We recommend travel insurance to all of our clients every time - but why? Why is travel insurance a good idea? A lot of travelers decline insurance because they don't know just how much it covers. Here are 5 big reasons that you should be purchasing travel insurance.
It Covers More than Trip Cancellation
Most travelers think of travel insurance as cancellation coverage, and it's true that travel insurance offers coverage for nonrefundable, pre-paid expenses if you cancel your trip for a covered reason - but, that's not all that insurance covers. If your trip is delayed or interrupted due to a covered reason, travel insurance can cover additional expenses such as flights or extra nights at a hotel. Travel insurance can also offer coverage if your luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Medical Coverage
This is one of the biggest things that travelers often don't think about when it comes to travel insurance. While you're probably covered by your health insurance plan within the United States, it's much less likely if you're traveling abroad. Many American health insurance companies do not offer coverage outside the United States, and Medicare definitely does not. Travel insurance can offer not only medical coverage for emergencies abroad, but also coverage for medical-related emergencies such as emergency medical evacuation.
Traveler Support
Travel insurance doesn't just help if you're making a claim for cancellation expenses or medical coverage - they can also be there to assist you in a variety of situations. Most travel insurance policies offer 24/7 emergency assistance, where they can help you find the nearest hospital, organize emergency transportation, assist in replacing lost travel documents, or provide telephone interpretation services in an emergency.
Pre-Existing Condition Waiver
Many travel insurance policies will not provide coverage when it comes to pre-existing medical conditions - however, most insurance policies will also provide a waiver for this exclusion if guests purchase insurance within 14 days of deposit. If you're traveling with a pre-existing conditions, it's especially important to be aware of this so that you can have access to coverage under your travel insurance policy.
Be Prepared
No one likes to think about anything bad happening while they travel, and many travel without incident all the time - but, you never know when something can happen when you're traveling, and you want to be prepared in case there is an emergency or other issue. Now more than ever, it's important to have a back-up plan when traveling, and travel insurance offers service, support, and coverage in case something does go wrong.