What to take with you on your trip

• Tweet

• Tweet

When you travel, it’s important to have your travel insurance documents with you. This can be accomplished by hard copy or digital copy (or both). If you have access to both, that’s probably ideal.

Why might you need the plan certificate? If an emergency happens, you’ll want to call your travel assistance services hot line. While you can certainly carry just the hot line phone number and policy number instead, if you need to verify your coverage while traveling, you’ll want access to the plan certificate.

Traveling with Digital Copies

Many travelers have access to electronic gadgets on which they can store a copy of their travel insurance certificate. You can also keep a copy of it in your e-mail account and access it that way.

Of course, it’s important to password-protect your electronic devices, including hand-held devices and laptops. Otherwise, a thief can easily access the information you have scanned for safe-keeping.

Traveling with Printed Copies

If you are going to print and carry your travel insurance documents with you, you will want to make two copies of these documents and:

• keep one on your person
• put one in your suitcase

This helps ensure that you have the information you need should your luggage be delayed, or worse. Alternatively, if your carry-on or purse is stolen, you’ll still have another copy in your suitcase.

Important!

You should also have a copy of your driver’s license, passport (if traveling abroad), credit card and health insurance card (if traveling within the borders of your home country). If your luggage or wallet is stolen, you’ll have a better chance of getting replacement documents.

Related topics

• Protecting your Identity when you Travel
• Finding local medical care
• Understanding payment of claims