Travel Tips to Abide by to Keep Yourself Safe and Covered

As the pandemic subsides, tourist destinations are easing their restrictions, flights are resuming their routes, and people are more than eager to satiate their wanderlust. This can be substantiated by the fact that international arrivals reached 62% of pre-pandemic levels in just the first nine months (January-September) of 2022. Ensuring safety and taking precautions have become commonplace in the wake of the pandemic. While exercising these aspects is vital in regard to health, there is another element of travel where they may be useful and that is international travel insurance. Travel insurance is an insurance policy in which one can claim financial compensation if an unfortunate event covered under the policy’s scope occurs. However, not all sorts of events may be covered under the plan you are considering. Hence, to help you out, here is a list of tips to keep in mind to have a safe and covered trip.

1. Understand the medical coverage aspect thoroughly 

It is quite natural to be in a hurry when buying travel insurance since there are multiple things you need to get done before you leave for the trip. However, this should not lead to overlooking a critical element of travel insurance which is medical coverage. One must know what kinds of medical events are under their travel insurance plan. Some plans may cover unforeseen medical emergencies only while others may have coverage for pre-existing diseases as well. Hence, understand your medical needs and choose a plan accordingly. If you are short on time, you may want to buy travel insurance online. It can help you save time considerably. *

2. Know what is not covered

Even though you may have an idea of the general coverage of the policy, you may not know about the policy terms and the limitations of each coverage aspect. For instance, many travel insurance plans exclude injuries or bodily harm due to participation in adventure sports. Similarly, checked-in baggage may be covered, but if the baggage were to be transported separately and ends up getting lost, there may be no compensation. Along with coverage-specific exclusions, one should also know the overall exclusions, such as injury or financial issues arising due to substance abuse, cosmetic treatments, wars or terrorist activities, and so on. Being aware of these exclusions helps you be financially prepared in the right manner and helps avoid any unpleasant surprises when such an event may indeed occur. Note: The inclusions, exclusions, and validity of your plan remain the same regardless of whether you buy travel insurance online or offline. *

3. Check whether you have trip cancellation coverage 

With the help of a well-planned travel insurance policy, you can get coverage not only for unfortunate events that may occur during the trip but also before the trip starts. By that, we mean if an event were to lead to the cancellation of the trip, a travel insurance policy can help you receive reimbursement for the already booked tickets and accommodation. * Trip cancellation insurance coverage can be particularly useful in the case of non-refundable tickets and hotel accommodations. Hence, before you finalise a policy, do check if this particular kind of coverage is available, and the terms and conditions that are applicable. In some cases, it may be available as an add-on which you can opt for by paying an additional premium. *

4. Review the claim process

Even though you may never want adverse events to hamper your travel plans, it is ideal to be prepared for them, nevertheless. Knowing how to raise a claim should be a major step in this preparation. You should be thoroughly aware of the process to file a claim when the time comes. * There is a chance that the claim process may differ for different coverages. For instance, the documents required when raising a claim for flight cancellation insurance coverage would be different from those needed for personal accident compensation. *

5. Know when your coverage starts and ends 

Coverage of travel insurance plans often starts and ends at pre-determined dates, depending on the travel information you provide to the insurer. In some cases, the flight cancellation insurance coverage may be valid only for the primary flight to the foreign destination and not for any multi-trip flights within the foreign country. * The start and end date of the coverage may also difference between a single-trip insurance plan and a multi-trip insurance plan. Thus, one should always know when one’s coverage begins and ends to make the most of it.  *

In conclusion

Besides these tips, one should also choose the right insurance provider for their travel insurance plan. Make sure you have the contact details of the insurance company’s representatives in the country that you are travelling to. If you get stuck in an unfortunate situation in a foreign country, then getting help may be a bit overwhelming due to the new and unfamiliar surroundings. The assistance of a travel insurance plan and the company’s representatives can be a great support when travelling internationally. Hence, one must consider buying travel insurance online or offline when planning an international trip.   *Standard T&C Apply Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation. For more details on benefits, exclusions, limitations, terms, and conditions, please read the sales brochure/policy wording carefully before concluding a sale.