This World Traveler

Protect Your Travel Investment! 3 Reasons to use Travel Insurance.

In my real non-traveling life, I work as a travel agent. This means that I get the pleasure of seeing dozens of people's vacations ruined for reasons that they had no control over. The frustrating part about this isn't just seeing that bloc of time that was set aside for their enjoyment ruined, but also seeing a lot of these clients lose money, sometimes a lot of money. All because they thought it would be smart to save the few bucks up front that Travel Insurance would cost.

Obviously, we all hope that the purchase of insurance would be a waste of money for all involved - but there are three very important reasons that go beyond cancellation that make sense for Joe Traveler to pick up a comprehensive policy.

1. Missed/Tight Connections
Let's say you're taking a cruise. With the flight scheduled and a four hour transfer time, all should be good to get to your cruise... until weather or a missing part for your 757 gets in the way. Suddenly, you're at the port just in time to see the ship sail off and either stuck in Miami for the week, or left to your own devices to meet the ship at the next port. Depending on the kind of sailing you were scheduled to take, you could be out of a day or two of your cruise, or even for the entire trip! If you had insurance, you'll be alright in most cases. You'll get a refund from your insurance company - or reimbursed for costs to get you to your next port of call.

2. Getting Sick
It goes without saying that sometimes that beloved street food, can come back to haunt the next day. Usually, it's nothing that a quick unannounced trip to the bathroom, some pepto and ibuprofen won't fix. But sometimes, it's a lot more serious. Usually, doctors aren't so expensive outside of the US. But, it still adds up. Add in emergency treatment and we could be talking thousands of dollars out of pocket, and sometimes out of pocket immediately. Sometimes, medical insurance will cover these unexpected expenses. But it doesn't necessarily happen all the time. And a lot of times, US insurance companies will be happy to leave their customers in the cold, if the treatment is needed somewhere else, especially in the developing world. Travel Insurance? It takes care of the wallet, when the Blue Cross doesn't extend past that pesky border fence that the US seems so intent on building.

3. Concierge Service
No no, that's not a mistake. Most travel insurers have a hotline that you can contact for emergency assistance. For example, if Joe Backpacker needed out of Zimbabwe yesterday, his insurer can help him make the necessary arrangements or get him in touch with someone who can. Others go a step further.

CSA insurance offers a concierge service with their insurance, for example. Which means someone can use their service to get tickets to that futbol match at Maracana that are so hard to find. Definitely a nice plus. Although that's a nice touch, it still pays to be careful about the insurance before a purchase is made. Study the policies and make sure that what needs to be covered is covered. Not all policies cover for getting mugged. Some reasons for cancellation have exceptions with some policies. (For example, National Guard troops are covered if they get called up with CSA, but only if they aren't called up to serve in combat - like in Iraq or Afghanistan. Other insurance policies, including iTravel Insured don't make such exemptions.) There's no way to predict the kind of problems that could come up on a wander, but it always makes sense to be ready for them, whatever they may be.

Labels: insurance, preparations, travel