10 Things We Found Out About When Choosing Travel Insurance

---

From our own personal experience of travelling, travel insurance has always been a bit of a grey area for us. We’ve always taken out a policy and (touch wood) we’re still yet to make a claim. On one of our more recent trips we had to do a bit of research given that we were going backpacking and wouldn’t be spending too long in each country – so we knew a standard travel insurance policy probably wouldn’t cover us.

From our research, we’ve put together this list to help you wade through the muddy waters of choosing holiday travel insurance:



1. Medical Stuff

When choosing travel insurance, you need to know what kind of injury and illness are covered under the insurance. Many policies do not cover pre-existing medical conditions and illness. So, make sure you read the insurance terms carefully. Learn about possible options to include pre-existing medical conditions within what is covered.



2. Lost and Stolen

Terms and conditions of travel insurance policies vary from company to company and insurance package to insurance package. So, remember to be clear about the terms on lost and stolen things. Companies do not cough up if are neglectful or they will require a receipt of purchase of the item you claim to have lost.



3. Extreme Activities

Some insurance policies do not cover some extreme activities say for example accident while snowboarding or motorcycling. If you are interested to take part in such extreme activities, make sure you are sure about what level of activities is covered under your policy.



4. Legal Fees

When you travel abroad, you may need some legal assistance. So, make sure you know if you insurance policy covers the required legal fees or not. Having legal fees covered in your policy can save you from getting locked up in a foreign jail.



5. Working Exclusions

Will you be working while traveling? If yes, will the working time accidents be covered under your plan? Make sure you are clear about it.



6. Country Inclusions or Exclusions

Sometimes travel companies specify the boundary within which you can travel and get coverage. Or, your insurance company can specify traveling which countries are not covered under the policy.



7. Financial Failure Cover

Normally the best travel insurance policy will cover the financial failure to pay for air tickets etc. Make sure you know if your insurance covers it or not.



8. Don’t Pay Twice

When you hold a packaged bank account, chances are your bank pays for travel insurance policy as well. So, make sure you don’t buy another without knowing.



9. Getting Home

Under some emergencies, you may need getting back home. So, it’s a good idea to have insurance coverage in an event that you have to return home because of an incident at home or abroad. If covered, if you make a phone call, travel insurance provider will arrange everything like booking flights etc to make sure you get back home on time.



10.Cheapest Is Not Always the Best

When choosing a travel insurance policy, don’t simply go for the cheapest policy. The normal case is that if your policy is cheap, the coverage is less and even not good enough.

---