Is Travel Insurance Really Important? Is It Necessary to Buy One?

Travel does not come without its expenses. You may have to save a lotfor a trip before you commence it. It is especially true for long trips or trips abroad. This is where travel insurance comes into play.

Travel insurance is an insurance policy that protects you and your family from any unforeseen emergencies during your trip. Should you find yourself in an unfortunate situation, where you have a medical emergency, an accident or incur extra expenses due to luggage misplacement or delay, travel insurance comes to your rescue.

Why Travel Insurance Is Beneficial to You

Let us take a look at some of the major reasons why travel insurance is an important part of your trip and what are the things covered under it:

A Friend in Need

Travel insurance is not just about covering the unexpected expenses on your trip. It is also a support system that helps you out in times of need. You may feel lost in case of emergencies, especially on foreign soil. You may not speak their language and may not know what to do. This puts you in a very vulnerable position with an urgent need for help. Travel insurance companies are there to help and guide you 24/7  through any situation.

Travel Medical Insurance

Travelling can bring unforeseen medical emergencies for anyone. You would need someone to help you out if you face a medical emergency in a foreign country. Moreover, healthcare in foreign countries is quite expensive. However, travel insurance covers any expenses that you incur on your treatment and provides any assistance required. Since you cannot predict such situations, it is always better to be prepared.

Personal Liability

Travel insurance will also cover any expenses incurred due to causing damage to a third party property or person during your trip abroad.

Cancellation/Interruption of Trip

Sometimes, you may have to cancel your trip or even have to cut short your trip to return back home. In such a case, you will lose all the non-refundable expenses that you have already paid for. Travel insurance covers such expenses on your behalf and reimburses any losses that you face incur.

Certain countries require you to compulsorily have travel insurance to visit them in the first place.

Common instances during travel like misplacement of documents, misplaced or lost luggage, delay of flight or luggage check-in etc. may incur extra expenses. These are covered by the insurance for you.

Find the Best Travel Insurance for You

There are a variety of travel insurance companies available in the market today. It can get rather confusing to choose the best travel insurance policy from a plethora of options. You can do so by keeping some key factors in mind.

There are different kinds of travel insurances for different situations and people. The extensive market of insurance offers individual travel insurance, family travel insurance, student travel insurance, domestic travel insurance, international travel insurance, frequent flyer travel insurance, etc. You can find suitable travel insurance no matter which type of traveller are you.

There are two broad types of travel insurance policies available in India:

Single Trip Insurance

This kind of travel insurance is made for the not-so-frequent traveller. It provides coverage for accidental death, medical expenses, check-in baggage-related issues, delay of flight departure, etc. It is usually valid for a single trip.

Multi-Trip Insurance

This type of insurance is meant for people who frequently travel abroad and is generally valid for a year. The traveller is required to pay a premium only once and get protection for all the trips undertaken in the year. There is no limit to the trips you take in that period.

How to Choose the Best Travel Insurance India

Most general insurance companies offer a wide range of travel insurance policies in India. There are various factors that influence the type of travel insurance that will best serve the purpose of your trip.

• Some countries have exceptionally high costs of healthcare. In case you are travelling to such countries, it is best to choose a travel insurance policy that will provide higher coverage on medical expenses.
• Some countries may be more prone to natural disaster than other countries. Travelling to such countries will require you to pay a higher insurance premium as there is a high-risk factor attached to it.
• It is important to understand the insurance policy you are choosing. You must be aware of the coverage provided by different insurance policies before you actually choose one. Read all the information provided and understand the exclusions of different travel insurance policies. You do not want to be surprised if your travel insurance policy does not cover an emergency that you are in the middle of.

Getting your trip insured is the best advice anyone can give you when you are planning a trip. We often find people reluctant to pay extra for travel insurance. This is understandable as travel costs money and travel insurance inflates those costs by around 4-8%. It is difficult to pay additional when you are already paying a lot for your trip. But insuring expensive trips can help you save huge amount of money in case an adversity strikes during your travel.

Travel insurance is there to help you cover expenses that you may not be able to bear on your own. You cannot predict everything in life. It’s the same with a trip. You never know when you might find yourself facing an unfavourable situation requiring financial help. Travel insurance also gives you peace of mind so that you can enjoy your trip to the fullest.

You can find all the details on travel insurance online these days. All you need to do is compare different travel insurance online and make an informed decision. It also enables you to buy travel insurance online at any time, anywhere. So go and enjoy your trip without worrying about anything with travel insurance by your side.