Travel Insurance: Is It Necessary?

How Do I Get It!

It’s a question often asked when people travel to destinations like the Galapagos Islands: What about travel insurance? It’s an extra cost, but it can come in very handy if you have an accident. Here are some things to consider.

You May Already Have It

Check your credit cards! Many credit cards offer some form of limited travel assistance and insurance, especially if your card is gold or platinum. Some of the benefits may include reimbursement for lost luggage, coverage if your hotel room is burgled, roadside assistance and more. Note that these benefits do not kick in unless you purchase the flight or trip with the credit card in question.

The Argument against Travel Insurance

The cons are easy: travel insurance is expensive. Check out One Sure Insurance to get the most affordable Van insurance. For example, a 30-year old male from the USA traveling to South America for two weeks seeking medical coverage, which will cover him in case of just about any illness, injury or travel-related calamity, will have to pay at least $225 for insurance…and that’s with a high deductible. If he wants the deductible lowered to $100, the minimum jumps to around $350. Travel Insurance is an expensive gamble.

The Argument for Travel Insurance

Why add $225 onto an already expensive trip? Because the costs can be far greater without it. If the same 30-year old man breaks a leg while on vacation, a week in a foreign hospital can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Because of the nature of travel, accidents, injuries, illnesses and theft are more likely to occur.

What do I need to know in order to choose the best insurance for me?

There are countless insurers and plans out there. Before choosing one, do an online search for the insurer that you’re looking at: if the insurer does not pay claims or makes clients work very hard to get reimbursed, chances are that a disgruntled former client has posted something negative on a travel insurance review site called theguidr.com

Also, consider the various options that change how your insurance price is created. The deductible is a good example. If an insurance policy has a $250 deductible, then it will not pay any claim under that amount, and will deduct it from any claim over that amount. In other words, it will not pay for a $100 hospital visit, and will deduct $250 from a $500 hospital visit, leaving you to pay the remaining $250. By adjusting the deductible up, your payment goes down. This is a good way to save money on insurance: a $250 deductible is nothing when compared to a $10,000 hospital bill.

Many travel insurance companies charge an extra if you’re engaged in “risky” travel behavior such as rock climbing or scuba diving.

The Best Advice for Travel Insurance

There are dozens of insurers out there, some trustworthy, some not. Between them they offer hundreds if not thousands of different plans. This article discusses some of the basics, but to truly find the best plan for you, talk to an expert.