Travel insurance

There is nothing more fun than exploring the dream destinations from the world. Be it solo trip, with family, study trips, or for business purpose, a peaceful journey is all we need during a trip. However, the sad part is despite planning trip precisely, things can go haywire. Things can get even worse if we are in an unknown city or country. So, what exactly the solution to the situation is? Or is it better to leave the situation as it is?

Well, the answer is ‘travel insurance’. The insurance gives a peace of mind while travelling, especially when an uncertain event or situation hits the joy of trip. While booking tickets or preparing the check list, many people overlook the significance of the travel insurance. They perceive the importance of an insurance plan as an unnecessary financial add-on. However, when something unexpected happens, they release what the insurance policy is meant for and how important it is to buy a plan.

So, before moving, let’s first get an understanding about the basics of travel insurance!

What is travel insurance?

Travel insurance is an agreement or contract that safeguards the passenger from certain financial risks and losses that can happen during a trip. We often go on trips within India or abroad for varied reasons and this gives rise to the need of a travel insurance, which meant to provide a safety cushion to you and your loved ones from unforeseen circumstances.

In addition to financial protection, the other benefits of an insurance plan include access to assistance services all over the globe such as medical emergency, health care services, baggage lost, and so much more.

Benefits of travel insurance policy:

Owing to different needs of individual customer, there are different types of insurance policies too, which helps customers to pen down their needs and circle the right policy based on their requirements.

Travel disruptions – Travel disruptions such as flight delay or cancellation are common. It can be due to engine failure, poor weather conditions, or whatever. But, what if you need to urgently land somewhere? In such cases, travel insurance helps substantially by assuring to provide compensation for any losses resulted due to trip disruptions. In case of not having the trip insured, you are likely to lose a significant amount of money due to flight delay or last moment cancellation. The most costliest travel mistakes that people often make is related to cancelled flights or trip disruptions.

Medical assistance – Though travel insurance doesn’t prevent any misfortune to happen, but definitely provides relief in the form of financial compensation. Accident or health related issues can happen any time and there is nothing more frustrating than being seriously ill or injured in an unfamiliar land. The situation gets worse when you have enough pennies to get the medical treatment or get a return ticket to native town. Also, currency differentiation in some countries can make the health care services costlier. Thus, travel insurance reimburses the money spend on medical bills, which gives financial relief from untimely medical emergency.

Reimburse for luggage or baggage loss – Luggage loss or damage is not new in travel. While leaving for a fun-filled journey, luggage loss or damage can ruin the trip and may sometimes come with extra financial burden if the passport and other travel documents are gone with the baggage as well. Replacing the passport and buying a few sets of clothes actually means going over the set budget and making the pockets dry. But, you don’t have to bear the cost for airline or hotel’s mistake only if you have a travel insurance policy.

Stress free travel – It’s hard to deny that unforeseen events can make the trip stressful and frustrating and might put a dent to your fun journey. Hence, travel insurance ascertains stress-free journey and gives a peace of mind to explore the destination to the fullest. The insurance plan covers the traveller when something unexpected happens during the trip.

Tips to choose the best travel insurance policy in India:

The digital era has given a lot of freedom and convenience to people and a quick online search will let you know that there are a lot of insurance options available. And if you are simply jetting off on a quick vacation trip, most of them will do the trick to lure the customer. So, take your call and follow some essential tips to buy the best travel insurance online.

Coverage amount – Though there are several policies, it is best to go for maximum coverage plans. Going with higher coverage gives peace of mind. Check the list of inclusions and exclusions in the plan and go with the one that suits best to your needs and requirements.

Medical benefits – Cost of medical treatment is increasing day by day and this makes it a crucial part of any insurance plan. Also to be noted that currency variations among different countries can dry the pockets at times of medical emergency. Thus, travel insurance plan ensures cashless health care services making it easy and hassle-free to access medical services even in foreign nations. Hence, make sure the plan you choose offers medical assistance services as well.

Single or multi-trip – This completely depends on the frequency of travelling. In a single trip plan, only one trip a year is covered, while multi-trip policy covers multiple tips in a year. Multi-trip insurance plan is best suggested for frequent travellers who have to make frequent travelling to different locations every now and then.

Valuable coverage – A baggage can include certain valuable accessories or personal belongings like passport, wallet, and jewellery. Getting them lost can be very disturbing, especially in an unknown land. So, before zeroing to a plan, make sure that the policy covers loss of valuables as well. Understanding the policy thoroughly also protects you from last minute shock to know that valuables are not covered under the chosen policy plan.

Bottom line

No matter how strong we are, we’re not a superhero that can prevent uncertainties from taking a shape. You may be in a joyful moment right now, but who knows what the next moment will have within. Despite taking all the precaution measures, you cannot be 100% sure of nothing wrong will happen during the trip. And that is the reason why smart travellers prefer getting a travel insurance plan to safeguard from any unforeseen situation.