Travel insurance - A need to know guide
In general terms, travel insurance protects all holiday costs
against adverse events such as cancellation and interruption and
also reimburses medical expenses, the loss or damage of property
and transit delays. Travellers are compensated if they have to
cancel or interrupt their travel, they will also be covered
should they need emergency medical treatment, medical evacuation
and other situations.
Many millions of travellers and holiday makers every year
purchase some form of travel insurance, but few people know
really what it is and how it can be defined. If you know what is
included, and what is not you will be able to make the most of
your protection, and get reimbursed fairly
There are four primary categories of travel insurance:
1. Health and Medical reasons
-Medical evacuation: This provides emergency transportation to
either a local hospital in the event that the traveller is
unable to get there by themselves or back to a hospital near the
traveller's home town. If family members are covered on the same
policy they can travel back home also.
-Medical and health reasons: This reimburses medical and
emergency dental costs. Almost all travel insurance plans work
by reimbursing the traveller after they have paid locally for
treatment. Claims are usually paid within 7 - 10 days.
Pre-existing conditions are covered by most policies if the
policy is purchased within (at the most) 21 days from the date
the traveller made the first payment or deposit.
2. Delays and cancellation - including curtailment
-Delay: This reimburses travellers for hotel, food or clothing
expenses in the event of a flight delay. Some plans also cover
costs associated with catching up with a cruise should another
delay cause the traveller to miss embarkation.
-Cancellation: Re-imbursement comes into effect if travellers
have booked and paid for a holiday, but are unable to embark
because of personal illness or injury, death (of the individual
or of a family member), adverse weather conditions,
transportation strikes, terrorism, bankruptcy, sudden
unemployment, jury duty or by sustaining serious damage to their
home causing it to be uninhabitable due to fire or flooding.
-Interruption: Insurance companies pay money to policy holders
abroad if they have to cut short their trip due to illness,
death (of the traveller or a family member), terrorism, weather,
airline strikes, bankruptcy, sudden unemployment, and other
adverse conditions which mean that, due to events outside the
control of the holiday-maker, a trip has to be curtailed.
3. Death:
-Accidental death - covers death or dismemberment at any time of
your trip. Usually provides the lowest amount of coverage due to
a higher risk -Air Flight accident - this covers death or
dismemberment during an air flight only. Usually provides the
highest amount of coverage due to fairly low likelihood of this
occurring. -Common carrier - Covers death or dismemberment while
travelling on public transport such as a plane, ferry, train bus
or taxi.
4. Loss or damage of personal effects:
-Baggage loss - reimburses travellers for lost, stolen or
damaged personal items. This coverage is usually restricted to
the duration of the trip and not confined to baggage damaged or
lost by the airline. There are two policy limits, total claim
and per item maximum. Some policies also place limits on the
type of items that can be claimed for - such as precious
jewellery, laptops and sporting goods -Rental Car damage -
Reimburses travellers for damage or loss to a rental vehicle. It
is designed to allow the traveller to decline collision damage
waiver (CDW) coverage offered by the car rental companies.
Liability coverage should still be purchased through the car
rental company. Rental Car Damage coverage is also often
included with the credit card used to pay for the car rental
which is often matches the coverage provided in the policy.
-Assistance services - provides a 24-hour collect telephonel
advice and assistance service to travellers. This service can be
used anytime a traveller needs advice. Make sure you don't leave
home without it.
To conclude
Travel Insurance is the one product in the modern risk averse,
insurance-saturated world that really is essential. You will not
regret taking it out, because not being insured for your travel
mishaps is a source of huge regret for far too many
holiday-makers every year.
get">http://www.holidayinsuranceweb.com">get travel
insurance from Holiday Insurance Web
About the author:
Daisy Evans is a copywriter working in London
