What Exactly is Travel Insurance and Why Do You Need It?

Planning a big trip is exciting. If you’re considering overseas travel to a destination wedding or to a cruise port, you and your luggage will go through a variety of steps. If your luggage ends up chasing you on a long tour, you’re going to need replacement clothing and toiletries.

What Travel Insurance Is and What it Normally covers

Travel insurance is a great investment if you’re planning to travel outside the country. Your health insurance may not cover all costs of an accident or illness overseas, but travel insurance can. If you’re injured before a trip, such as a cruise, you can get a full refund even if the cruise line or airline company doesn’t allow it.

If you get to your destination but your luggage doesn’t, you can get that loss covered while you’re out without waiting for the 21 day loss period. If you need to replace more than basic vacation wear and toiletries, extra coverage is a great idea.

Benefits of Having Travel Insurance

If you’re planning a big trip after retirement, travel insurance can actually protect your budget before and after your trip. Should you start the trip with no troubles and find that an emergency back home requires you to cut your trip short, travel insurance may allow you to gain a partial reimbursement.

Your ultimate destination may have a weather event that causes travel delays. If you need an extra night of hotel coverage or a bit more room in your budget for restaurant meals, your travel insurance can cover it.

Use All the Travel Insurance Services

Travel insurance policies often come with perks that your regular insurance company would never need to offer. Review your policy to see if there’s a concierge contact number. Your travel insurance may offer an app that includes support specific to being away from home.

Those planning to travel overseas may also be worried about a language barrier. There are many travel insurance plans that offer multilingual support. Those planning the trip of a lifetime may be ready to commit to a travel insurance that will cost 10% of their total travel costs. If language is a big concern for you, take the time to check out travel insurance providers online and over the phone. In the event of an injury or illness, you want to be confident that you can easily communicate your needs.

Cases Where Travel Insurance May Not Be Necessary

If your auto insurance offers coverage for your rental car, you may not need to use the secondary coverage provided by your travel insurance. Similarly, if your medical insurance will completely cover the cost of an accident or illness away from home, you won’t benefit from making a claim against your travel insurance.

For those planning a long road trip, travel insurance may not be necessary. If you’re doing the driving and using your own car, you may want to purchase a different form of insurance, such as a thorough car check-up or new tires. However, if you’re planning a road trip that includes booking multiple hotel rooms and putting down deposits, trip insurance may be a worthwhile investment.

Your trip is worth protecting with travel insurance. As a general rule, travel insurance is worth the money if you’re putting down a deposit on your travels. If you have any health concerns that can impact your travels, buy the insurance. If you’re traveling during a season of weather uncertainty or to a region with questionable weather events, travel insurance is a good investment.

By: Katherine Robinson, a writer for Generali Travel Insurance