Travel insurance covers various kinds of risk factors. The purpose of the travel insurance is to absorb the unpleasant experiences during travel. Even though you take the best possible precautions, your health may be spoiled due to various reasons. If you become sick before the journey, you can cancel the trip, however if you have already ventured on the travel you have to bear the medications and treatment costs. The travel insurance policy will compensate the loss as per the terms and conditions of the policy. The sudden sickness during journey will be covered by the travel insurance policy so that you will be hospitalized without any issues.

Features of a Travel Insurance Plan

• Trip Cancellation - The trip may be cancelled due to various reasons. Personal illness, illness in the family or illnesses of a business partner are valid and acceptable reasons which will let you claim the travel insurance policy.
• Trip Interruption - The trip interruption may be caused due to various reasons. If you are in the middle of the trip and become sick, the trip may be cancelled. The trip might be cancelled due to ill health of the family member or travel companion or business partner.
• Emergency Medical Assistance - The emergency medical assistance will be provided in hospitals outside the network of the insurance company. If there is need for urgent medical care, it will be facilitated by the insurance company or the insured can approach the nearest hospital and get reimbursement.
• Emergency Evacuation - If you are critically ill, you should get emergency medical assistance. You will not get help from the local medical facilities and you should be deported to your country on an urgent basis.

Exclusions

When you are buying a Travel Insurance Cover to cover illness, you should understand the fact that the insurance company will offer the policy based on certain exclusions:

• Illness Pertaining to a Pre-Existing Condition - The insurance company will not pay for expenses involved towards unused pre-paid trip expenses if the insured is suffering from a pre-existing condition.
• Travel Interruption Due to a Pre-Existing Condition - If you want to cancel the trip due to a pre-existing health condition, the insurance company is not liable for payment. If you buy a travel insurance policy that covers a pre-existing condition, the insurance policy can be claimed for trip interruption without any issues.
• Emergency Medical Assistance due to Pre-Existing Condition - Emergency medical assistance or emergency evacuation is not applicable to pre-existing medical condition.
• Alcohol or Drug Abuse - If there is sickness due to alcohol or drug abuse, the risk is not covered by the travel insurance policy.
• Self-Afflicted Injury - Intentional injuries are not covered by the travel insurance policy.

Benefits of Travel Insurance Plan

As you buy a medical travel insurance plan, you will cover all kinds of travel-related expenses without any issues.

Medical Expenses - If you become sick or injured, you will incur various kinds of expenses. If you are injured during the trip, the medical expenses will be paid by the insurance company as per the terms and conditions. The following expenses are covered by the insurance policy:

• Diagnostics tests
• Hospitalization expenses
• Emergency surgery
• Emergency dental treatment expenses
• Emergency transportation
• Repatriation of remains to India (In case of death)
• Trip Cancellation - The trip may be cancelled or postponed due to a variety of reasons. The trip should be cancelled due to the death of the insured or close family member. In some cases, emergency hospitalization is warranted. In such scenarios, the trip should be cancelled. The Travel Insurance Cover will include the trip cancellation subject to certain terms and conditions. The trip cancellation is warranted due to the cancellation of the flight service by the airlines. The airlines may cancel the trip due to man-made disasters (terrorism) or natural calamities (earthquake, flood, cyclone, etc.). As per the policy terms and conditions, the travel insurance company will reimburse the amount to specific cancellation events. The amount paid by the insurance company will help the insured to pay for the hotel accommodation until the confirmation of the connecting flight. If the flight is delayed beyond by a specific period of time set by the insurance company, the insurance company will process the claim.
• Loss of Baggage - If there is loss of baggage, the insurance company will compensate for the loss of baggage as per the terms and conditions of the insurance company.
• Loss of Travel Documents - Loss of essential travel documents such as passport and visa will be compensated by the insurance company.
• Delay in Collecting the Checked-in Baggage - If there is delay in collecting the checked-in baggage, the insurance company will pay the cash to buy essential items so that there will not be a problem.
• Personal Liability - The damages caused by the insured to the third party will be covered by the ‘personal liability’ clause of the insurance plan. A pre-fixed amount determined by the insurance company will be paid to the insured. The personal liability will cover death (or injury) to a third party or damage to the property owned by the third party.
• Personal Accident - If there is death or disability of the insured due to accident, the insurance company will offer the compensation as per the terms and conditions of the policy. The expenses involved in repatriation of the remains will be borne by the insurance company.
• Home Security - Home security is an optional clause under the travel insurance plan. The damage of house or loss of household items will be compensated by the insurance plan. The loss due to fire, theft and burglary are some of the events covered by the insurance plan.
• Hijack Distress - The hijack risk is covered by insurance companies. If an airplane is hijacked, the insurance company will pay the ‘hijack distress allowance’ as per the terms and conditions of the policy.

Customization of the Travel Insurance Plan

A travel insurance plan can be customized as per the needs of customers in a very efficient manner. Travel insurance companies offer various kinds of policies to lure customers. You should choose features that are relevant to your needs. If you subscribe to unwanted features, the insurance premium will increase.

Comparison of Travel Insurance Plans

Before buying travel insurance plan, you should compare various kinds of health insurance plans offered by different companies. The features and budget differ from one policy to another policy.

Selection of Travel Insurance Policy

The insurance policy suitable for your friend may not fulfill your needs. You should buy a travel insurance plan to cover your specific needs. The selection of plan should be done as per the place of visit, number of persons, risk factors and other issues. You should buy a ‘value for money’ policy so that the premium will be low and the benefits will be high.

The travel insurance plan should be purchased as soon as you book a travel insurance plan. If you enquire an existing insurance plan, you will get better options and discounts. Travel insurance policy can be purchased from banks or travel insurance companies which do not collect service charges from customers.

Duration of the Policy

• Single trip
• Multi-trip

Single Trip - The travelling risks for one single trip within the country or outside the country will be covered by the plan.

Multi-Trip Plan - If you travel very frequently, you should go for multi-trip plan. You can purchase the travel insurance plan for one year and it will cover various trips. There will be great convenience as you will not want to purchase a policy for each trip. There are few insurance companies which offer the policy for more than one year. You should enquire your insurance company.

Types of Travel Insurance Plans

There are various types of travel insurance policies based on the number of insured persons.

• Individual Travel Insurance Plan - An individual travel insurance policy will cover various kinds of risks. Even though the premium is high, it will serve the purpose to the full potential extent. The policy can be purchased for either domestic or foreign travel. The unique features of the policy include medical emergencies, coverage of cancellation of trip, coverage of general illness as well as medical expenses. If you go for domestic travel insurance, the coverage is applicable for accidental claims only.
• Family Travel Insurance Plan - You can include all the family members with the family travel insurance plan. Loss of baggage, hospitalization expenses and reimbursement options are available with family travel insurance plan.
• Student Travel Insurance Plan - students who are travelling abroad for higher studies or diploma programs can enroll for an appropriate travel insurance plan. The travel insurance policy should be subscribed as per the guidelines of the foreign universities. It is possible to buy a policy in India so that you can cut down the premium cost and there will be higher insurance benefits.
• Corporate Travel Insurance Plan - A corporate travel insurance policy can be bought to cover the needs of single or group of business professionals.

Add-on Coverage Options

If you find it difficult to purchase a travel insurance policy of your choice, you can buy the basic travel insurance plan and additional options can be exercised.

People participating in racing and adventure sports pose high risk. The information should be shared with the insurance company so that the insurance company offers the best insurance policy for clients.

Add-on covers are applicable when travelling to high-risk zones. For example, if you are travelling to war-torn country or city, there will be great risk. Most of the insurance companies will not cover the risks involved during war and other man-made disasters. An insurance company will collect higher premium and the policy will be offered to fulfill the needs of customers.

Pre-existing medical condition - Pre-existing medical condition can be covered by paying additional premium.

Travel Insurance Plans from Reputed Companies:

There are various kinds of travel insurance plans offered by reputed companies in India. By buying a travel insurance policy from an India-based company, there will be great flexibility. The insurance premium will be low and the coverage will be high. The premium can be paid in rupees and the benefits are available in foreign currency. The insurance company will help customers in choosing the best hospitals and clinics for emergency medical care.

• Apollo Munich travel insurance - Individual, single, multi-trip and senior citizen travel insurance plans
• Bajaj Allianz travel insurance - Individual, student, senior citizen plans
• HDFC ERGO travel insurance - Individual, student, family, international travel insurance plans
• Bharti AXA travel insurance - Individual, family, senior citizen travel insurance plans

How to Claim a Travel Insurance Plan?

You should be able to choose the best travel insurance cover and should be aware of the claim settlement procedure as well.

As soon as the need arises to claim the policy, you should contact the insurance company by calling the toll-free number. You will have access to the toll-free number on a 24/7 basis. You can also reach the insurance company by email.

To claim a travel policy, the following documents should be submitted:

• Name of the insured person
• Phone number and email ID of insured person
• Citizenship of the policyholder
• Name of the country where the accident took place
• Date, time and place of the accident
• Description of loss or theft
• Diagnosis reports during medical emergency

Based on the trip requirements, you should compare various travel insurance policies. The best travel insurance policy will cover most of the risks and out of pocket expenses can be eliminated. As you choose the online channel, you will get unbiased information and it is possible to choose the best travel insurance cover very easily.

Conclusion

A travel insurance policy is required to cover various risks of domestic as well as overseas trips.  If you are in homeland, the health issues will be covered by the health insurance policy. The health insurance will not cover risks associated with the travel. Hence, you should buy a comprehensive travel insurance cover to maximize your benefits.

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