Trip Protection

Travel Insurance – Yes or No? Some people swear by it, other people swear about it. But there are many different types of travel insurance, some better than others.

In part one we review the different types and sellers of travel insurance policies; in part two we look at the different type of coverage and protection these policies offer you.

A Travel Agents Perspective

As a former seller of travel, I definitely loved travel insurance – not so much for the commission I earned from selling it, but rather because of the way that it could transform a desperate and sometimes tragic problem into a resolved situation.

I remember one time being telephoned, in the middle of the night, from a small out of the way island off the Australian coast. The caller was a client, in tears due to learning about the sudden death of his mother. I was able to say to him ‘Don’t worry about a thing, Paul; simply go to the airport tomorrow morning and there will be tickets waiting for you to get you and the rest of your family home as quickly as possible’. The cost of urgently returning home, and the cancellation fees for the rest of their vacation, were all absorbed by the travel insurance.

Recent Questions to the Forum:

Do you or don't you buy Travel Insurance for your Trip?

I was wondering how many of you out there have purchased insurance in there travel? I would say especially for International travel where many aren't covered medically.

What were your reasons for purchasing insurance? What reasons did you choose not to purchase insurance? Have you ever known someone where insurance helped them or where insurance could have helped them had they purchased it?

This question is sparked because today here at work I get TWO calls (ok that is VERY unusual) of ones that had a tragic event happen in there life. One his mother had a stroke and the other I’m unsure of the details all I gathered was it was her Brother in Law. Neither purchased Insurance. One will be out $2,200 dollars. The other 800 dollars.

Vendors penalties are extremely strict, especially now a days. Typically and yes we will try for you, they don't waive penalties due to it's unfairness to those who did purchase insurance.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Reply: 

If you travel internationally without insurance, then you are being very ignorant  Many countries don't have the same standard of healthcare as the us. even if you have enough money on your credit card to pay for the treatment, you may not get the same standard of care. it doesn't matter if you are fit and healthy, accidents happen. if it is something serious your family may become financially crippled trying to get you home alive. BTW insurance usually also covers repatriation of mortal remains too - kind of hard to get these back without help from other sources
 

Question:

We are going to Japan for 2.5 weeks in October and it was mentioned to us that we should get travelers insurance. A full deal too which includes medical, travel cancellation, and baggage. Is this a good idea? Is it really worth it?

PS we are Canadians

Reply: 

Travel insurance is just like all other kinds of insurance--seems like a waste of money until something happens to you. In the US/Canada, it's relatively easy to recover if something happens during your trip and therefore I don't tend to think insurance is necessary. On an international trip, however, you probably have no idea of what could go on. If your bags are lost, if someone gets sick and has to cancel, if your flight has major delays...your travel insurance will help cover costs from all of these things. It might give you that added peace of mind.

You may also want to check your credit card policy--several cards offer travel insurance in their fine print.
 

Group Short-term international health insurance
for 5 or more traveling abroad