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Why do I need travel insurance?
What is Single Trip Insurance?
What is Annual Multi-Trip Insurance?
What does Travel Insurance cover?
What isn’t covered by Travel Insurance?
Travelling abroad for work or on holiday can be very exciting and distracting. The last thing on any traveller’s mind when planning to visit another country, continent or hemisphere is insurance, but it should probably be the first.
Depending on where you go and who you know, Travelling can make you very vulnerable. You are usually far away from anyone you know, unable to speak the language and unfamiliar with the customs. Travel insurance is there to protect you if things go wrong. Falling ill in another country can be difficult enough without having to worry about paying the bill later.
The first consideration you should make is what type of travel insurance you want, single trip or annual multi-trip cover. Top
Single trip insurance is intended for a person who travels infrequently and covers them only for one trip. This policy is beneficial to the insured applicant because it only costs them for each day they’re abroad and can be tailored specifically to the needs of the traveller.
For example, some holidays are taken with extreme sports in mind and the insured can specify how many days they need coverage for and what for. Top
This type of insurance is intended for a frequent traveller and with it you are covered for every trip you make that year. This often works out cheaper for frequent travellers than taking out single trip insurance for every individual trip.
This is also the best policy if you are likely to take a trip with little to no notice. Policies like this usually come with a set number of days for sports and activities that you can assign to any particular journey. Once these allocated days have been used up it can be quite expensive to add more and it is advisable to compare the cost with single trip insurance.
In some cases, Family members can also be added to the policy even if you’re accompanying them or not. If you have a family that travels regularly then an annual multi-trip policy could save you money. Top
Travel insurance should cover: medical expenses, cancellation, loss of baggage and theft.
As a European citizen, you are offered a basic level of health care in Europe if you get a European Health Insurance Card, your insurance will cover you for any costs above that and any costs you accrue for injuring another person.
Travel insurance doesn’t just cover you it can also cover your family or other travelling companions. Be sure to check with your insurance provider how you can add another person to your travelling insurance.
You should also have cover that pays out a large sum in the event of injury or death while abroad.
Exactly how much you get and what is covered varies depending on your insurer, policy and the cost of your premium. Top
There are unexpected dangers that anyone faces while travelling which you’ll just have to take on by yourself. These include the confiscation of your property by government officials e.g. customs or being arrested for spying.
No insurer will cover you for the loss of value that might happen to your money due to exchange rates or from contracting an HIV/AIDS infection.
These dangers are fairly remote and it does depend on where you’re visiting and what you’re doing. Anyone travelling abroad is strongly advised to familiarise themselves with any unique laws, customs and local knowledge that, as a tourist, they could be exposed to. Top
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