Why is it Vitally Important to Buy a Travel & Medical Insurance when Booking a TripPosted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010 The high travel season is at the corner now. People from all walks of life around the world are currently busy searching for the best offers of air and land travel, accommodations, vacation packages to suit their dreams, needs and budgets. Some of them have even started to make their reservations. Here I would like to emphasize one vitally important thing, which is a must to remember when booking a trip, but ignored by a great number of travelers. Much has been written on the importance of having insurance coverage while you are on a trip, away from home. This is an issue that remains somewhat ignored by many travelers. After all, they have been traveling frequently for many years, and nothing happened so far to worry about. So, to buy a travel insurance should not a be a must. It is only an optional precaution! But, reality urges us to believe traveling anywhere in the world without protection today, is a vital mistake. Regardless of where you are traveling in the world, you must have an insurance coverage to survive any unexpected attacks and disasters, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.A. Let's say, you have been planning the trip of your dreams for a long time; you have finally found the opportunity to make your long time dreams of a special trip come true. You are so excited! You have thought of all the details. You have been actively preparing for this travel; thinking, programming, shopping . . . spending a lot of time, money, and energy! You are proud of yourself that you have finally managed to materialize your dream! Your trip can really be an unforgettable experience from start to the end, on one condition. When booking your trip, you should have remembered that, like most exciting events in our lives, travel has some important risks, too. For example, potential medical and/or financial risks associated with travel, can suddenly turn all the excitement and pleasures of the trip to a nightmare. Your baggage and/or your hand bag with your money, passport, credit cards in, can be stolen leaving you desperate & frustrated in a foreign country. No one can guarantee that a natural disaster would not happen at the place you would be staying during your trip. An unexpected accident, injury or illness would suddenly ruin everything. In fact, in the recent years medical costs have increased dramatically, worldwide. How would you be able to pay the emergency medical expenses, expensive hospital bills if you needed an urgent treatment, or surgery and care during your travel when you have lost your money, credit cards, and passport? Isn't it a real nightmare? In such a frustration, the only thing you would have needed to survive was a reliable medical and travel insurance policy, wasn't it?. Especially in the light of the horrible threats on and after September 11 terrorist attacks, the war on terror, other ruthless terror attacks in Istanbul, Spain, Egypt and London, frequent flight disruptions and cancellations, airlines' bankruptcies, and more. In addition, travel suppliers such as tour operators and airlines worldwide have made cancellation policies more restrictive. Therefore, if you have to cancel a trip, it's likely that a big portion of your pre-paid travel expenses will not be refunded by travel suppliers. Recent SARS and bird flu threats have also been urging travelers and vacationers to seriously consider to buy a travel and medical insurance. Travel Insurance types and prices defer from one travel insurance provider to another. You have to review, compare and select the best offers to suit your personal needs. For instance, some insurance providers do not offer coverage outside the U.S.A. Some companies do not provide emergency medical coverage and care, while others do. Some airlines do not accept to be held responsible for the acts of God, weather problems, natural disasters, riots and unrests, SARS, bird flu, and similar outbreaks. The Insurance types you will need on a trip are reviewed below: Last Minute Cancellation Insurance Medical Insurance Comprehensive Insurance Policy What types of insurance policies do we need for a full protection? The Essential Insurance Types offered by most providers are Travel, Last Minute, Medical, Health, Life, Hotel, Cruise, Air, Vacations, Luxury, car insurance, sports, and Spa Insurance policies. Some travel insurance companies also offer affordable coverage for a wide range of winter sports including Ski, Off-Piste and Snowboarding. But you should definitely ask about what's covered and what's not when choosing Travel Insurance Policy to buy. Do ask questions, all questions you might have in mind, until you get all the information you need. It's much better to ask questions when buying insurance than to be sorry later. How can I find the best insurance type to suit my personal or family needs? When choosing a travel insurance policy to buy, you should get information on the offers of various insurance providers to compare. Knowing how time consuming is to search, compare and choose the best travel and medical insurance types and prices to suit your needs and budget, we advice to visit the websites where you can find lists and information about various offers, then compare them, and choose the best ones to suit your needs. You should keep in mind that buying your travel insurance through travel insurance providers, instead of travel agencies, would save you money in most cases. In the light of terrorist attacks, unexpected natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, deadly hurricanes, floods, epidemics, accidents, illness, SARS, bird flu, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives at many places around the world, especially in the recent years, every traveler must seriously consider to buy a travel health and a medical insurance, and some other insurance policies if needed, providing a reliable full coverage against both expected and unexpected threats. Like it? Share it!More by this author |