Travel Insured

Travel can be great. You meet new people, discover new lands, places and cultures and really prove that travel does indeed broaden the mind. But accidents can happen. And when they do happen and you are far from home, trouble can arrive and that is trouble with a capital T. That is why you should always travel insured. No questions, no ifs or buts. Do not take that trip unless you have adequate travel insurance.

 

The horror stories

If you ever want proof that travel without insurance is a bad idea then the horror stories of people who fell sick or were injured while away from home do not make pretty reading. In some countries, without insurance, you have no choice about hospital or doctor. If in a poor country you could be treated by people who are not qualified. What might be only a relatively minor illness or injury could develop into something really serious.

If you are ina developed country and have say an accident, the hospital costs can be staggering. If you need to be flown home then the costs for specialist travel can be frightening. There are stories of people having to mortgage their family home in order to pay the costs of their uninsured relative. In short, always travel insured. And don’t even think about cutting corners. There are stories of people who chose to stay away from home for a few extra days during which their travel insurance had expired and yes, that’s when they had an accident and that’s when their nightmare began.

 

Get the right cover

Of course getting the wrong cover is almost as bad as having no cover at all and you should always be open and frank about your travel plans and needs. And you should always read the policy first especially the Disclosure Statement which is a part of the policy. What events are not covered? You don’t want to discover after your illness or accident that in fact that part of the cover does not apply to you.

One of the most relevant forms of cover is cancellation. You could plan and save for the trip of a lifetime, pay out for your tickets, overseas accommodation and more and then never get to leave home. There could all manner of reasons. You get sick, your loved one gets sick, there is a major crisis in the place of your destination or bad weather simply grounds everything. So what about a refund? What if you can’t go at a later date? Having cancellation travel insurance is a small cost for what could be a far greater one.

Now most of the above forms of cover exist for situations which can run into thousands of dollars but there are smaller cost situations too. What if your camera is lost or stolen? What if your mobile phone or other small digital device disappears? Having cover for small as well as large items can be a really smart move.

So wherever you plan to travel and when, always make sure that you travel insured.