Introduction

You have been saving up all year for that one special trip to another corner of the world. All the arrangements are made, you have paid for your flight, your hotel room is booked, you have packed everything and now you just have to hop on that airplane, but what if something goes wrong? What if due to bad weather you could not travel? Alternatively, what if your luggage is lost, stolen, or even worst you lost your passport? On the other hand, you got drank a drink that had some poisonous affect on your body and now you have to go to a hospital in another country but you do not have enough money. Since you would not prefer death, such extreme conditions require you to have a backup plan that can save your money, health and time. It is imperative that you have a travel medical insurance when you are off to a trip that covers all the medical expense if such an emergency arises. Here are a few basic things to know about a travel medical insurance policy:

1.     Educate yourself about travel insurance

The first and foremost thing to know is what exactly a travel medical insurance is. To be precise, it is an insurance, which was created to cover all your medical expenses and unfortunate events that you might have to spend thousands of dollars. No one likes losing his or her money for no reason. Hence, it is important to get one. There are different ways through which this blessing covers your expenses: the plan, the insurance company you purchase with or how much excess you have. Some policies cover high medical expense coverage while some low. This all depends on what country you are travelling. If you plan to travel to US, then high medical expense coverage would be the perfect one since all medical services are extremely costly in US.

2.     Consider your traveling needs and situations

Second basic thing that you need to know is what your needs are. After recognizing your needs and situation, you will be able to decide with a policy is the best one for you. You should ask questions from yourself that analyze your situation. For instance, which country are you traveling to and which mode of transport are you going to use, what kind of activities will you involve yourself in and who are you are traveling with? Also, make sure you know the exact time your trip will end.

3.     Basic considerations

There are few other things to consider when you are out there buying the perfect policy for your journey:

• Extent of coverage

You need to find out how much does it actually cover? Does the medical treatment only apply in foreign country or does it allow you to continue it when you come back home?

• Pay out time and requirements

What kind of documentations will you require if you do get into an unfortunate event and does it require witnesses to write a whole report on the incident?

• Premium amount

You need to know if you are paying for the right policy and can you actually upgrade or downgrade to afford something more important.

• Available upgrades

You need to find out if your insurance is upgradable when you want to extend it to the baggage you are going to carry. How much does it extend to the stuff you buy in another country?

4.     Get one for domestic traveling as well

Domestic traveling can be defined as a type of traveling when you are traveling inside your country. If you are traveling from CA to LA, do you really need insurance? Considering the risks and threats that any flight can have, you need to be on the safe side. If you need to get a domestic, travel insurance then you should get one because nowadays everything is unpredictable. Considering the fact medical treatments are very expensive in US, one should have one at all times.

5.     One time trip or an annual trip

When you are in search for the best insurance policy, you should have enough knowledge about your habits that you exhibit while traveling and plans that you have made in advance to buy the perfect policy. If you think that this visit is not a single one-time trip and in future, you might have to travel, more than once in the same year then get an annual travel insurance policy, which is cost effective and covers all your flights. If it is a single trip then get the single trip policy that will only cover expenses for one journey.

6.     Does it cover your transportations?

Additionally, you should also find out if the bikes, cars or anything else that you might rent will be covered by this plan. You should take any advice that your insurer has to offer and all the restrictions that may apply. If you are caught while using your scheme illegally then this can cause you to lose thousands of dollars. Try to go for a plan that also covers any costs that may arise if something goes wrong with the transportation.

7.     Does it cover any expensive gear that you carry?

In the world of technology, it is impossible to go on a tour without your laptop, cameras or Smartphone’s. It is imperative to note that every plan has limited coverage for your items. Therefore, choose the best plan that can cover all the gadgets that you carry. If your plan is extendable, then there is nothing better than that.

8.     Cancellation policy

Suppose you have ordered your favorite jacket from customize jackets but you get very sick. If any such unfortunate circumstance arises where you are unable to go on the tour and have to cancel your flight then make sure that the scheme you have selected covers the cancellation costs. Not all schemes cover the expense of cancellations of flights and hotel room’s expense.

Conclusion

To conclude, the above-mentioned points are some of the basic things to know about a travel medical insurance. Every individual who plans on going on a tour should follow these basic things to have the best experience.