Every time I prepare myself for a trip, I get excited. Even if I’m just going to take a train to meet a friend who lives a few hours away, I always feel like I’m leaving my everyday life behind me moving towards adventure. That’s what travel is, after all. Changing your habits for a while to do something completely different. Traveling helps you see things from a totally different perspective, usually the perspective of the people who live in the place you’re going to, and the farther they are from your home, the bigger this difference is going to be.
Your voyage can be a short holiday to charge your batteries after months of work, or it could be a brief business trip to meet a new client and make a presentation. Sometimes you travel for a personal experience with nothing but a backpack and the knowledge you will be a different person when you return. No matter the reason, traveling is a traveling, so you need to plan adequately and make the best out of this unique experience. The biggest question is, when do you need travel insurance? If you travel frequently, the answer some be all the time.
Medical emergencies
Although many European countries offer healthcare for free or at least partially public funded, many other countries aren’t the same way. You will have to pay big money for treatment if an medical emergency occurs. Large insurance providers offer a travel policy can cover any unexpected medical expense abroad and help you save thousands of dollars or euros in fees and bills. Even a simple sprained ankle may easily cost up to $2,500, while a more serious hip injury can easily reach over $10,000!
Help in remote areas
If you are visiting a remote region of a remote country and something bad happens, who are you going to call (hint: it’s not the Ghostbusters)? Paying for air or helicopter lifting to a hospital or back to a more “civilized” area might cost a really hefty sum of your hard-earned money. If any type of natural disaster occurs (such as a monsoon or a volcanic eruption) an emergency medivac can easily reach thousands of dollars. An insurance policy will cover that, that’s guaranteed, but that’s not a valid reason to carelessly jump off a cliff while you’re backpacking through the Himalayan valleys, either.
Stolen belongings
As a tourist, you’re often a juicy target for many thugs and thieves who want to loot your expensive digital devices and credit cards. Also, it’s not so uncommon for smaller airline companies to tangle up with luggage and leave you without your much needed belongings. When something like this occurs, a travel insurance policy will provide you with more than peace of mind because it will provide you with the ability to replace the items you need the most (such as the tools of your trade) when traveling abroad. This can save you from a lot of serious problems.
Flight issues
What if you need to suddenly change your plans because an emergency occurs at home? With a travel insurance policy, you won’t be wasting your flight ticket money. What if a flight gets canceled at the last minute, and you end up losing a vital connection to a cruise or another flight? A good policy will help you by arranging and paying for another flight to catch that connection as well as any other unexpected travel change. What if your flight is suddenly cancelled because a hurricane hit that area? The insurance will refund your expenses for flight, hotel, and other normally non-refundable items, so you can just set up your trip for another time.
Unwanted accidents
If you’re unfortunate and have an accident and injure someone else, you might have to pay a hefty compensation or even get sued. Also, a personal accident may wreck your car or cause you a serious injury. A travel policy that covers personal injuries and accidents will cover you for any potential expense you may incur and often more.
Conclusion
Whether you’re traveling experience is going to be a dream rather than a nightmare is up to you. Solid organization and a sound plan will make your trip a wonderful experience as you can enjoy all the novelties of a new place (even if you’re traveling for work reasons), and it’s so much easier to enjoy those things when you are covered by a travel insurance policy.
