I will cover all the general questions you might have to help you decide whether you should buy travel insurance for your next trip or not.

And then you can read the experiences of 18 travelers from all over the world who have shared the unfortunate incidents that happened when they were traveling and travel insurance claims experiences.

Do I Need Travel Insurance? Really?

Probably every traveller out there has thought about this: should I get travel insurance? The short answer is yes, you do.

It really doesn’t matter whether you are the most meticulous planner the world has ever known or a walking disaster all over the place. And even if you are like Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, who simply can’t get sick- know that travel insurance is not just to save your ass when you are sick.

It saves your ass in a lot of other scenarios. Here are all those things.

What Does Backpacker Travel Insurance Cover?

While different travel insurance companies might differ in what they cover sometimes, they should definitely cover the following.

However, you should always go through the paperwork they send you and confirm what your policy doesn’t cover. Don’t just throw it a glance and forget about it.

Here is a screenshot from a travel insurance I bought (from a company I don’t really recommend), to give you a general idea of everything that international travel insurance covers.

1. Does Travel Insurance Cover Cancelled Flights?

Yes it does. One of the biggest benefits of buying international travel insurance is to get refunds and other kinds of support when your trip is cancelled.

Your trip might get cancelled because of many reasons such as

Weather-related Delays/Cancellations by Airlines

If there is a cyclone or storm, and your flight is canceled or delayed, you never know whether the airline is going to be of much help. However, with travel insurance, you don’t have to worry about a place to stay or rescheduling fees etc.

Unexpected Company Bankruptcies

No airlines don’t go bankrupt overnight. But it happens. And when it happens, your flights would be cancelled or rescheduled depending on a lot of factors.

When COVID hit, Ryan Air, Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier was on the verge of going bust. LATAM & Avianca, two of the biggest carriers from Latin America files for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

When this happens, unfortunately, there’s simply no guarantee that an airline going into bankruptcy will reimburse passengers for their outstanding tickets. The loyalty programs are devalued or eliminated.

But if your travel insurance protects you in these situations.

Cancellation by you

Yep, if you can cancel the trip due to one of the covered reasons such as sudden illness or a death in the family, travel insurance will help you out.

But remember, if you cancel the flight because that chick you have been texting on tinder for the last 10 years has finally agreed for a last-minute dinner before leaving for a one-year sabbatical to Antarctica, that is not covered.

2. Does Travel Insurance Cover Medical Expenses?

This is one of the biggest reasons why you should have travel insurance. When you are in a foreign country, you simply don’t know when you will get sick.

A good backpacker travel insurance policy will always cover the hospital stay, medication, checkups, and even air evacuation in case you are in a remote mountain or someplace where you can’t get yourself to a hospital.

International travel insurance repatriation, for example, pays for flying you to your home country.

3. International Travel Insurance for Theft or Lost Items?

If your belongings get stolen or lost, then travel insurance will help you replace them partially or fully. What this means is that if you have a $10,000 camera, they wouldn’t give you back $10,000 if it gets stolen. For that you need to have a separate policy for the camera.

So if you are wondering about travel insurance for lost iPhone or Macbook, chances are that your general travel insurance will not cover it.

4. Does Travel Insurance Cover Baggage? Lost/Damaged/Delayed Baggage Insurance

So if you are a frequent flyer, you probably know that airlines would lose your baggage. Your baggage may end up in Miami, while you were flying from London to New York. Whenever I fly, I can’t help but imagine that this is going to happen.

It is actually a very common occurrence.

While the insurance cover will not be for everything, especially if you have valuables like jewelry, it will help you with most other things.

5. Is There Travel Insurance Accidental Death Coverage?

We definitely don’t think about dying when on a trip in some faraway country, but it happens every now and then. As unfortunate and sorrowful that might be, your family members might have a hard time getting your remains and belongings from outside the country.

International travel insurance coverage pays a lump sum to your beneficiary, usually a family member, if you die in an accident while on the trip and helps with the costs of getting your remains home.

6. How about Car Rental Travel Insurance? Is It Covered?

So you rented a car and forgot to buy or chose not to buy car rental insurance. The good news is that if you have travel insurance, it will pay for your rental car in case it’s damaged in a wreck or in a natural disaster or by vandals.

You should check whether liability insurance would be covered under travel insurance. Usually it is not.

What Does Travel Insurance Not Cover?

Remember that travel insurance is not your primary health insurance. Its sole purpose is to help you when you get into hot water when traveling. Most travel insurance will not cover

Primary Coverage vs Secondary Coverage in Travel Health Insurance

One thing that you should definitely look for while buying travel medical insurance is whether the company provides “prImary coverage” rather than “secondary coverage”. If a company provides secondary coverage, that means you need to have all other possible insurance plans exhausted before paying.

How Much is Travel Insurance?

This of course depends on where you are buying from. There are thousands of travel insurance providers. But which ones are really the best travel insurance companies? And what are the factors defining travel insurance cost?

Factors Affecting International Travel Insurance Cost

Price for a travel insurance plan will vary depending on:

• Length of the trip: The longer the trip, the higher the travel insurance cost.
• Existing Medical conditions you want to be covered: Conditions you already have will definitely raise the cost of travel insurance coverage.
• Your age: Generally the older you are, the higher the price of backpacker travel insurance.
• Risk factor: A travel insurance covering more risks such as extreme sports will cost more than one that doesn’t.

While I haven’t tried them all out, based on my personal experience and conversations with many digital nomads and travelers, I can recommend the following two.

1. Safety Wing

Safety Wing starts from $40 for 4 weeks. So you pay, like $10 a week or $1.43 per day. It offers one of the most affordable long-term travel insurance plans I have ever come across.

Now depending on the claim type, you might need to pay a deductible of $250. And the coverage is up to $250,000.

SafetyWing is definitely a great budget travel insurance option.

2. World Nomads

World nomads does cost more than Safety Wing, but you don’t have to pay a deductible. How much it will cost depends totally on where you are traveling to, your home country and age.

World Nomads comes with two plans: standard and explorer. The standard plan covers, well everything normal. The explorer one covers a wider range of adventure activities, and costs more than the standard plan.

To give you an idea, a standard plan for a week would cost close to $80 while an explorer plan will cost $120.

Does my Medical Insurance Cover International Travel?

It so happens that lots of times people confuse medical insurance that they have in their home country with international travel insurance. They are totally different.

So if you have Medicaid or Obamacare or some other medical insurance, and you think that will help with medical evacuation coz’ you broke your leg on a remote mountaintop in Peru where one can only reach on a donkey, you will be very, very disappointed.

Your domestic medical insurance will help if you are traveling domestically. But when you are abroad, you need international travel insurance.

I know that even with all the explanations above, you still might be wondering what all things can happen during a trip and will Travel insurance have your back when that happens. So here is a list of experiences from different continents to help you understand better.

Saved by Travel Insurance in Australia

Surf Accident in Australia

Contributed by Steph from A Nomad’s Passport

Back in 2017 I moved to Australia for a few months and while there I accidently broke my knee while surfing. The minute my knee hit the sand I knew that something was wrong, so I booked a doctor’s appointment once I was back in Sydney.

While making the call I was already asked about my insurance details and I am convinced it got me an earlier appointment.

I went to the doctor’s and he ordered an MRI and ultrasound scan right away. And that was the moment I worried about the costs as I knew I would have to pay upfront before getting the money back from my travel insurance.

As it turns out, that the first appointment and the consultation after the MRI each cost me 70 AUD, while the MRI set me back 400 AUD. And while my leg healed, I had another two check-ups that added another 140 AUD to my medical expenses.

When I received the bills in the mail and saw the amounts, I was very glad that I would get the money back, but I was worried how long it would take.

However, I remember looking up the average refund times before selecting my insurance, and that mine was supposed to process claims fast. And it turns out that this was true. I received the money within a week of uploading the bills in their online portal.

I was never as glad to have added international travel insurance to my regular health insurance as I was the day that I got my money back. And if the experience has thought me one thing it is, that it is always good to look up how fast insurance claims are processed and what the other terms are when selecting your travel insurance.

Travel Insurance Claim Experiences in Asia

Food Poisoning during COVID in India

Contributed by Geena from Beyond the Bucket List

My iron stomach finally failed me. In India, in the midst of a pandemic no less. Typically, I’m a fly by the seat of my pants traveler when it comes to insurance.

But after endless pestering from friends & family, I bought a medical-only insurance policy from Seven Corners before I left on my open-ended Asia trip. After 7 months abroad, confidently eating even the most questionable street food, I got Delhi Belly leaving Mumbai.

This wasn’t your typical food poisoning either, this was three-days of agonizing pain spent laying on a dirty bathroom floor between trips to the toilet. When I finally checked myself into a private hospital in Udaipur, the Coronavirus pandemic was in full force.

My insurance company was basically unreachable, likely because of the influx of panicked travelers calling about Corona-related issues. After three overnight stays & being loaded with antibiotics and fluids, I paid my $600 hospital bill & left.

Two months later after submitting photos of my receipts on their website they sent me a refund check for the full hospital stay. If I hadn’t had traveler’s insurance I would have probably tried to go to a public hospital in India instead of the nicer, private hospital.

Overall, having insurance saved me hundreds of dollars and allowed me to get better medical care, and now, I’m a convert.

Reversed a Car to a Tree in Laos

Contributed by Ben from The Sabbatical Guide

Laos was one of our favourite destinations from our sabbatical around Southeast Asia, but it didn’t come without incident.

We hired a big Toyota Hilux (in the photo above/below) to complete the famous Thakhek Loop. We were told the roads were going to be difficult and most people do the route by motorcycle, but we actually found it fairly easy – until the last day! 

Having had two days in paradise beside a little spring upstream from Kong Lor Cave I was pulling away when the owner came out to tell me their card machine had lost signal so my payment hadn’t gone through.

I paid in cash, waved as I reversed out of the parking spot and promptly smashed the back of the Hilux into an old tree stump. This was despite having both parking sensors and a reversing camera! Too embarrassed to check in front of her we pulled further up the road and I got out to survey the damage. Yep, it was bad.

We took the truck on the three-hour journey back to Vientiane airport and I was nervous. I’d never damaged a huge car before. The guy behind the desk looked like it had never happened to him either, came out, looked as shocked as if I’d just run over his cat, and made phone calls to various local garages (who I’m convinced were friends of his) where a quote finally came back to the equivalent of $650USD.

Ouch. I paid up, there wasn’t much choice.

Thankfully though we had paid for extensive travel insurance before we left. From memory, this cost us around £350 for our three-month trip. They asked for proof of receipts, damage claims from the garage, and photographs of the incident, all of which I had!

The money was paid out in full with very little delay, I was so thankful we paid for travel insurance in advance and now never travel without it!

Bike Accident in Japan

Contributed by Clotilde from A Princess Travelling with Twins

In 2017 when the boys were 1.5 years old, we made our first family long haul adventure to Japan, an amazing country and people! We always had Travel Insurance, but now with we were extra careful and always double checked our trips were covered by our policies.

Whilst spending four days in Kyoto, we rented bicycles with child seats, as we often do to explore the area, and in the afternoon found ourselves in the Nijo castle. My husband parked his bicycle but must have been distracted for he didn’t do it quite right, and the bike fell over with our son still strapped into the seat.

As it fell sideways there was nothing to stop the fall until our son’s head hit the hard ground! Thankfully, we had put helmets on them which took the blow, but after 20 -30 mins he was looking drowsy, so we thought it best to go to the hospital. 

Two quick phone calls with the International division at American Express and we had a case number and the details for a Red Cross Hospital a short Taxi ride away. The staff were great, communication challenges were sorted with some diagrams, our son got thoroughly checked out, and we were able to carry on with our Holiday with peace of mind (and incredibly careful bicycle parking!)

There was a little confusion over payment initially which the Hospital admin team sorted quickly, and we were on our way without having to pay anything ourselves, and with a Japanese Medical card in our son’s name to mark the occasion. Never a dull moment when traveling with toddlers!

Political Evacuation from Bali

Contributed by Krisztina from She Wanders Abroad

In the end of 2019, I decided to take a sabbatical with my boyfriend to travel around Asia for 6 months. Having a travel insurance is a must for every trip, especially if you’re planning to spend half a year on a different continent, so we decided to purchase a travel insurance from Safety Wing.

Our trip went very well until March 2020, when the coronavirus started to spread in Asia and borders started to close around us. After we were denied entry to Vietnam with our European passports, we decided to visit Bali instead where we spent 3 weeks.

Since traveling was not an option anymore and most of the places were closed on Bali as well, we started to talk about that maybe it would be best if we would go back home to Budapest.

During these weeks we received multiple emails from Safety Wing with updates about the virus but to be honest I neglected most of these emails. One day I accidentally opened one of the emails where they were talking about political evacuation and it turned out that due to the virus situation we were eligible for this.

It sounded too good to be true! We quickly gave them a call where they assured us that we are really eligible and they will cover all our expenses in order to get us home safely.

So we bought our flight tickets, a few days later we boarded the plane and one day later we arrived back in Budapest. After arriving home we submitted our claims online and 1-2 months later we got back the 2,500 USD we spent on flight tickets.

It’s crazy to think that I would have never known about this option if it weren’t for their emails. I will be forever grateful for this!

E-Coli Poisoning on Koh Lanta, Thailand

Contributed by Layla from A Lial Travel Gal

I have been travelling for a decade and whilst travelling together in Thailand with my partner, we decided to go and explore the tropical island of Koh Lanta. 

Koh Lanta is 27 km long and most of it is one road that goes around the entire island, so we rented a moped and spent our time zipping around stopping off at beaches and visiting cafes on the way.

One evening, I was suddenly awoken by my partner telling me he’d been up for hours being ill.

It was around 2 am so we decided he should sleep it off and we’d assess it the next day. But after trying rehydration tablets, lots of coconut water, and hours of rest, he continued being ill all of the next day. And around 10 pm that following evening, he was burning up with a high fever. 

Despite it being so late and aware that we were only on a small island with no large hospital and limited resources, we walked to the nearest medical clinic which was luckily only down the road.

We were seen immediately by Triage at Reception and the Admissions process was easy and fast and he was seen by the Doctor within 10 mins.  He was then admitted due to his extremely high fever and his Doctor quickly diagnosed him with E-Coli poisoning. 

His Doctor then prescribed medication, hooked him up to an IV, and kept him in a private clinic room overnight for observation.

A day later, he was told he could leave. The discharge process was easy and the medical staff was so helpful and knowledgeable. We paid for treatment there and then at the medical clinic and then had to claim later from our travel insurance provider. 

They provided us with a receipt for the payment and a medical certificate/report detailing all treatment and medication. This is imperative in claiming as most travel insurance companies won’t pay out on just a receipt being provided.

Once out of Koh Lanta, I called the helpline of our travel insurance provider and asked what the process was to claim. 

They told me it would be easier to claim by email, as I was still overseas, so I emailed all details of medical expenses and attached the receipt and Medical Certificate/Report and a Claims Handler replied the very next day.

We found out our excess and that we also had to print out and fill in a claims form to finalize the claim. This was a little tedious after emailing everything already but we did it easily, as we’d moved countries by then. 

The whole claim process took a week and they reimbursed us the cost of our entire medical bill – minus our excess/deductible.

We were both so glad that we got travel insurance as it would’ve been a small dent in our budget very early on in the trip. Having travel insurance also reassured us that we could go affordably go to a medical clinic on an island and not put off having treatment until moving on to a bigger city.

Medical Checkup in Laos

Contributed by Marya from The Beaut Traveller

When I arrived to Vientiane from Pakse at Champasak in Laos, I couldn’t be more thankful that I purchased travel insurance for my Indochina trip at the time.

On my first day in Vientiane, I thought it was just flu, so I tried to have enough rest and only order the food from the hotel’s room service.

It was only on the second day when I realized that I needed to go to the hospital when I went to a supermarket close to the hotel, and I couldn’t go back to the hotel as I felt too weak to walk. The distance from the hotel to the supermarket was only around 200 meters, and I had to order a taxi to go back to the hotel.

Later that night, I decided to go to Alliance International Medical Center after asking for hospital suggestions in some travel groups on Facebook.

Due to the rising situation with Covid-19, I had to take a swab test at the hospital to see if I was reactive to the virus. Thankfully, the result was negative, but the doctor strongly suggested me to spend a 2-week quarantine in Vientiane to prevent the worst probability, given the situation.

I spent around 2.800.000 LAK, or around $300 USD, for the medical check-up, including the swab test at the time. While the travel insurance didn’t allow me to pay for it cashless, at least I could claim it and get 50% reimbursement by the time I returned to my home country Indonesia.

Lost my Drone in Bali

Contributed by Ilse from Digital Travel Couple

With more than €15.000 worth in gear, we travel the world full time to capture beautiful moments and experiences. From the beginning it was very obvious for us we needed good insurance for our laptops, cameras, lenses, drone, and gimbal. Luckily we found good insurance in our country of origin the Netherlands, specifically for cameras, laptops etc. 

It was an afternoon in Bali when we decided to shoot the sunset on the beach. If you know the Bali beaches, they are very wide. We stood about 10 meters away from the shoreline and had our gear bags next to us in the sand so we could easily change lenses on our cameras.

My boyfriend flew the drone, and once he was finished with that he put the drone on the ground. We had in mind to shoot a little video scene at the beach, so our gimbal with a camera on it was standby on the ground as well.

We were both busy changing the lens on our cameras when we heard people screaming. With our backs towards the ocean, we were too late to see the wave coming… It was one of those long waves that kept moving up on the beach.

A part of our gear that was resting on the ground got washed away. The drone, controller, gimbal, and lens didn’t survive. Drama. But luckily we could rescue our bags with other lenses and cameras in it.

But still, thousands of euros ruined by salty ocean water. Once recovered from the shock and back in our room, we realized we could claim everything that was broken on our insurance.

It needed some time before everything was arranged with the insurance, the typical paperwork of course which took about 2 – 3 months. But we received the purchase price back from the broken gear and bought even better, and newer gear for it in return. Happy ending. 

Saved by Travel Health Insurance in Americas

Altitude Sickness and Salmonella in Bolivia

Contributed by Cecile from Worldwide Walkers

Exploring the salt flats in Bolivia has always been high on my bucket list and when the time to visit finally arrived, it couldn’t have gone worse.

The salt flats are located at 3600 meters (12000 feet) above sea level, which makes altitude sickness a potential risk. Most people experience mild symptoms of altitude sickness, but severe cases do occur and can be life-threatening.

I knew about this risk. But it wasn’t going to stop me from visiting the amazing salt flats. It’s almost impossible to travel and not take any risks along the way.

Unfortunately, I got altitude sickness in Bolivia. I had a bad headache, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I had difficulty breathing and a very bad stomach. I felt so bad that it was hard for me to really appreciate the salt flats.

My symptoms only worsened and I began to feel scared. I called my travel insurance and they helped me out right away. They booked me in at a hospital, made sure everything was pre-paid, and they let me talk to a doctor in my own language. 

I found out that I was indeed suffering from altitude sickness, but that I also had salmonella.

I cannot stress how happy I was to have travel insurance at this moment. Being far away from home and feeling sick, it’s really nice to know that someone will always look after you – in this case it was my travel insurance.

Getting Robbed in Mexico

Contributed by Maartje from Tidy Minds

One of the worst travel experiences became a bit less horrible because of the way our travel insurance handled it. We were robbed during our Mexico last January and lost everything of any value we had with us, including your passports.

One morning waking up in Tulum, we found out our phones were no longer charging on the nightstands next to our heads. We started to panic and found out most of our stuff was gone from the room.

Our e-reader, tablet, phones, jewelry, watches, wallet, credit cards, camera, day pack, medication, games and so much were taken while we were sleeping, just leaving us with our clothes. 

After traveling for two months in Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, we were planning to fly home the day after. During a very stressful day our travel insurance helped us get in touch with the right people at the embassy. The Dutch consul was not in the office, but the embassy arranged emergency documents at the German consul instead. 

We were told we couldn’t fly home though: our ticket had a stop in the US and the US wouldn’t accept those emergency documents. We had to book new flights, costing us € 1.200 euros. We were happy the insurance covered the tickets straight away. 

Reimbursing our stolen items took much longer and as most Dutch travel insurances only recover the daily value of items, we couldn’t replace everything right away. And no money could bring back our photos. 

Return protection Insurance on Travel Credit Card in Colombia

Contributed by Marco from Nomadic Fire

When people think of travel insurance, they usually think of separate insurance purchased for a specific trip. These policies cover travelers in the unlikely event of a medical emergency, delayed flight, or theft.

What if I told you that instead of only being useful for an unlikely emergency, there is coverage for something that will likely happen to you while traveling? Even better, what if I told you this insurance covers you without purchasing extra coverage?

When traveling overseas, returning a product to a store in a developing country is a hit or miss proposition. Even if you never opened or used the product, many stores abroad will not accept returns. Even if a product is defective, foreign stores can deny you a refund or exchange. 

Luckily, my American Express Platinum card has a “Return Protection” benefit to cover me when I live abroad in low-cost countries. If I need to return a product to a store within 90 days and the merchant won’t take the product back, my credit card will refund me the full purchase (up to $300). 

This scenario is what happened to me in Colombia. I purchased a “new” Samsung phone for $400 from a store in Medellin. After purchasing the phone, I noticed the phone back and screen had faint but noticeable scratches.

Yet, the store manager would not consider exchanging the unused phone, even mere hours after I bought it. My card covered me with a $300 credit on my bill.

If you have spent time in developing countries before, you know about the lack of regulation compared to the US or EU. There is no consumer guarantees or Better Business Bureau to help if a merchant tries to rip you off.

This lack of regulation is where your credit card can help. Check your coverage. You may already have useful travel insurance without knowing about it.

Saved by Travel Insurance in Europe

Flight Cancellation Travel Insurance Helped me with Cancelled Flights before Octoberfest

Contributed by Alexx from Finding Alexx

I had an absolute travel nightmare one weekend back in 2018. I wrapped up a work trip in Bali and began the long journey back to London, but came down with an unfortunate bout of food poisoning at the start of my second flight.

A horrible 8 hours later, I landed at Heathrow with next to no energy and was saved by my travel insurer covering a £90 taxi to my house (to avoid 1.5 hours on various modes of public transport).

But it gets worse! I was due to fly to Munich for Oktoberfest 10 hours after arriving back in London, so I drank a tonne of water, ate plain bread, and tried to sleep off the sickness.

I woke up a few hours before the flight feeling much better until I received an email saying our flights had been canceled and there was no replacement available.

After a few hours stressing about what to do, we managed to find a flight for 7 am the next morning at four times the price of our original flight, so we made it to Oktoberfest a day late but in desperate need of a beer.

Insurance covered our new flights, one night of missed accommodation, and a private transfer from the airport to the festival, with the process requiring full receipts and invoices, and taking about four weeks for reimbursement.

One of our group didn’t have insurance and was about €600 out of pocket, whereas my £40 insurance policy saved all that money and stress.

Medical Issues while in Germany on Working Holiday Visa

Contributed by Mami from My Little Inner Child

I used to have travel health insurance when I did Working Holiday (WH) in Germany a year ago. Having appropriate travel insurance (by German legal requirements) is mandatory to apply for the WH visa. My ex was insured by it too, and he was happy with the product, so I also signed up for it. 

I had chest discomfort and visited an English-speaking doctor, Mawista covered all the expenses, including medications. 

When I moved from Berlin to where I live now, I broke a glass induction cooker. A few weeks after this accident, I switched to German national health insurance as my new full-time job required me to do so.

The insurance representatives were very nice and quick to respond even after my insurance term ended. They even rest assured that it would definitely cover all the bills for broken glasses if needed as the accident happened while the insurance was still active. 

Even though I didn’t have to shoulder the expenditure for the glasses, in the end, I was deeply grateful to have peace of mind moneywise. I’d also recommend travel health insurance for future WH applicants in Germany.

Broke my Nose and Hand before a Trip to Iceland

Contributed by Stuart from Just Travelling Through

Last year I found a job working in Iceland as a volunteer coordinator in the Thórsmörk National Park for seven weeks starting in mid-July. The role involved repairing hiking routes (painting signs, re-forming trails, repairing fences, etc.) that had become damaged over the harsh winter months.

Before starting I went to Valencia for my usual summer job as an English teacher. Because I had the job in Iceland I could only work in Spain for a week. However, it was during this week that I had a bicycle accident and broke both my hand and nose!

My nose was set in a splint while my hand required an operation before being placed in a cast. I had to wear the cast for four weeks, which due to the physical demands of the work I’d hoped to do in Iceland meant I had to cancel my trip and miss out on such a great experience.

Everything had already been booked prior to my eventful trip to Valencia. The flights to Iceland, accommodation in Reykjavik before I started and all the equipment I needed.

Fortunately, I’d also been advised to purchase insurance in the event of any unforeseen circumstances whilst in Iceland. The insurance company covered everything except the equipment (which I plan to use another time). Had it not been for the insurance I’d have lost not only the experience but a lot of money too.