Travelling to Visa-free Countries? Here's Why You Still Need Travel Insurance

Why Visa-Free Doesn't Mean Risk-Free

A visa-free entry simplifies the administrative process of visiting a country. However, you are still entering a foreign territory, and once you cross the border, you are still prone to local issues, risks and expenses. Even when a visa is not required, or the need to insure your journey for the same, a travel insurance policy is your only critical safety net for financial and medical protection.

Here's what you need to deal with:

• High Cost of Living: Most visa-free countries for Indians have a dual-pricing system or have a very high cost of living. Thailand, Mauritius, and Hong Kong are expensive countries that have significantly higher medical and logistical costs than India.
• Limited Local Support: Unless travelling with friends or visiting loved ones abroad, you are an alien in a new country with no local contacts or support. In case of an emergency or legal hurdles, you will need to struggle for basic local support.
• Unfamiliar System: If travelling to remote regions or places with limited connectivity, you may face issues due to a language barrier, limited healthcare facilities, and insufficient familiarity with the area's rules and regulations.

How Travel Insurance Covers Essentials

Your physical health and well-being are most important when abroad. Travel insurance ensures that basic but essential protection is always available to you:

• Medical Emergencies: You will be covered for hospital stays, doctor visits, surgery costs and any life-saving procedure if necessary. If healthcare facilities are limited, your insurer will even cover emergency medical evacuations.
• Trip Disruptions: Your travel insurance will cover your non-refundable prepaid expenses if your trip is cancelled or cut short due to unforeseen circumstances.
• Issues with Baggage and Documents: Loss of a passport or an international driving license can derail all your plans abroad. Many insurers will cover the cost of reissuing them.
• Financial Emergencies: Unexpected financial expenses, such as personal liability or losing your wallet or cards, are genuine situations. These can be covered by a comprehensive travel insurance policy.

Travel Insurance to Protect Your Planned Activities

A lot of visa-free destinations offer thrilling sports, adventure activities and experiences. While standard travel insurance plans don't cover them, many Indian travel insurance companies offer adventure sports coverage. If you're planning scuba diving in the Maldives or trekking in Nepal, make sure that your policy offers coverage for these 'high-risk' activities.

Moreover, if you have an underlying health condition or PED (Pre-existing disease) like diabetes, thyroid or hypertension, then you must look for a policy that covers them. PEDs too, are not covered by most insurers unless life-threatening, but you can get fuller coverage with a PED add-on.

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Region-Specific Risk Coverage by Travel Insurance

Simply buying the cheapest travel insurance plan is not going to serve you in case of a crisis. You should at least do a quick comparison and assess the risks that you may face in the country you plan to visit. You can easily do this by finalising your activities, the cost of living in that country, and any climatic or geographical challenges that you may face there. Here's a brief continent-wise risk that you should consider:

Southeastern Asia (Thailand & Indonesia)

These are the most popular visa-free countries for Indians, thanks to their proximity and affordability.

However, many of them such as Thailand, have a dual pricing system for foreigners. This means if you fall sick or get injured here, you will have to pay higher costs at private medical facilities. Travel health insurance will cover such expenses related to medical emergencies.

Europe/Schengen Area

While Europe isn't visa-free, Indians with UK/US permanent residency can visit certain European countries without a visa, but they still need to have sufficient coverage here. Especially if visiting the Schengen zone, you must have a minimum coverage of EUR 30,000. The very high cost of living and medical expenses make it impossible to cover these expenses without proper insurance coverage. Moreover, if you plan to trek or ski in European ranges, then you also need a suitable plan with adventure sports coverage in case you are injured while participating.

Island Nations (Seychelles, Haiti)

These visa-free islands are also any traveller's paradise, but their remote location and limited infrastructure demand a high medical coverage that includes emergency medical evacuation.

What's more, these places face natural disaster threats like cyclones, earthquakes and hurricanes that can force you to cancel or cut short your plans. Trip cancellation and trip curtailment cover under travel insurance can cover your prepaid non-refundable expenses like flights, hotels, and tour bookings.

America (USA & Canada)

The American continents, especially North America, are known for their high cost of living and skyrocketing medical expenses. If you're eligible to visit a few visa-free islands (such as the Bahamas or other Caribbean Territories), then you can not skip buying travel insurance.

Especially for foreign visitors, it can be a massive financial drain in case they get hospitalised or accidentally become liable to a third party. Having a high coverage (up to USD 500,000) is essential if you are visiting this country for more than a few weeks.

Over to You,

Be it a visa-free neighbouring country like Nepal or somewhere far like Seychelles, having a travel insurance is a must. Visa-free destinations are equally prone to medical and non-medical risks. Instead of saving a few thousand rupees, it is best to get coverage for lakhs that can drain your savings. Make sure to find the best plan in your budget on policybazaar.com so that you can travel with complete confidence and peace of mind.