Volunteering overseas can be an incredibly rewarding experience

It’s a chance to step out of your normal surroundings and become part of something much bigger. Although making an impact through volunteering is great, it does carry some extra risks, so it’s helpful to have overseas travel insurance while volunteering abroad.

Volunteers sometimes work in particularly volatile environments, so it can be important to have coverage for emergency evacuation in case the situation in the country becomes overly hostile or dangerous.

Some volunteer organizations provide overseas travel insurance

Depending on the type of volunteer work you are doing (for instance, if you are a medical volunteer or if you are engaging in construction projects) you may be particularly vulnerable to illness or injury.  The program that you are volunteering with may offer some type of travel insurance, but read all of the information carefully to make sure that it meets your requirements.

Sometime the countries that need the most help from volunteers are those that are the most dangerous or volatile to volunteer in. Whether a country is undergoing political change or unrest, or some sort of natural disaster relief it is always good to have coverage for emergency evacuations when heading into such environments.

It’s sometimes hard to know just how volatile a situation really is. Perhaps a country may seem perfectly stable before the trip, but suddenly it takes a turn for the worse. Many types of overseas travel insurance for volunteers have coverage for these kinds of possibilities.

Of course, the other common threat that comes with overseas volunteering is illness and medical emergencies. Overseas countries are not only a different world culturally, they are also very different in terms of viruses and bacteria that cause illness. It is important to have travel insurance for overseas volunteers that covers possible medical expenses.

Even with warnings not to drink the water,  volunteers may forget and get sick from the local water. A volunteer’s immune system often isn’t equipped for the many new kinds of disease and illness it can be exposed to.  In some areas, the right kind of medical care may not be easily available, but travel insurance will often cover medical evacuation.

Volunteering vacations are an increasingly popular option for travelers of all ages; it’s important that potential catastrophes can be alleviated with travel insurance.

Photo by: dlbezaire

Scuba diving guarantees an exciting adventure on your tropical vacation, but comes with risks

Many vacationers who head to the warmer weather decide to take up S.C.U.B.A.(Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving. Many destinations specialize in scuba diving, offering many tours, equipment rentals, and guides.

With the adventure of scuba diving comes additional risk. Any time you are dealing with activities such as this, you are at a higher risk for injury. Even with proper training and diving conditions, it is still riskier than sitting in a chair reading a book (for instance).

Travel insurance is available, but make sure your policy covers scuba diving

Travel insurance is a good idea for most trips, whether you are insuring against the cost of a canceled trip or for medical emergencies while away from home. But how do you know if your travel insurance will cover scuba-related incidents?

All travel insurance policies have a list of exclusions. These are situations in which the policy would not pay. For activities, travel insurance typically excludes injuries resulting from:

• Mountaineering requiring ropes/guides
• Hang gliding
• Parachuting
• Bungee jumping
• Horse, vehicle, or motorcycle racing
• Snowmobiling
• Water skiing
• Snow skiing
• Snow boarding

For scuba diving, different companies have different policies. Some cover scuba diving completely, some cover scuba diving in certain conditions, and others exclude scuba diving all together.

Some travel insurance companies will cover scuba divers. Discover which ones in the table below

Here is a helpful table listing major travel insurance companies and which plans provide coverage for scuba diving. Two companies offer complete scuba diving coverage, Travel Guard and Travel Safe.

*Not listed under “exclusions”, also not specifically addressed as being covered
Where can I get travel insurance quotes for my scuba diving trip?

You can get instant quotes for most of these companies at one site, www.quotetravelinsurance.com. Just enter a little information and you get an instant quote. You can even buy online using a credit card, and they will email an instant confirmation guaranteeing your coverage.

Related Links
Get instant quotes for travel insurance at squaremouth.com
Travel insurance covers your baggage if it is lost, stolen, or damaged
Easiest way to get basic travel medical coverage
Compare plans at insuremytrip.com

Here is a story of a family receiving a 50,000 euro hospital bill for their family member, who died after a fall. The hospital will not release the body to be flown home until they pay the bill, and even the repatriation of the mortal remains will cost an additional 5,000 euro.

The man did not have travel insurance, so the family is stuck with the bill.

This is a perfect example of the need for travel medical insurance. Travel medical, also known as international medical, is cheaper than trip cancellation insurance and can provide very basic medical and evacuation coverage.

As you can see in the example above, the costs can be huge. The last thing you want to worry about in such a terrible situation is how you’re going to pay the bills.

Get a quote for travel medical insurance at Insuremytrip.com.

How do you decide if you need travel insurance or not?

First of all, if you are reading this and spending time researching travel insurance, there is a reason. Maybe the weather has you worried. You booked a nice week in Florida, but in the back of your mind there’s the thought of a hurricane ruining your trip.

Maybe you are concerned about your health while away from home. You know your insurance does not cover you outside the US, and you don’t want to risk an accident or injury in a foreign country.

There are also simpler concerns like lost baggage or delayed flights. Either one could be a major nuisance, and make your relaxing vacation a nightmare.

Here are a few “rule of thumb” situations where you probably want some travel insurance:

Expensive trips-The more potential loss, the more need for insurance. If you are planning a big trip, consider the total costs and ask yourself if you are willing to lose that amount.
Trips planned several months in advance-There is more potential for something to happen and cancel you trip. In the time leading up to the trip, you can get sick, lose a job, have a home fire, etc. There are also added benefits to purchasing close to the time of initial trip payments, such as Pre-existing Condition Coverage and financial default of travel companies.
Extended trips-For a week in Europe you might not worry about travel medical coverage, but imagine a month spent in South America without any coverage. Longer trips or certain destinations require travel medical coverage.

In another story, this time from the UK, we are reminded that our travel insurance will not provide benefits for injuries sustained while intoxicated.

Many travelers purchase insurance for their vacations. The travel insurance provides benefits for cancelled or interrupted trips, lost baggage, and medical expenses. As with all insurance policies, there are exclusions. Policy exclusions are circumstances under which an insurance will not pay a claim.

Common travel insurance exclusions include:

• self-inflicted injuries
• injuries resulting from dangerous activities like skydiving, etc
• injuries suffered while committing a felony or illegal activity
• injuries suffered while intixicated

Trip insurance is meant to cover expenses for unexpected and accidental injuries. When you consume too much alcohol it is not exactly an accident when you fall down and hurt yourself.

It is common knowledge that alcohol affects our judgement and motor skills. Drivers are arrested everyday for consuming too much alcohol and operating a vehicle. When drinking and driving, they are at a higher risk of injury to themselves and others.

For this same reason, travel insurance companies will not pay for injuries suffered while intoxicated. If they did, trip insurance premiums would be higher and travelers would have to pay more to protect themselves and their financial investement.

Related Posts
Previous TravelInsuranceReview.net article about drinking exclusion
Story from Manchester Eveneing News

Credit card companies offer many benefits to cardholders in an effort to aquire and retain customers. Some even offer “Travel Insurance”, but cardholders should do some research before relying on it for their next trip.

Travel insurance included with a credit card is very limited
Usually travel insurance from credit cards is limited to coverage for flight accidents, car rental damage or for accidental death while you are traveling, but often this protection is in effect only when you pay for travel with that particular credit card.

Most credit cards do not offer any coverage for travel medical expenses, evacuation costs, or trip cancellation expenses.
These are the most common reasons people purchase trip insurance. They want to be sure their trip investment if protected against cancellation. Travelers also want to know if they get sick or injured while on vacation, they can get the help they need and any necessary evacuation.

You can argue that the coverage provided with your credit card is better than nothing, which is true. If, however, you are looking for actual trip insurance with the best coverage, check with some reputable travel insurance companies.

Related Links
VISA Signature card benefits, including their “Travel Insurance”
QuoteWright.com travel insurance comparison site
Squaremouth.com travel insurance comparison site
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