With several countries opening their borders for international travel, it’s time to plan your trip today. The new normal, however, will have some restrictions in place regarding COVID-19 preventive measures and tests. But regardless of where you choose to go, buying travel insurance must be a priority. While it cannot protect you from contracting an infection, it can assist you in providing adequate and essential medical help when needed.
Importance of Travel Insurance
The lingering impact of the pandemic has changed global travel patterns and transformed travellers thinking as well. Hence, today, more than ever, buying travel insurance in light of the pandemic has become a critical requirement. It is a crucial factor in protecting your vacation, and therefore you need to prioritize your travel insurance purchase right at the start of planning your journey.
It will be some time for normalcy to return to global travel patterns. Until then, you need to be informed on all safety, healthcare and risks before you make travel plans. In this regard, travel insurance must become a priority and not an afterthought to provide you with greater peace of mind and relaxation.
Before scrutinising the importance of travel insurance, an important point to note is that no country permits unvaccinated tourists. So, if you haven’t already, ensure to get that done with internationally recognized approved vaccines.
What is Travel Insurance?
A travel insurance plan helps cover a wide range of financial risks you may encounter when travelling. Perhaps you wish to travel for a vacation, on business, or even for studies. Having adequate travel insurance coverage can ensure you are covered for international as well as domestic trips.
Types of Travel Insurance
Typically, travel insurance policies are divided into two segments — non-medical coverage and medical coverage. In a non-medical travel insurance plan, factors such as baggage loss, hotel or airline cancellations, lost passports and the like are covered.
On the other hand, medical coverage provides benefits concerning medical emergencies and medical evacuation. Several reputed insurance companies today offer travel insurance policies that also cover COVID-19.
How can a Travel Insurance Plan help you?
If you’ve been planning your vacation for a long while, you may have a checklist in mind to ensure that everything goes smoothly. But regardless of whether you make ad-hoc travel plans or plan much, you need to take into account unplanned incidences that can come up during your travel. These include delayed flights, medical emergencies on international shores, loss of baggage, and even flight/trip cancellations. All these events cannot only result in an anticipated expense but also impact your travel plans. In this regard, your travel insurance policy can address these incidentals, reduce the financial impact of the risks involved, and in some cases also ensure that you receive immediate medical assistance on international shores.
Points to consider
When purchasing a travel insurance policy, you may want to keep in mind a few points. Remember to buy a travel insurance plan that covers:
· Trip cancellation costs, delay and interruption benefits
· Medical costs in a foreign land and medical evacuation benefits
· Baggage loss or theft of personal belongings under baggage coverage
When buying insurance, the insurance coverage amount will depend on your age, the number of travellers, the kind of insurance coverage required and if the cost of the trip needs to be insured. An excellent way to determine the wide range of options is to get several quotes with your details.
It can be an excellent approach to opt for a comprehensive travel insurance plan covering medical and emergency evacuation and trip cancellation coverage and other essential benefits.
Why Travel Insurance matters today
Historically, travel insurance plans may not have covered pandemics or epidemics. However, in response to changed global and transformed customer expectations, insurance providers are introducing plans that cover losses due to COVID-19. Travel insurance options may vary considerably. Therefore, having a knowledgeable insurance expert can help you navigate various complexities.
To know the ideal travel insurance plan for you, you may want to consult the expertise of a knowledgeable financial advisor, such as Geojit Financial Services. Their expertise can help you evaluate a wide range of insurance options and help you buy an adequate plan suiting your needs.
Having adequate travel insurance can ensure you focus on making lifelong memories. Leave the worry of the financial burden on the insurance policy if you were to encounter any untoward experience during your vacation and enjoy travelling once again in the new normal.
