When traveling, whether within the country or in a foreign country, there are some concerns about insurance that you need to be aware of. Most health insurance policies will cover you and your family for medical emergencies no matter what country you are in when the emergency occurs, but this is not always the case. Adding travel insurance is wise because it will cover you for unexpected travel emergencies and accidents. If you travel a lot, having a credit card that offers such things as discount hotel rates, discount automobile rental fees and travel insurance can be very useful.
In addition to the loss of money, credit cards or stolen luggage, you need to be sure that your travel insurance covers additional items you may take with you such as a laptop computer. Each time you go on a trip, you need to review the insurance you have and make sure that you are covered for illness, accidents and loss of property and add any coverage that you are missing to make sure that you are fully covered.
A few years ago I flew to China at a cost of around $2,000 for the roundtrip ticket. Travel insurance for the trip cost over $500 because I didn’t shop around for it. My local travel insurance representative told me a story of a traveler with vacation plans to Jamaica who’s son developed an ear infection before the flight. The doctor advised the boy not to take the flight until the infection cleared. The traveler ignored the doctor’s advice and left for Jamaica because they did not have travel insurance.
If you do your research, which can be conveniently done via the internet, you will be able to make comparisons of what is offered by different insurance carriers and determine what the cost is. Many travel agents or insurance agents can also provide travel coverage for you and answer any questions you may have. If you are a frequent traveler for business or pleasure, you would be wise to use a credit card that allows you to accumulate points which can be used to purchase airline tickets for future trips; thereby saving you a lot of money.
Always take a copy of your travel insurance when you travel in case you need to make a claim. Procedures to follow when filing a claim are on this copy, an more importantly a phone number to call in an emergency. If injured when traveling you are responsible for the difference in cost of treatment and the maximum of your medical plan, unless you already have travel insurance. As people who are “travel professionals” that offer travel insurance you can rest assured our sincere intentions are to make sure each and every traveler is covered and can have peace-of-mind when traveling.
Regular credit cards as well as business credit cards offer benefits such as purchase protection and extended warranties. Many of these credit cards let you accumulate points with which you can purchase many items such as food and clothing as well as many other items.
Other things covered by some travel insurance, in addition to those already noted, is protection against expenses incurred as a result of medical evacuation and costs involved in expatriation. It makes good sense to be well-prepared with adequate insurance for any problem that may arise. This can save you a lot of grief if anything out of the ordinary happens while you are away from home.
Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African Insurance Provider who specialises in Travel Insurance Policies.
categories: Travel,Insurance,Health,Travel Insurance,Travel Health Insurance,Finance
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