Travel Protection-To Look At A Plan Or Not Look At A Plan, That Is The Question!
Do I really need to consider travel protection? It’s the age old question often asked when finalizing a trip. Let me ask you this…Can you relate to any of these things? The airline loses your luggage, you miss your connecting flight, your passport gets lost, your flight is cancelled, you need emergency assistance or you get sick or injured. Or worse yet, you fall down the Acropolis steps in Greece and break your femur bone. Yes, friends, that scenario happened to my client who did just that and ended up in a private hospital in Athens for two weeks. Several thousands of dollars later, two surgeries, plenty of bad hospital food and a first class ticket home (to elevate his leg after surgery), Jerry was sure glad he obtained travel protection prior to his getaway. Many of his expenses were covered by filling out a quick claim form and sending it in!
As a world traveler, I’ve had my fair share of the unexpected pop up and let’s be honest, it can throw you for a loop. In fact, this picture is me reunited with my lost luggage and hugging it close to me. It had been lost for a few days while traveling over to Europe. This hasn’t been the only time that travel protection has saved me. I know, it’s no fun reading through the fine print or small details of any plans, or dishing out the extra cash in the off chance that something happens. While one certainly hopes that nothing ever goes wrong, the reality is things will and do happen when we least expect it. That’s why considering travel protection is super important. You have coverage for your car, your home, your health and other things, but why not protection while traveling? Not considering a travel plan is like not getting insurance for your life. Just like something can happen in a split second while driving, the same can be said for while you’re traveling.
Travel protection just isn’t for those expensive vacations, long journeys or adventures overseas. It’s for EVERY trip. Whether you are traveling domestically or international, it's a protection in your trip that you invested in. If you are trying to keep your travel costs down, you’ll often forgo the addition of a travel insurance plan. Sometimes it’s simply because we think we’re covered with our own personal health insurance or that our credit card offers us enough coverage. But it’s so important to read the fine print of what those actually cover. If you are taking a trip in the upcoming months and deciding whether or not travel coverage is for you, here are 3 great reasons why considering a travel insurance plan may be a worthwhile investment for YOU.
1) Because even the best planned trips have to be cancelled: Let’s start with the big one first. What happens in the off chance that a loved one dies, your child gets sick, your spouse gets injured or hospitalized, or work calls you last minute for an important project and you are unable to travel? One of the BEST reasons to consider taking a look at a travel insurance plan is to have trip cancellation coverage to recover your out of pocket expenses in the off chance you need to cancel. If you’ve prepaid for that hotel or excursion or all of your airline tickets, your costs may be recovered when you have to cancel for a covered reason. Now that’s peace of mind!
2) Because your health insurance may not work abroad: This is one misconception that most travelers don’t often realize. They think that when they travel overseas, their personal health insurance is all they need. But, if you end up getting seriously injured (as mentioned in the scenario above with my friend Jerry) or sick in another country (it happened to me in Panama and I landed in the hospital with an IV for two days), don’t expect your health insurance to work for you. Many overseas facilities and providers require upfront cash or credit card payment and do not accept U.S. insurance plans. It’s important to note that Medicare does not provide coverage outside of the U.S. The beautiful part of a travel plan is that it may provide you with additional travel benefits such as accident and sickness expense coverage during your trip (plans vary by provider).
3) Because losing your luggage or missing a flight connection can seriously ruin your trip: Did you know that this past year nearly 24.1 million bags were lost, delayed or damaged by airlines and took an average of 1.79 days to be returned to their owners (some not even being returned at all). And nearly 23% of flights were delayed around the globe. If your flight is delayed (or cancelled), travel insurance can reimburse you for lost, stolen or damaged luggage with baggage delay coverage. If your passport is stolen, a natural disaster strikes, or any other unexpected event that could delay or completely interrupt your trip, travel plans can provide peace of mind in knowing you may be reimbursed for those costs and ease your worries!
Okay, so all of this sounds great, but is it affordable? Contrary to what you may believe, many travel plans are very affordable. The costs of each plan varies, but can be extremely low when compared to the potential risks of a cancelled trip, a mandatory evacuation, or any other unexpected event. In the end, investing in travel insurance allows for smart risk management and peace of mind on any type of travel at a reasonable price.
It’s important to note that travel plans can be different and you should read each plan carefully before purchase. Talk with your trusted travel agent who can provide quality options as to which traveler’s insurance you may want to consider as you plan your next getaway!
While Live Well Travel offers travel insurance to clients, the agency is not a licensed insurance agent. Therefore, any questions can referred to the expert suppliers to handle any plan specific questions.
So, here’s hoping you have a little more knowledge behind the benefits of a travel protection plan. Wishing you happy, healthy and safe travels on your upcoming journeys.