Whether you’re flying two states over for a business trip or exploring a new country on your dream vacation, travel requires a lot of planning. In the midst of booking flights, confirming hotel rooms, reserving rental cars, and packing suitcases, travel insurance can seem like an unnecessary addition to your to-do list. Ask any seasoned traveler for advice, however, and they’ll tell you it’s the one thing you should never set off without. No matter how much planning you’ve put into your trip, the unexpected can, and often does, happen. The good news is, you can plan for that too—and purchasing the right travel insurance policy is just the way to do it.
Many people traditionally think of travel insurance as something you purchase for a single trip. You may even get it directly from the travel agent when booking your excursion. But insurance carriers are starting to offer more innovative and comprehensive travel insurance options.
Policies are becoming even more comprehensive, protecting you and your covered loved ones during business and recreational travel, no matter where the destination, throughout the entire year. Eliminating the need to activate your insurance on a trip-by-trip basis is incredibly convenient, and allows you peace of mind during unexpected excursions.
These comprehensive plans also include a variety of coverage options to best meet your needs. You may be able to choose from coverages such as:
- Medical: provides coverage for medical and dental expenses resulting from illness or injury while traveling, such as hospital services or ambulance fees.
- Medical Evacuation & Repatriation: covers expenses for emergency medical evacuation or repatriation in the event of illness, injury, or loss of life.
- Delayed/Lost Baggage: reimburses travelers for luggage that is lost, delayed, or damaged.
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption/Protection: reimburses travelers for trip cancellation, delay, and interruption in situations arising from covered conditions such as illness, bad weather or death.
Many times you can add supplemental coverages in order to address your particular concerns or unique circumstances. These add-ons range from covering the expenses when a scheduled golf game is missed to providing coverage for political evacuations from locations where the U.S. Department of State has issued a travel warning.
Meeting with your insurance advisor can be helpful when navigating the travel insurance options. They can help you accurately compare insurance carriers, coverages, prices, and assess the risks you’re most likely to need protection against. They can also help keep you up-to-date on the latest innovative options being offered by carriers.
Travel insurance is an investment, but so are your vacations and trips. Knowing you and your loved ones are safe, no matter where you are in the world, is certainly something worth investing in.
