Travel insurance is a travel item you will need on the road. You never know what problems might occur and most regular insurance policies wont protect while you are abroad. Check with your health care provider or insurance company to see if you are covered for accidents and sickness when abroad. If your company wont cover you, then you will need to purchase travel insurance. Moreover, travel insurance cover more than just you but also protects the things you take with you when traveling, any accidents that might occur, or trip cancellations that might arise.
You should also be aware of what is not covered and exclusions. Travel insurance policies do not normally cover alcohol or drug related incidents, or carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage. You won't get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless.
Additionally, travel insurance usually covers health emergencies. Make sure your plan does. If you get sick on the road, you want to make sure you are covered, especially if you are injured during an outdoor trek and need to be airlifted somewhere. You do not want to have to cover the costs yourself. Make sure your insurance company provides at least 500,000 dollars in coverage.
Always remember that travel insurance companies are insurance companies. They will avoid trying to pay out if they can. Make sure you keep good records and documents so that you can be sure to answer any questions. Even the best travel companies will drag their feet if they can.
There are many good companies out there. Two of the best travel insurance companies are STA Travel and World Nomads. Depending on your needs and requirements, one of these companies will probably be good for you. Make sure you read the fine print in any contract and agreement because if something does go wrong, you don't want to be the victim of a loophole.
No matter what your needs it is important that you buy travel insurance before you go away, especially if you are going away for an extended amount of time. You never what could happen, what could get lost or stolen or who could get sick with what. It is better to be safe than sorry for the few dollars travel insurance costs per day, it is a worthwhile expense.
About the Author:
Matthew Kepnes has written for many travel magazines and has used couchsurfing a lot. For more information, visit this site about how to travel the world as well as information about travel insurance for when you plan your next trip.
Thanks for this post Rohman it was a very insightful read into travel insurance. I agree that STA and Nomads are some of the best travel insurance providers and I have been with them both in recent years. STA when I was at uni and went backpacking with my partner and Nomads a few years after. The only problem I had was finding a cheaper provider who would give the same great policy until I did a check on money supermarket for travel insurance and plumped for insurefor travel insurance. Never heard of them before so it was a slight risk but everything was great.