It never even crossed my mind to get travel insurance until after I really needed it. Fortunately I only had to deal with a missed flight connection and not a medical emergency. Even still, the extra costs obliterated the budget that I’d worked so hard to stick to. I swore I’d never travel internationally again without buying travel insurance first.
I wrote this eight years ago in my original blog post about travel insurance but it still rings true today.
Besides missing a connection, there are literally hundreds of circumstances that could cause you to cancel your trip, return home early, or force you to seek emergency medical treatment while traveling. Travel insurance not only offers coverage for these unforeseen problems, but it can also reimburse you for accommodations and expenses incurred due to travel delays and for lost, stolen or damaged baggage.
To demonstrate the importance of purchasing travel insurance, here are ten common examples of things that can go wrong:
- You and your family arrive at the airport for a connecting flight, only to find that your flight has been cancelled. Who can assist you with finding new flights to get everyone home?
- Your baggage was lost with your insulin inside. You need help not only to locate your bag, but also to have your emergency prescription filled as soon as possible. Who do you call?
- It’s your first trip to Europe and your passport and wallet are stolen. Where do you turn for emergency cash and how will you get your passport replaced?
- You’re involved in an accident and adequate medical treatment is not available. Who will help arrange and pay for a medical evacuation?
- Your mother-in-law becomes seriously ill and you must cancel your trip. What happens to your “non-refundable” deposits or pre-payments?
- You arrive for a business trip in Chicago but your luggage doesn’t. If it’s lost, who will help you find it? If it’s delayed, who will pay for your necessities? If it’s stolen, who will pay to replace it?
- You are at a beach resort in Jamaica and are forced to evacuate due to an approaching hurricane. Who will help you evacuate and who will reimburse your lost vacation investment?
- Your cruise line, airline or tour operator goes bankrupt. Who will pay for your “non-refundable” expenses? Who will help get you to your destination?
- You’re walking down a street in Paris and twist your ankle. Who can help you find an English-speaking physician?
- Three weeks before your scheduled arrival, a terrorist incident occurs in the city to which you are planning to visit. Who will pay if you decide to cancel your trip?
These things could happen to any one of us. Luckily, I’ve made it really easy to purchase exceptional travel insurance from one of the most highly regarded insurance providers in the industry, Allianz. Look to the right sidebar on this page and simply fill out the box to get a free quote. They just need your state of residence, age, total trip cost, departure/return dates, and the date you made your initial deposit. (This is because if you purchase travel insurance within 14 days you will qualify for coverage of pre-existing medical conditions, too.) The default policy is their “Journey Plan” but you’ll also be given other options with varying coverage levels to fit any budget. You can insure individual trips or even purchase an annual plan.
The Journey Plan gives you generous levels of trip cancellation and trip interruption protection. It also provides emergency medical benefits, baggage protection, 24-hour hotline help, and even an optional “Required to Work” enhancement for greater trip cancellation protection. This plan also includes certain smart benefits that can pay you proactively and simplify the claims process with no receipts required. Plus, kids 17 and under are covered for free when traveling with a parent or grandparent.
In addition to financial protection, the other huge benefit of travel insurance is access to assistance services, wherever you are in the world. Allianz offers a 24-hour travel counselor for emergency or last-minute travel changes such as re-booking flights, hotel reservations, or ground transportation. Their elite team of travel and medical experts can even arrange medical treatment in an emergency, monitor your care, serve as interpreters, and much more. You can also call to receive pre-trip consultation services such as travel advisories, passport requirements, inoculation information, etc.
Most plans also include concierge services as well. This means that you can get restaurant referrals and reservations, concert and event tickets, golf tee times, and even flowers or specialty gifts by simply calling Allianz’s worldwide toll-free number.
Finally, one of my favorite things that sets Allianz apart is that they have an amazing app for your smartphone called “TravelSmart” that not only shows your policy but also allows you to file a claim on the spot instead of having to return home to your computer. It displays the local emergency phone numbers for the police/ambulance/fire department as well as the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. You can even check the map to find the location of the nearest pharmacy.
Believe me, when I booked a flight on a certain low-cost European airline (which shall remain nameless) and they canceled the flight without notifying me, and I ended up having to buy same-day flights on another carrier, I wish I had paid the $160 for travel insurance beforehand. It would have saved me well over a thousand dollars. Now that’s what I call money well spent.
