether a particular event is covered by the travel insurance provider or not. There are a number of uncertain events that may lead to trip cancellation, for example, a medical exigency, sudden demise of a family member, or losing a job. So, having your travel insurance handy would save you from last minute hassles.

Personalized Coverage

The best part of a travel insurance purchased in advance, is that it allows the you to make certain alteration to the policy, in accordance to your holiday needs. It will give you time to decide on add-ons that you can add to your policy. Hence, you can customise your plan and get set with a travel insurance policy that works just right for you.

Conclusion

If you do not wish to fork out unnecessary money and aim to choose the most economical travel insurance plan, then you might need to reconsider your idea. It’s not necessary that the cheapest policy will work out right for you. Remember to take a comprehensive coverage and ensure that you do not remain under-insured. This would backfire on you as the insurer won’t provide full coverage against certain losses or damages. When you wisely decide to buy reliance travel insurance, or any other overseas insurance plan, make sure, that you read the policy documents thoroughly to determine all the coverage and limitations before the final purchase.

Check if the policy offers coverage from the day of policy purchase and not just at the beginning of your trip. If there is any specific travel insurance need, then research about it before zeroing down on a travel insurance plan.

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