Top 8 reasons to buy travel insurance
A vacation isn't as big an investment as your car or your home. But it's still a lot of money. You purchase airfare and accommodations, maybe excursions or other activities — most of it paid for entirely in advance. Isn’t all this value worth insuring, in case some unforeseen problem threatens your travel plans?
Here are the top 8 reasons to buy trip insurance:
1. Emergency medical reimbursement
With a travel insurance plan that includes emergency medical coverage, you are expanding your health insurance in most cases. Most plans will work as secondary insurance, filling the holes of your primary health insurance plan. Some plans specifically for travel medical will act as primary insurance, but those plans have fewer travel-related benefits.
2. Cancellation due to illness
This might be the most common cause of ruined vacations. If you or a travel companion were to get sick right before your planned trip and you have to cancel, you could lose the full cost of the trip. Or if a medical emergency crops up during your trip and you need to come home early, in many cases there might be no reimbursement available. That’s where travel insurance could come in handy.
3. Delayed or lost luggage
If you are checking a bag when you travel, you are at risk of the airline losing, redirecting or damaging your bag and its contents. Many regular travelers are also business travelers, and losing luggage could mean losing business attire for a big meeting. Without a travel insurance plan, you would have to endure the cost of purchasing a new suit or appropriate outfit and miss out on benefits that could help reimburse that cost.
A travel insurance plan can help reimburse you for necessities purchased while waiting for a delayed bag or damaged belongings. The coverage limit varies depending on the plan, so take into consideration the belongings you are bringing and read the exclusions list provided with each plan.
4. Emergency evacuation
If you need to be flown to a hospital or evacuated from a danger zone, helicopter transport could cost you thousands of dollars. Travel insurance may cover these types of costs.
5. Loss of a friend or family member
Say someone really close to you passes away just before your departure date. With trip cancellation coverage, you may be able to cancel or postpone your vacation in the event of a tragedy.
6. Trip interruption
When a hurricane or winter storm closes the airport for days, keeping you from reaching the resort you’re heading to, you could lose the cost of airfare, side trips and even what you’ve paid for the resort. Buying your travel insurance policy when you book your trip may help you get reimbursed for these costs.
7. Damaged destinations
When a hurricane or winter storm closes the airport for days, keeping you from reaching the resort you’re heading to, you could lose the cost of airfare, side trips and even what you’ve paid for the resort. Buying your travel insurance policy when you book your trip may help you get reimbursed for these costs.
8. Trip cancellation
If you have to cancel your trip due to a covered reason, a comprehensive travel insurance plan may help reimburse you for lost trip costs. Each plan will have a list of covered reasons for both cancellation and interruption. If those don’t seem to cover your needs, you should consider a plan that allows you to upgrade to Cancel for Any Reason coverage. (Keep in mind, that coverage has specific eligibility requirements.) If you’re planning a trip, now is the time to start thinking seriously about buying travel insurance. Learn more about travel insurance options from Nationwide® and get covered today.