First time travelers may find it quite a challenge to try and obtain a good travel insurance policy. Since there are so many factors that have to be considered, new travelers will do well to learn about the basics of travel insurance.
When you’re looking for travel insurance, you have to ask some important questions:
- How many people are making the trip?
- Do any of these people have special needs (like medications, wheel chairs, etc)?
- How long is the trip going to be?
- Where are you going to stay?
- Are you going to need a car or special medical coverage when you’re there?
All of these questions are extremely important when you’re looking for an insurance policy that is best for your needs.
Before anything else, you have to figure out the duration of your trip. This is important because there are different options which are dependent on the length of your trip so you absolutely have to know. First, there is single trip insurance. Single trip travel insurance is obtained for a single trip and it is used for any trip shorter than around 3 months. It can be a few days or a couple of weeks. This covers trip cancellation, interruption, and medical insurance for the duration of the trip.
Then, there is annual trip insurance. If you are traveling multiple times in a year, look for this kind of policy. These policies are often obtained by businessmen who do a lot of regular job-related traveling or by people who frequently take vacations. There is usually a lower limit for travel days and the number of trips is clearly specified in the policy so you’ll have to provide this information.
If you’re going to be staying on a trip for an extended period of time, look for long stay travel insurance. This kind of insurance is used for trips that are between 3 and 18 months. There are different policies for different time frames.
You have to look for policies that will cover any medical needs you may have as well. If someone is pregnant, she will definitely need travel medical insurance because the chance that they will need to see a doctor is higher. If you’re going to be on a plane, flight accident insurance is also important, in case of an accident. Even if you are slightly likely to get into an accident, accidental death and dismemberment insurance will definitely be a good investment to protect your family.
Some travel insurance packages actually offer good deals on hotel rooms, rental cars, or other necessities. To take advantage of these deals, it’s extremely important that you know what you will need in your travel. Sometimes, companies will have contracts with certain car dealerships for cheaper car rentals so if you’re going to need a car, try looking for policies that offer those perks. This is a common practice in car rental and travel insurance industries.
Always make sure you know what you’re looking for before you buy a policy. That way, you’ll get what you really need.