5 Reasons Your Trips Should Have Travel Insurance

Traveling can be expensive. Booking flights, accommodations, and activities can stack up, so you might understandably hesitate to add another expense. You will have to consider travel insurance as another cost upfront. You may think it is unnecessary, but it can protect you financially if you get into an unexpected incident.

You can get insurance when you buy tickets or through companies selling packages. You can even have several different types of insurance to cover every unfortunate instance that may happen during your trip. However, this option involves more upfront expenses.

5 Reasons Your Trips Should Have Travel Insurance

Everyone should consider getting travel insurance, whether traveling domestically or internationally. You never know what might happen, and it is better to be safe and secure rather than lose the money you saved for your trip. Here are the reasons you should have travel insurance and how it protects you.

1. Medical emergencies

Medical emergencies during a trip can range from you or a companion getting sick before a flight to incurring injuries. Because health insurance plans are typically not covered outside the country, travel insurance is essential if you fly internationally. In medical emergencies such as injury, they can even cover the ambulance that takes you to the hospital.

With COVID-19 still prevalent, sickness-related claims have become more common. For instance, travel insurance aggregator Squaremouth reported a 235% increase in travel insurance claims from 2019 to 2022. It is better to play it safe and get travel insurance that helps you negotiate insurance settlements.

2. Trip cancellations

The worst thing to happen to a trip is canceling it at the last second. Of course, that would mean losing all money you spent getting tickets and booking hotels. In this case, you can get “Cancel For Any Reason” (CFAR) travel insurance, which will reimburse you a certain amount of what you spent.

Several companies offer CFAR coverage and will reimburse you around 75% of your trip costs if you cancel at least 48 hours before your departure.

3. Natural disasters or unfavorable weather

Typhoons and other natural disasters can be devastating. For instance, the United States experienced 15 weather-related events as of October 2022, resulting in losses worth over $1 billion for each disaster. Aside from their harmful effects on locals, natural disasters can also hinder travel plans.

If your flight gets canceled because of natural disasters, you can purchase travel insurance that will reimburse you for the cost, even if it is originally non-refundable. They can also partially shoulder the price of an additional ticket, should you buy one, in case the weather in your current location or target destination clears.

4. Baggage delays or loses

Travel insurance can help with baggage loss, damages, or delays. For some perspective on why insuring your baggage is important, airlines from the United States mishandled around 220,000 bags in April 2022.

Lost, delayed, or even stolen baggage is a significant inconvenience during a trip, and there could be varying policies on what is considered “lost,” depending on the airline. For example, many airlines deem baggage lost after a minimum of five days.

If you purchased travel insurance, you would be reimbursed for the total value of your baggage.

Suppose the airline loses or damages any device that helps with a disability on a domestic flight (like crutches, wheelchairs, or prosthetics). In that case, they must reimburse you the original price it took to purchase. A damaged or lost device’s reimbursement on an international flight will depend on the treaties set for that country.

5. Missed flight connections or delays

Another very inconvenient incident that could happen is getting your flight delayed or missing a connection to another flight. Not only are you stuck in your current location, but you may have to stay somewhere until the airline gets you back on track.

Delays or missed connections can result from weather and natural disasters, including mechanical failure or a terrorist attack. Depending on the type of travel insurance, the airline can reimburse you for the ticket cost and even cover you for a hotel stay, meals, and transportation. Some airlines allow you to file your claim after three hours, so double-check your policy for the minimum duration.

Choose the Best Travel Insurance For Your Trip

When choosing a travel insurance company to partner with, check what and how much they can cover and when you can file the claim. If you already have an existing policy, the company may include free travel insurance as part of a package. For international trips, partner with a company with 24/7 customer service to get help no matter the timezone.

Travel insurance is vital for everyone, whether they are taking a trip domestically or internationally. It is more reassuring to know that you will receive financial help if you encounter any unfortunate incidents before and during your trip. Getting travel protection is better than paying more for expenses incurred from the unpredictability of many events.

The post 5 Reasons Your Trips Should Have Travel Insurance first appeared on Articles Reader.