The Eye-Opening Truth about When You Really Need Travel Insurance

Basil Mahadeo
4 min readMar 1, 2022

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With COVID-19 an ever-present concern, travel may never be the same. But as destinations throughout the world begin to welcome visitors again, people are getting back to taking vacations. Travel insurance is an optional add-on for most vacation packages, but many people wonder, ‘Do I really need travel insurance?’

This optional insurance is easy to add on for a nominal cost and can cover travelers in the event of the many unexpected things that can happen while traveling. Here, we’ll take a look at what travel insurance typically covers and why you might need it for your next vacation or business trip.

Accident Coverage

If you experience a car accident in a rental car or an injury during a pre-planned vacation activity or excursion, travel insurance can help lower the associated expenses. In some instances, you may even be covered by travel insurance if you caused the accident. While no one foresees an accident happing during travel, it is always a possibility, so in most cases, it is better to have travel insurance coverage than to not have it.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Luggage

Lost, stolen, or damaged luggage is a very common occurrence when traveling. Those without travel insurance may be stuck buying new items and being inconvenienced while on vacation.

Of course, travel insurance will not take away to the sting of losing sentimental items. However, having it can save you money if you need to replace items that were lost or damaged in transit.

Medical Expenses While Traveling

No one plans to get sick during a vacation or business trip, but it happens more often than people think. Many people might think that travel insurance does not help with medical expenses, but it can actually be a huge help.

Travel insurance is vital because you might get injured or sick while traveling abroad and need to pay for medical treatment. Depending on your health insurance plan, you may not be covered when traveling. If you don’t have travel insurance with a. medical payment clause, you might be stuck with sizable medical bills.

If you have to be medically transported back home, some travel insurance plans even cover this as well. The level of medial payment coverage will vary, but at the very least, you won’t have to pay as much out-of-pocket for medical expenses incurred while on vacation.

Coverage for Unforeseen Expenses

If something happens while traveling — especially in a foreign country — it’s best to be covered by travel insurance instead of worrying about all the expenses yourself. Travel insurance covers a lot of cases that could be life-threatening or financially demanding while you are in a foreign country.

Coverage of unanticipated travel expenses include, but are not limited to, for lost or stolen baggage, trip cancellations, delays, medical evacuation, and repatriation of remains. Most travel insurance will also cover trip interruptions, such as a damaged rental car, weather delays, and missed departure dates.

Coverage for Disaster-Related Expenses

Natural disasters are among the top causes of increased medical costs for travelers. If a hurricane, earthquake, or another natural catastrophe occurs while you are traveling abroad, travel insurance can help mitigate related expenses.

You may be asking yourself, “What does travel insurance usually cover in case of a natural disaster?” While the level of coverage may vary depending on your specific policy, typically travel insurance will reimburse you for damaged or lost items and may even help cover medical expenses if you or your traveling companions are injured as a result of a natural calamity. In case of genuine tragedy, your travel insurance insurer plan might reimburse you for the cost associated with it.

Reduced Stress and Worry

Most people take trips to relax and get away from the stress of everyday life. So, the last thing travelers want to worry about is being covered when the unexpected happens. Investing in travel insurance can provide the peace of mind that comes with knowing that no matter what, you won’t be inconvenienced or have to pay even more during your trip. while traveling. Adding travel insurance to your vacation package means that no matter your destination, emergencies or delays won’t ruin the fun.

Although it is still optional, travel insurance is considered essential by many travelers. It won’t cover all your expenses if there’s an accident or natural disaster, but travel insurance is designed to give you more protection, especially when delays happen that may cause your trip to be extended.

For example, some travel insurance packages will pay for additional days in your hotel if your flight is cancelled or a natural disaster makes it unsafe to fly. The bottom line is, you never know what might happen while traveling. Being prepared for the unexpected can save you a lot of money, time, and stress

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Basil Mahadeo

Basil Dahana Ram Mahadeo is a Director of GBTI for the past twenty-two (22) years.