After you have made all your reservations and get the cheapest airplane ticket possible, you are not totally done yet. Yes, if you want to avoid trouble during your trip you better make sure you have your travel insurance properly completed.
Whenever you are planning a trip, whether for vacation or business, you should always be well prepared. Obtaining Travel Insurance before departure will help you avoid any troubles and stress you may encounter. You can put your mind at ease knowing that your belongings and safety are insured.
When you are reserving your flight ticket, I suggest that you always include the cancellation insurance. Most of online airline ticket reservation services provide this service and it is very cheap. So it would be foolish to take the risk. Cancellation fees do not necessary allow you to cancel your flight in all cases, but at least for any medical problems or any major reasons you should be able to get a refund or at least part of it. Of course, some tickets allow you to cancel your flight in any circumstances, but usually it is an option available for more expensive flight tickets.
After that, you will have to get good Travel Health Insurance. The choice depends on your current health condition, the country you are visiting, as well as your country of residence. If your current Health Insurance has full and unlimited coverage valid in any country then you will not need to buy a new one. However, most of the time insurance includes terms which don’t allow you to exceed a certain cost. In some cases, you will have a maximum limit clearly defined. This fee is generally based on the public medical care fee of your resident country. So if you are not sure, you should check this particular point before making your decision. And of course, you will need to get an idea of the fee normally applied in the country you want to visit.
For example, if you are planning to travel around Asia and you come from Europe, you won’t necessarily encounter problems in most places. But be aware that countries like Singapore or Australia can be more expensive than certain European countries. I know some people get a big surprise when they go back to their country and asked the insurance company to refund the bills.
In case, you have a fixed amount clearly specified inside your insurance policy. I suggest you to use another Health Travel Insurance. Just to be on the safe side. You never know what’s going to happen. It is already hard enough to be involved in any kind of accident during holidays. You should not have to worry about your ability to cover the charges during your illness. In many countries they won’t accept you in the hospital unless you show them solid insurance proof or a full charged credit card.
Another point to check before your departure is to make sure, whatever insurance you decide to use, that it includes repatriation. There are some places in Asia, you would prefer to wait on the plane rather than be healed in their hospital. Especially when you are staying far away from big city.
You would like also to check if your travel insurance covers the loss of luggage, or the cost of a missing flight, etc. Some Insurance will even cover your lost money. Check the maximum coverage for each item; check the terms and conditions, etc. It seems to be a lot of work, but it really can help you make your vacations more relaxing.
After all of this is done. Don’t forget to make photocopies of all your documents and keep it in a separate place. And finally, enjoy and have a nice trip.