All You Need to Know About Buying Travel Insurance This Christmas

Posted on: Dec 14, 2022 | | Written by:

All You Need to Know About Buying Travel Insurance This Christmas

Published on December 14, 2022. EST READ TIME: 3 minutes

After being home for two years due to the pandemic and different travel restrictions, everyone is looking forward to the holiday season. Christmas and New Year's are one of the most festive times of the year, and everyone plans a vacation with their family and friends. The enthusiasm this year is undoubtedly very high as, finally, life looks normal after two years. If you are travelling abroad, plan your vacation well and, most importantly, remember your overseas travel insurance. Before you go on a holiday, having a travel insurance plan is a must. This takes care of the financial implications of any emergency that happens when travelling. Before you buy an insurance policy, check the coverage properly and also all the terms and conditions so that there is no issue at the time of a claim.

Let us understand why a travel insurance policy is a must when you are travelling this holiday season.

5 Reasons why you need travel insurance before travelling?

When travelling abroad, you must have overseas travel insurance. This covers your travel health insurance and many other benefits as well. Following are some of the main ones:

1. Medical emergency in a different country

When you fall sick abroad, it is very different from falling sick in your home country. Also, the last thing you want to happen to you when on vacation is to fall sick. Medical emergencies come unannounced, and an accident or sickness can ruin all holiday plans. This is the reason that overseas travel insurance is important. The emergency medical treatment and all related expenses are taken care of by the policy. Travel health insurance takes care of dental and other treatments depending on the policy and the coverage it offers.

2. Loss of baggage and documents

Losing your baggage and important documents like your passport is the worst thing that can happen on holiday. Some relief and help are provided if you have a travel insurance policy. The insurer reimburses the cost of obtaining a new passport and also compensates for the loss of bags up to the amount mentioned in the policy. Also, in case there is a delay in your bags from the airline, the policy will cover the cost of obtaining essentials during this period.

3. Flight delays

Delayed flights are a normal thing and happen very frequently. There could be many reasons for the same, but they do spoil the whole vacation plan. In such cases, if you have overseas travel insurance, you will be reimbursed for refreshments and expenses on other essential items as per your policy.

4. Frauds and thefts

As tourists, you are more prone to thefts and fraud when travelling. The thieves look for tourists, and thus, if you lose your debit or credit card in a different country, you are bound to get stuck. You do not find help easily, and being stuck without money is horrible, and worse is the loss of the amount the thief uses on your cards. But with a good travel insurance policy, you get a refund of the amount spent on the card once the incident is reported to the insurance company. Most companies will refund the amount spent 12 hours prior to the reporting of the theft.

5. Emergency evacuation

It is possible that due to a medical emergency, you or your family member might need to be sent to the closest medical facility. This can be expensive in another country, but with overseas travel insurance, this is not such a big issue as the expenses are taken care of by the insurer. Also if you are in a hospital and need to be taken back to your home country, the policy will take care of these expenses as well.

How to get the best travel insurance for your trip?

When you travel, you must have overseas travel insurance. This takes care of a lot of financial implications in case of an emergency and also ensures you enjoy your holiday stress-free. However, the most important thing is that the policy you have is an extensive one with good coverage. For this, always keep some essential things in mind and be honest with the insurance company to avoid issues later. Some of the things you need to keep in mind to get the best travel insurance for your trip are:

1. The policy must be bought keeping in mind the age of the people travelling. For senior citizens, the sum insured must be more, and the coverage of travel health insurance must be extensive.

2. Always disclose the existing medical conditions to avoid any issues at the time of a claim. All pre-existing diseases should be covered to ensure the best healthcare facility is available in case of any emergency.

3. For many developed countries, the medical costs are extremely high, and thus, depending on the destination and the duration of your stay, choose a good sum insured so that you do not end up paying from your pocket.

4. Depending on the itinerary and the purpose of the trip, you must look at proper coverage. Some insurance policies might not cover adventure sports, whereas some might have other clauses. Thus, always read the policy carefully and choose what suits you the most.

5. Always read the policy and make sure you understand all the terms and conditions properly. This not only ensures no issue at the time of the claim but also is important so that you know you have good coverage, which is needed in overseas travel insurance.

6. Always buy the policy yourself and do not just buy the one suggested by your travel agent. A policy without good coverage is the same as not having one.

Conclusion

Having overseas travel insurance is a must for anyone travelling abroad. Emergencies do not come announced, and thus, it is always better to be prepared for them. The financial implications of these can be too much for anyone. Trips are always planned with a budget in mind, and these unplanned expenses can cause a lot of stress. Always buy the policy yourself after checking, and do not rely on travel agents who might miss the important parts. So get ready to travel this holiday season stress-free with a good travel insurance policy.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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