WHY YOU NEED TRAVEL INSURANCE
Published: 09/19/2009 by Michelle Riaz
You’ve made all your travel arrangements and your bags are packed and ready to go. The only thing is, you haven’t made any arrangements to get some travel insurance for your trip because you feel that it is an ‘unnecessary’ burden, especially with the cost of things like airfare and gas. Allow me to play devil’s advocate here so that we can take a look at just a few of the possible scenarios that might unfold right from the very start of your trip.
You’ve completed the first leg of your journey, and you and your family arrive at the airport for a connecting flight at 11 p.m. only to learn that your flight has been cancelled. You’ve just been on a six-hour flight and frankly, you’re completely exhausted and have zero desire to start hunting around immediately for a new flight to get you to your ultimate destination on time. If you had purchased travel insurance, the travel insurance company would be the one scouring the Internet for the best possible deal, not you.
Perhaps your flights are all on time as scheduled, but you get to your destination only to discover that your luggage has not. You don’t know where to begin to track it down, and you really don’t have the time. Your travel insurance provider would know exactly what to do and how to get it done without delaying your travel and, if they are unable to locate your luggage for you in a timely fashion, would also pay for the immediate necessities that you will need since you don’t have access to your bags. Even if your luggage is stolen, your travel insurance company will pay to replace it.
What would you do if you’ve arrived safely at your airport destination with all your luggage at your side, but when you jump into your rental car to drive to your hotel, another vehicle side-swipes you in a four-way intersection and now both you and your rental car are in trouble? You haven’t a clue as to how to find and get to a local doctor in the strange new city you’ve arrived in, but your travel insurance company definitely does. Many times when you are traveling and incur unexpected medical expenses, your health insurance plan will not cover you. Your travel insurance, however, is specifically designed to protect you in the case of illness or medical needs that arise during your trip.
How about your trip to a tropical island paradise being suddenly postponed thanks to a surprise hurricane? Travel insurance reimburses you for the cost of additional expenses related to a severe weather condition, whether or not you need additional accommodations to weather out the storm.
Most travel insurance is relatively inexpensive. For instance, for a trip from California to Brazil for one person, basic travel insurance could be as low as $80. This would include coverage for expenses such as trip cancellation, interruption and delay; emergency medical treatment or evacuation; lost, stolen or damaged baggage and baggage delay and a host of other helpful services that could make the difference between a travel nightmare and a wonderful adventure, even in the face of major difficulties.
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