As the prolific international travelers we are here at Thirsty Swagman, we never go anywhere without travel insurance and we encourage you to do the same. Accidents, emergencies, and snafus of all kinds can and do happen when you travel. Don’t go anywhere unprepared!
What is travel insurance?
Travel insurance is an extra layer of protection for both you and your belongings when you travel abroad. It covers all kinds of travel-related emergencies and losses such as canceled trips, delayed flights, lost luggage, theft, trip interruption, rental car damage, and more.
Chances are your standard health insurance doesn’t cover you outside of your home country. Instead, travel insurance picks up where your everyday health coverage leaves off – which is usually at the border.
In this case, travel insurance can cover you in case of sickness, hospitalization, emergency evacuation, repatriation, and a whole list of medical emergencies.
Is it the same as trip protection?
If you’re wondering whether travel insurance is the same as “trip protection,” the short answer is No.
“Trip protection” is something you often see offered by airlines and hotels. This is quite limited in what it covers and typically only covers the services provided by that one particular company – i.e., your flight or your hotel reservation and nothing more.
Comprehensive travel insurance, on the other hand, can cover it all and then some.
What does travel insurance cover?
Like all insurance coverage, policies can vary as to what expenses are covered and by how much.
A typical policy can cover things like:
- Emergency medical expenses (yes, even dental!)
- Emergency evacuation and repatriation
- Trip cancelation or interruption
- Trip delays
- Loss, theft, or damage to your personal belongings while traveling
- Rental car damage
- And much more
Much of this can even be covered if a family member or travel buddy falls ills (not you) which affects your trip too.
By declining travel insurance, you risk not getting any kind of refund or reimbursement for things like tours (ahem), nonrefundable flights and hotel rooms, visits to the emergency room, and beyond. For instance, you can see our terms here.
Why get travel insurance?
Travel insurance is just a tiny portion of the total cost of any trip (and it may be way less than you think). However, it covers you for almost every aspect of your trip and for a ton of possible scenarios.
Even though it costs so little, it is probably the best investment you can make when traveling, even if you hope you never have to use it.
Need a cautionary tale or two? Check out this article on why you should always consider travel insurance.
Where to get travel insurance
Depending on your home country, your insurance options may differ. However, here are some of the most popular brands known worldwide:
Will you have to use your travel insurance?
Is travel insurance worth it if you never have to use it? Yes, absolutely! That’s the whole point. Hopefully, you will never have to use it, but it’s better to have it and not need it than the other way around.
The alternatives to travel insurance are the many possibilities of spending thousands upon thousands of dollars for something that could have been covered by just a small one-time payment.
Don’t travel abroad without the proper trip and medical coverage.
