Why You Need Travel Insurance
Posted on | December 24, 2009 | 9 Comments
World travel has become more and more tenuous simply because of a growing range of disasters that can and have struck at the most inopportune moments, making travel insurance an imperative.
Even though you may not be a victim of a tsunami, hurricane or act of terror, you might become embroiled in costly delays or have to outlay for accommodation and medical costs that are not factored into the holiday budget.
Risks associated with travel are on the up and up
The risks associated with local and international travel seem to be on the up and up; one only needs to open the daily broadsheets to be reminded of the growing number of attacks on tourists.
A young French school girl is gunned down in Egypt; the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team is attacked en route to the Lahore cricket ground; and, since the failed ‘War on Terror’, foreigners are targeted on a daily basis by fundamentalists and fanatics. The world is arguably no longer a safe place to explore and it would be remiss of anyone in this day and age not to contact an insurance broker to cover oneself with some sort of travel insurance.
It doesn’t have to be an unmitigated disaster that effectively scuppers your vacation time; you may simply fall ill during your brief stay on foreign shores. Without the aid of your travel insurance partners at the holiday destination, merely finding a reputable doctor or clinic could become a real burden, especially if you do not speak the language.
Medical costs can be more painful than the injury itself
The cost of medical treatment can often turn out to be a major expense if you are not adequately covered. Simply twisting an ankle on the snow-covered slope or having a run-in with an angry bull in Pamplona may very well be painful but, if you are not insured, the costs accrued could turn out to be far more damaging than the injury itself.
Should you be unfortunate enough to get seriously injured, then an emergency evacuation home may be the only option you’d be inclined to consider, which would come at a significant cost. What of the activities, accommodation and transport you have already paid for in full?
Weather delays will become more frequent
Then there are weather delays that consistently put pressure on flight schedules. One of the busiest transport hubs in the world, Heathrow Airport near London, was brought to a complete standstill recently because of unprecedented snowfalls. Experts agree that more and more unusual weather patterns are going to arise as a direct result of carbon emissions and resultant global warming, so if you plan to travel you should be prepared for the unusual.
Personal effects habitually disappear
Luggage and personal effects in transit have a rather mysterious way of disappearing these days, even though security has allegedly been beefed up. One can only assume that there is a Baggage Island out there somewhere, where thieves are harbouring all our missing booty. Although the insured can afford to be tongue-in-cheek about the increasing incidence of theft, the uninsured traveller will not be smiling.
In the words of the Director General of Home Affairs in South Africa, Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba:
“During the past few years, we have assisted a growing number of our people who have become victims of crime, accidents, illness, death, natural/man-made disasters, civil unrest or whose family and/or next-of-kin needed to contact them in an emergency”. That said, all South Africans travelling abroad are encouraged to take out travel insurance.
Related posts:
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- A travel insurance need to know
- The Most Common Risks That are Covered by Travel Insurance
- Reasons To Consider Travel Insurance
- What is travel insurance
- Senior Citizen Travel Insurance Ensures Sufficient Protection!
- Cheap Travel Insurance: Why You Need to Be Covered When You Travel
- Travel Insurance For Peace Of Mind During Your Travels
- Travel Insurance Advice: Being Uninsured Could Really End up Costing
Comments
9 Responses to “Why You Need Travel Insurance”
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December 24th, 2009 @ 10:08 am
I hope you enjoy Ireland, it's a really great place and the people are so friendly.
If you are volunteering, are you a student? If so, maybe your student union could help out with cheap insurance.
If not, see if your mom or dad have any sort of discounts on insurances from their work.
If not try the link below, I've had insurance from these guys and they're pretty good.
December 24th, 2009 @ 10:46 am
If you don't feel like you have a need for them, DON'T BUY THEM!! Don't let a salesperson "create a need" for you!!!
MOST people buy auto insurance because it's required by law. Most people buy HOME insurance because the lender requires it. Most people buy HEALTH insurance because uninsured medical costs can lead to bankruptcy and loss of all assets faster than anything else. And most people DON'T buy travel insurance. It's not a good deal.
December 24th, 2009 @ 12:30 pm
It is a very good idea to protect your trip investment. I have been using travelex for many years now. Here is a link where you can obtain a free quote.
http://www.travelex-insurance.com/index.asp?location=07-0018
December 24th, 2009 @ 3:43 pm
This assumes you mean a Platinum American Express Card.
You were probably just lucky. Travel medical insurance is NOT automatic when you buy an airline ticket with the card.
However, AMEX does sell travel medical insurance and you can purchase it per trip or get an annual policy. Just call the toll free number on the back of the card.
December 26th, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
Check it out here: http://www.travelex-insurance.com/index.asp?location=07-0018
December 26th, 2009 @ 4:43 pm
You can't get Liability coverage. You have to get it from the rental car agency.
You can get a CDW if you live in the US or Canada. You have 2 choices:
1) You can get a trip cancellation plan that includes a CDW. Most plans exclude OR, NY and TX residents.You have to be taking a trip with fixed travel dates
2) You can get a stand alone CDW if you live in the US or Canada except Washington State.
I hope this helps,
Steve
December 27th, 2009 @ 9:01 am
Try this site.
http://www.columbusdirect.com/int/
December 27th, 2009 @ 11:59 am
Just make sure that what ever insurance policy you take out covers you for medical expenses. That is the most important.
You won't get cover for swine flu…it's pandemic.
December 27th, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
No, you don't have to but as a precaution you could apply for the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – in a worse case scenario this would be enable to receive treatment on the NHS but it would be paided by the HSE at a later date.
http://www.ehic.ie/
EHIC replaced the E111. You could also just write your PPS number down somewhere & if you did need medical treatment, the NHS could use it to charge the HSE.