3 Reasons Why You Actually Need Travel Insurance
This post is sponsored by SafetyWing. All opinions are 100% my own!
There are so many things to consider when you’re getting ready for a big trip. Especially if it is a trip where you are leaving the country. You have to make sure you have all your travel plans in order, and that means getting a rental car, making sure your passport is up to date, packing well, that all of your documents are in place, the hotel and accommodation reservations are good, and so many more.
But, one thing that’s often overlooked is the importance of travel insurance. While it may not be top of mind, many things could go wrong while traveling. The chances of these to happen are quite slim, but they can still happen. When it does, you wouldn’t want to be stuck in a foreign country with a medical emergency and no other means to get by but to pay with whatever amount it is you’ve brought while traveling. Like any other medical emergency, the expenses can pile up pretty fast. And that is why travel insurance is so important. If you are a frequent traveler, this is even truer! The more you travel, the higher the likelihood of you needing travel insurance.
I could spend all day describing all the ways travel insurance is beneficial for your next trip, but for the sake of time, I am going to give you three reasons why you should have a travel insurance plan before you leave the country on your next trip.
In Case of An Emergency
An emergency is probably the number one reason anyone considers having travel insurance. Let’s say that you got into a car accident on your trip or ate something that made you so horribly ill you ended up in the emergency medical facilities while on vacation?
I know that an emergency is the last thing you’d think about while excitedly packing your bikini, but this is a genuine possibility. It is better to be covered and not have an emergency than to not be covered and experience something serious. Just as you may have catastrophic health insurance in the United States, it is good to have some sort of emergency health care plan out of the country too!
In Case of a Non-Emergency
I mentioned that there could be some emergency while you are traveling, but what if you have a non-emergency? Let’s say, for example, you trip and sprain your ankle. While it is not an emergency, you may want to go to the doctor without worrying about it, costing you an arm and a leg.
The same thing goes if you get sick such as a cold or the flu. A trip to the doctor can make the difference in if you can enjoy the rest of your journey or not. So giving yourself that option with travel insurance is the right choice!
Travel insurance comes in handy in these scenarios too. If you are not feeling well or need to make a trip to the doctor while on vacation, this is another reason to have travel insurance. I know the last place you’d want to be on vacation is in a doctor’s office. But again, you just never know what could happen while you are there. If you happen to need any medical treatment, you are covered.
In Case You Find Yourself in a Jam
If both of the reasons above are not enough to convince you of the importance of buying travel insurance, this one will. And that is if you find yourself in a jam. When I say a jam, I mean any trip interruption that could inconvenience your trip.
Common examples of these jams would include:
- Think about your luggage going missing, or a travel delay where you have to book another night in a hotel. These are scenarios where your travel insurance can have your back. They can reimburse you for the items lost in your luggage and pay for a place for you to stay.
- Some jams can be more severe than others, such as there being a medical evacuation of a political evacuation you will be covered! My family was planning a trip to Cuba through a pretty reputable cruise line last year and were pretty excited about it. But there was so much civil unrest going on that the US prevented travel to Cuba altogether. Luckily, the cruise line picked another place to go for our family Vaca.
We are grateful this happened before we decided to go, but if we were there during this period, having travel insurance would’ve been a saving grace for us.
- Especially when you’re a frequent traveler, you may have experienced waiting for a supposed to be delayed flight but ending up being canceled.
When this happens, it can cause severe inconvenience. You’re going to make the appropriate new flight bookings, or worse, cancel the rest of the bookings made since the trip now can’t push through.
Generally, most of the costs will be covered by the airline if this is their fault, or if it’s an emergency beyond anybody’s control. But, there may still be other costs that aren’t covered by the airline, such as subsequent hotel cancellations, tours, and whatnot. With a travel insurance policy, these costs are already covered under your umbrella of protection.
Affordable Travel Insurance
Are you convinced that travel insurance is pretty important? If not, allow me to give you one last reason to consider it – it can be pretty affordable if you find the right travel insurance company. One company that I believe does travel insurance right is SafetyWing.
I like SafetyWing because they are the world’s first travel medical insurance developed specifically for nomads, by nomads. The company was established to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and remote workers traveling or living abroad worldwide. So they created their plans to cover even the craziest of possibilities. And with digital nomads in mind, they made their plans affordable and easy to manage.
If you want more proof that you’re getting some of the best and most affordable rates, ask for travel insurance quotes from multiple providers. That way, you can also find someone you can trust to contact for all of your trips.
Why SafetyWing?
Their plans are pretty flexible. And they work like a subscription where you can choose your start date and cancel any time. There is no cap on the duration of the trip and no need to know how long you’ll be traveling in advance. You can set up monthly auto-renewal payments to avoid having your coverage expire and forgetting to renew in time.
They are also pretty affordable since their travel medical coverage starts from $37/4 weeks; This is 1/3rd of the price of the biggest competitor for similar coverage. If you are unsure if that is true, check out their quote calculator below. Their prices speak for themselves!
Now that you also have access to affordable but quality travel insurance through the points you’ve just read, there’s absolutely no reason for you to think about skipping on the travel insurance. When you come to think of it, with the right provider and advanced bookings, travel insurance isn’t really that expensive. With a small price that you pay in exchange for peace of mind that no matter what happens in the trip, you’re covered, that’s already a good enough exchange; it’s that one added expense in your holiday that will always prove to be worth it.
Here are a few other things you should know about SafetyWing:
- They offer worldwide coverage as well as limited home country coverage (up to 30 days every three months).
- Insurance is available for purchase in 180 countries and can be purchased while already traveling.
- They are always available, offering 24/7 support when a person is in need. It also comes with a network of medical partners.
- Young children are included: 1 young child per adult (up to 2 per family) aged between 14 days and ten years old can be included on the insurance without added cost.
Are you interested in learning more about SafetyWing? Click here to learn more about their travel insurance policies here.
As I mentioned previously, there are many reasons why one should get travel insurance. With so many things that could happen while traveling, it is nice to know that there are so many things from trip delays to medical expenses that can be covered under a single policy. When you think about it, travel insurance is liking paying for peace of mind while on your trip. And if I’m honest, you can’t put a price on that!
But I want to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments if you typically get travel insurance when traveling out of the country and why or why not? Thanks!
