Choosing the Right Travel and Health Insurance for your Travel Style
It’s easy to neglect thinking about all the potential mishaps and disasters that can occur while travelling. We are of course more focused on booking flights and accommodation, arranging tours, packing, and simply anticipating some time off from our hectic everyday lives.
However, making sure you are financially covered for any mishaps while traveling is one of the most important things you should consider. Comprehensive travel insurance has the potential to cover you for a wide range of incidents including overseas medical expenses, natural disasters, flight cancellations, lost or delayed luggage, and more.
Millions of travel insurance claims are made by travelers every year, showing just how common it is to need insurance protection. Let’s explore two types of travel insurances based on how long you plan on traveling and what activities you may be engaging in. There are short-term travel insurance policies for trips under 6 months, as well as long-term travel insurance policies for trips lasting 6 months or more.
Do You Really Need Travel Insurance?
In an ideal world, you’ll never need to make a travel insurance claim, but many travelers simply cannot afford to not have it should something go wrong. And Murphy’s Law dictates that you will probably end up needing insurance the moment you don’t have a policy in place.
Consider this scenario:
Traveling in Mexico, a young and healthy woman went on a generally easy hike and returned safely down the mountainside. However, days into the trip she began to lack mobility from the waist down.
As her mobility and pain began to worsen, she quickly sought medical help to resolve what was happening. The hike had triggered a dormant health issue she didn’t even know she had. Later, it caused her to not be able to walk for nearly 6 months.
While in Mexico, she was able to get examined and seen by doctors, yet her lack of travel insurance coverage meant she had to pay large out-of-pocket medical expenses she hadn’t budgeted for.
Whether it’s a minor mishap or a major medical emergency you experience while traveling, preparation and financial protection is the best gift you can give yourself. There really are countless situations where you may find yourself wishing you had travel insurance including travel cancellations and delays, lost luggage, overseas medical care, lost or damaged personal items, cruise cabin confinement, and rental vehicle excess waiver.
One fear that many travelers have when they consider purchasing travel insurance is whether reimbursement will actually occur in the event of a claim. This is because of the often complicated language used in policies offered by some insurance companies.
It can seem a bit overwhelming trying to get quality travel insurance, especially when the purchasing process can be confusing, there are delays in approval, and you don’t really understand the coverage you are getting.
Fortunately for travelers, the innovative Red Card by Passportcard Nomads removes many of the major headaches around purchasing travel insurance.
Passportcard Nomads is an insurance company that turns traditional insurance on its head. It is tailored specifically for digital nomads and remote workers while they are traveling away from home.
You are given a prepaid card to use for payment of overseas medical services should you need them. There’s no paperwork, no hassles, and payment for your treatment is available instantly. Both revolutionary and an award-winning concept.
They offer international cover from $59 per month that comes with 24/7 emergency assistance, COVID-19 coverage for all plans, and the option to add extra protection to important belongings you take with you traveling.
Flexible plans allow you to easily extend, cancel, or change your coverage and the handy app will allow you to locate nearby doctors, load money onto your card for making payments, and review or update your policy benefits and details.
Travel Duration Matters when Selecting Coverage that Best Suits Your Needs
Traveling under 6 months during a year? Consider the PassportCard Nomads Starter plan.Your medical emergencies will be covered and you can add in travel insurance additions like luggage cover, laptop cover, and coverage for extreme sports such as surfing. This plan has up to $500,000 coverage per policy period.
For those traveling 6 months or more during a year, PassportCard Nomads Remote plan would be ideal. You’ll receive everything offered with the Starter plan, along with added benefits such as non-urgent elective medical consultations, office visits, and wellness care. These policies start with up to $1,000,000 coverage per policy period.
Now that you’ve seen the ease of coverage you can obtain, including the fact that there would be no hidden out-of-pocket cost while traveling, you can rest easy knowing you can travel without the fear of having inadequate travel insurance.
Things to Consider When Purchasing Travel Insurance
Pre-existing conditions
You must usually declare any pre-existing medical conditions you are aware of, as failure to do so can see claims relating to such a condition denied if not first approved by your insurer. Conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or recent injuries should all be declared, along with anything you are taking medication for or have received treatment for.
Just because you have a pre-existing condition doesn’t mean you will not be able to get coverage. It just means you may have to pay a higher premium to get coverage for your condition or you may simply not be covered for events/claims that directly relate to that specific condition. That being said, many travel insurance policies accept a number of pre-existing conditions for no additional cost.
Make Sure Your Travel Destination is Covered Under Your Policy
Local governments regularly update their safety warnings and alerts in regards to traveling to various countries. Warnings may be issued if a country is facing civil unrest, a recent or upcoming natural disaster, or has a heightened risk for terrorism.
You generally won’t be covered for events like natural disasters or other severe situations if they are known at the time of travel insurance policy purchase. This is why it’s important to purchase your travel insurance as early as possible in case any new warnings or alerts are issued after you book your holiday.
Need Additional Specialty Insurance Like Cruise Insurance or Winter Sports?
You will want to make sure your policy covers you not only for all the destinations you will be traveling to, but also for all the activities you plan on enjoying. While many sports and activities may automatically be covered under your policy, things like cruising or winter sports often require purchasing additional coverage.
Onboard medical treatment and medical evacuation can be especially costly while cruising, and there’s also the potential for missed cruise ports and shore excursions, cabin confinement, and cancelations.
Travel Insurance Policy Excess
Excess is the agreed amount of money you will have to pay out-of-pocket in the unfortunate event a covered incident occurs and you need to make a travel insurance claim. This means if your excess is set at $200, you will be forced to pay the first $200 of any claim, and your insurer will cover the remainder of the bill up to the policy coverage limits. You may be able to decrease your travel insurance premium by increasing the amount of your excess.
Vacations are often quite costly, especially when traveling for extended periods. And the longer you travel, the greater chances there are for things to not go to plan. There’s no reason not to protect your travel as you would your vehicle or home, especially when you now know purchasing travel insurance doesn’t have to be stressful or complicated.
