Why You Need Travel Insurance

Peace of Mind - Travel Insurance

I know - you don't need travel insurance - right? Okay, if you say so, but please humor me and read on...

You never know what might put your vacation investment at risk. The last thing you want to think about is what would happen if you became ill or injured while away from home.

Most travellers make sure they have some form of medical insurance before they leave home but what about all the dollars you have invested in your vacation?

No matter how carefully you plan your trips, illness, accidents and family emergencies can occur unexpectedly and quickly disrupt travel plans.

While most travellers never intend to cancel their trip or return home early, you still need to protect the investment you have made in your vacation – from airline tickets to hotels and beyond.

A Travel Insurance story...

“A traveller developed a sinus infection while on a cruise with her husband and when she got off the cruise, the infection was full-blown,”!
“They visited a doctor who told them there was no way she could fly since the pressure would be too much and they ended up staying four nights longer than planned.”
Luckily, the couple had purchased cancellation and interruption insurance, which covered their one-way tickets home to Victoria, Canada and, since they had planned to visit friends for a few nights after their cruise, the unused portion of their vacation was also covered.
The total cost of their claim was just over $2,600 and paid entirely by the Insurance company. “Someone from the Travel Insurance company phoned the travellers, went through their claim with them and rebooked their tickets back to Victoria,”
“An Insurance representative even phoned them when they arrived back in Victoria. They were really impressed.”

Fortunately, travel insurance can protect you from unforeseeable losses stemming from an array of circumstances. Some travel insurance even allows you to cancel your vacation for any reason at all.

Many travel insurance companies offer cancellation and interruption insurance to protect against penalties customers would have to pay if they had to cancel their trip prior to departure, due to an insurable risk.

This type of insurance also provides coverage in the event travellers have to interrupt their trip and return early or stay longer, due to a covered situation.

Some examples of commonly covered risks include:

The emergency medical condition or death of yourself or an immediate family member
The emergency medical condition or death of your travelling companion
Complications due to pregnancy
A travel advisory issued by your home government after you purchased your trip, advising citizens not to travel within or to your destination country
The delay of a scheduled carrier.

Which kind of Travel Insurance Do I Buy?

Buying travel insurance requires that you consider your needs carefully.

Check with your credit card company to see what insurance may be automatically provided by them if you use their card to purchase your vacation.

Some credit card companies only cover a portion of your risk or have limitations or exclusions - make sure you compare travel insurance offerings!

Travel insurance can be purchased in many ways:

Package Policies

These policies are designed for travelers going on a single trip. They can be used for Cruises, Tours, Flights, House Rentals and a world of other trip types.

All offer Trip Cancellation, Baggage, Medical, Dental, Emergency Evacuation, 24 Hour Traveler Assistance, Baggage Delay, Travel Delay, and Accidental Death Coverages.

Some policies also have options for Collision/Damage coverage for rented cars, Flight Insurance (a form of Accidental Death Coverage while flying only) and added Emergency Evacuation insurance.

Some package policies include coverage for children at no extra charge.

Travel Medical Policies

These policies provide Medical Coverage for travel up to a year in length. Some include coverage for evacuation, flight, accidental death, limited baggage, and trip interruption.

These policies may supplement what your province or state, or existing insurance may pay. Premiums are based upon age, time away and medical condition of the applicant.

Multi-Trip Annual Medical Policies

Policies provide medical cover for multiple trips throughout the year

Medical Evacuation Policies

These policies provide protection for travelers in the event they become seriously ill or injured while traveling.

They provide emergency medical evacuation to the nearest appropriate care facility or on some plans, to your hospital of choice.

They also include coverage for repatriation of mortal remains.

Flight Accident Policies

Policies are designed for travelers going on a single trip and provide coverage for Flight Accident Insurance (a form of Accidental Death Coverage while flying).

Questions to ask about Travel Insurance

Here are just a few of the most common questions I am asked:

Am I covered by my travel insurance if my mother,who is not traveling with me, develops pneumonia and I have to cancel my trip to care for her?
If I have a heart condition and am on continuing medication, will I be covered under the pre-existing conditions exclusion if my heart condition flares up during my vacation?
Is there anything else I should know about the pre-existing conditions exclusion?
If my pet becomes ill and I have to cancel my trip as a result, will I be covered by travel insurance policy?

View more travel insurance frequently asked questions!

A personal story...

This one is very close to home. It was my father!

My father chose a winter vacation in California. He purchased what he thought was adequete travel insurance for himself and my mother.
I went down to join them for a short period and three days after my arrival my father had a heart attack!
Suffice it to say we did get him to the hosptial in time and he did recover after two weeks in intensive care! The cost was $100,000.
The surprise - the insurance policy he chose had restrictions on pre-existing conditions and he was not covered!

Please take time to compare...

Please take time to understand travel insurance and NEVER leave home without it!

Many cruise lines offer their own travel insurance policies with various forms of coverage.

One way to compare travel insurance offerings on-line is at:

InsureMyTrip.com. This company highly integrated with its partner insurance companies and has over sixty travel insurance plans to choose from..

As soon as your order is placed on their site, the insurance company databases are updated in real time and a confirming email is sent to you outlining your coverages.

The policy is mailed to you directly from the insurance company immediately thereafter.

According to the company this level of integration is not available anywhere else and has been paramount to their success.

For your protection, please make sure you are properly insured. Cancellation/Trip Interruption insurance must be purchased at time you deposit your vacation but Medical insurance usually can be purchased up until time of departure.

Don't take a risk!

SBI!