The most obvious reason is to protect my investment. If a family member or I was to get ill before my vacation, I could be reimbursed with a policy that includes trip cancellation benefits and other covered reasons.
Although most of us have medical insurance at home, rarely is it valid in another country. Additionally, most medical facilities in other countries do not accept U.S. insurance plans. If the policy covers emergency medical benefits, it can pay for my losses due to covered medical and dental emergencies. If included, it can also pay for transportation to the nearest medical facility, and pay to get you back to the U.S. The small cost of insurance vs. massive medical expenses makes it well worth it.
Some minor mishaps can take place, like delayed travel. Travel delay benefits can reimburse you for accommodations and travel expenses lost due to a covered departure delay. If the policy covers baggage delay benefits, you can be compensated for reasonable additional purchases of essential items due to covered departure delay of a specific time frame depending on the policy you purchase. There are other benefits; you will need to check your particular plan to make that determination.
We as Americans are always directed to know the contact information of the U.S. Embassy in case of emergency, but the Embassy can only help with replacing a stolen passport, contacting family or friends in the U.S. They can find medical care or legal assistance for you, communicate with local police and connect you to various other resources, but they cannot pay for medical care, and they do not provide emergency transportation except during rare significant catastrophes. The State Department advises U.S. travelers to purchase travel insurance that includes emergency medical benefits, medical transportation, and policies that cover unexpected expenses.
People usually don’t want to purchase insurance because of the additional cost of your vacation. The benefits can outweigh that concern.
Here’s an example:
One of our travelers booked a trip to go with us to Dubai for New Year’s Eve. Three days before the trip, she called me and said she was ill and could not make the trip. I asked her if she had insurance, and to my shock, she said she did not. I immediately instructed her to purchase an insurance policy from one of our preferred insurance brokers. Many insurers allow you to buy an insurance policy up to 24 hours before your trip departure date. She purchased an insurance policy and was able to recover trip costs, which included airfare, accommodations, and optional excursions she purchased for the trip.
There is a caveat with most travel insurance policies. Even the best travel insurance companies may not cover pre-existing conditions. Travel insurance won’t cover everything. But you don’t really want to leave home without it.
We offer the services of several travel insurance carriers. You can compare and buy travel insurance from reputable companies and stay informed while you’re buying an insurance policy by checking out all the options offered by major providers, like add-on coverage, different coverage limits, deductibles, and more.
You may want to take a look at World Nomads for a variety of reasons, but one main reason is World Nomads covers adventure sports and specific activities. I make sure the sports, activities, and experiences are covered within a particular policy. Some of the activities that are covered are ballooning, backpacking, banana boat rides, boating diving, dune buggy rides, elephant riding/trekking, and much more. Click here for a detailed list of activities World Nomads covers.
