Before you start a journey you do all type of planning, where to stay, what to wear, places to visit, in case of vegetarians what food to carry, etc and out of all this one very important travel item that we all tend to ignore is Travel Insurance. It is one of the most boring and avoidable topics when it comes to planning the trip. Somehow nobody wants to touch that issue.
Contrasting to a flight, a travel backpack, or applying for a visa, travel insurance just seems to be not important. Besides it’s not always cheap depending upon the place that you are going, travel insurance is often overlooked.
Think about it out of all your travel incidents how many times anything terrible has happened to you? Not often, right?
But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
Over the years I have not used my travel insurance (and I wish never to use) but I have come across my friends who have had reasons to use their travel insurance – including recently when a friend of mine was stabbed in Venezuela, another friend lost her luggage in Mexico, and somewhere in Russia a friend met with an accident and he had the insurance which covered all the hospital cost. Trust me unlike India the hospital cost overseas is way higher. And insurance can be very handy in that case.
For the majority of your trips, you won’t need to use your travel insurance, which is a blessing (you don’t want anything bad to happen to you while you are travelling in a foreign land) but having insurance is a safety net. I always hope and pray that you won’t need to used travel insurance.
But if a time might come when you need it. And if you don’t have it, things can get expensive fast. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Also, there are many travel insurance available in the market, you need to check if your travel insurance covers the following:
Medical emergencies, sudden illnesses, and injuries Emergencies, strife in your destination, etc., that cause you to head home early Emergency evacuation (check if they give airlift)
Resultant cancellations, such as hotel bookings, flights, and other transportation bookings, if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency Lost, damaged, or stolen possessions, like jewellery, baggage, documents, cameras, etc. (Also, there is some coverage for your electronics, and often an option for a higher coverage limit.)
Twenty-four-hour emergency services and assistance (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later) Financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country.
Yes, robberies and natural disasters are rare. But things like cancelled flights, minor illnesses, and petty theft do happen often. Check for these before you take travel insurance. And yes be adventurous during your travel but not without insurance. Always take a Travel Insurance
