7 Questions You Must Ask Yourself When You Buy Travel Insurance

When we travel, we get out of our comfort zones and break the monotony of our everyday lives. Going to an unknown place sounds fun, indeed, but it exposes you to various risks. By bringing this facet of travel to your attention, we don’t mean to scare you. Rather, we want to show you both sides of the coin so that you can prepare yourself to tackle difficult situations.

Buying travel insurance plan is a one-stop solution for a majority of travel-related problems. Merely buying a travel plan won’t solve any problems. Buying a good travel insurance plan would be beneficial in order to neutralize travel-related risks. At the time of buying, compare travel insurance plans so that you can pick the best one.

By asking the 7 questions mentioned below, you can ensure that you’re buying the best plan.

Q.1- Do I understand the plan benefits and scope of insurance coverage?

Fundamental details like the amount assured might not seem crucial when you’re excitedly planning your holiday. But it can make a significant difference in case something unfortunate happens. Ensure that you understand the insurance coverage, offered benefits and exclusion of your travel insurance plan before you make the premium payment.

There are various kinds of travel plans that offer various benefits and insurance coverage. Some of the common benefits include trip cancellation, personal accident, flight cancellation or delay, baggage delay or loss, emergency medical evacuation etc.

Q.2- Have I read the policy wording carefully?

Insurance experts highly recommend carefully going through the fine print of the policy. For instance, cover for flight delay varies across insurance providers. Some insurers provide coverage for terrorism, delays caused by riots, strikes, or civil commotions and delays due to by operational factors rather than mechanical reasons.

Trip curtailment provides you insurance coverage in case you’ve to cut your trip short when you’re overseas, due to any of the reasons mentioned in your policy document like official travel, serious illness etc.

In the event of a flight delay, the insurance provider would state in the plan that the delay must be for a minimum period of 6 consecutive hours before you can file any claims. In case your flight gets delayed by 4 hours, you won’t be eligible to register a claim.

Before you buy a plan, it’s recommended that you clarify with the insurance provider whether medical evacuation due to any pre-existing illness is covered.

Q.3- What’s a "Known Event"?

Your insurance provider might not provide you coverage for a term "known event". Generally, it means a natural disaster, civil commotion, etc. that threatens your well-being or acts as a hurdle in your trip. Typically, they are made known to you by your airline before you buy your travel plan.

If the known event occurs after purchasing your plan, you may be able to register your claim trip cancellation, in case it’s included in your travel plan. To make sure you are eligible to file a claim, do check the list of exclusions before zeroing down a plan.

Q.4- When is a police report needed?

Most travel policies provide coverage for accidental loss of your personal belongings by theft, if it meets the particular terms and conditions of the plan.

You should register a police report of the incident at your travel destination. The local police report is a required document at the time of filing your claim after returning.

Q.5- What if I’ve pre-existing illnesses?

Most travel insurers don’t provide coverage for pre-existing illnesses. The case is similar to all the health insurance providers, which have these exclusions on their cover.

In case, you are looking forward to getting a travel insurance coverage that provides coverage for a specific illness that you have already, shop around for a plan that fulfills your insurance expectations. Feel free to ask your insurance provider in case you’ve any doubt about the offered coverage.

Pay attention to the definition of pre-existing illness in the fine print of the policy before you purchase it. Generally, it is defined as any sickness or injury that you know about before your trip starts. It also includes the illness for which you have received consultation, diagnosis, or medical treatment for a particular time period before your trip starts.

Q.6- Can I claim medical treatment expenses after my trip?

If you are injured or suffer any illness when you’re abroad and you didn’t undergo health treatment there, then generally, you’ve up to 72 hours after your return to seek treatment, and then file a claim for expenses.

Q.7- is an annual travel insurance plan more appropriate for me?

In case you’re traveling solo, you can go for an individual cover. In case you’re traveling with your family along with children less than 18 years of age, select a plan that provides coverage to a family.

If you’re a frequent traveler, an annual travel plan will be the best pick for you. Most of the annual overseas travel insurance plans provide coverage for unlimited round trips within a time period of 12 months.

Parting Words

Asking these questions will help you to have clarity about the coverage offered by your opted insurance plan. Also, it will help you to have a better understanding of your insurance needs. If a basic insurance plan isn’t fulfilling your insurance needs, you can always opt for add-on covers to enhance your basic insurance coverage.

This article is a contribution from one of our contributing writers.

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