Even the best-planned vacations can be ruined by unforeseen circumstances. What, on the other hand, is likely to happen before or during your journey that a travel insurance policy could assist you with? Unexpected circumstances may derail your trip plans, costing you your vacation investment and more. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Should I get travel insurance?” Our top five reasons to insure your travel can help you answer why is travel insurance so important in life.
# 1 If you need to cancel your trip
One of the most common reasons people think about travel insurance is the fear of having to cancel their vacation and losing money they’ve already spent. Life is unpredictable, and it’s hard to forecast what will happen between the time you arrange a vacation and the time you leave. If you believe you will be spending more money on your vacation than you can afford to lose, you should consider purchasing travel insurance that includes Trip Cancellation coverage.
# 2 Accidents may happen before and even during a trip
What if you or one of your traveling companions becomes ill or injured and is unable to travel? Or a non-traveling family member becomes ill or dies, preventing you from making the trip? Many types of travel insurance coverages may be useful in these instances.
You may be refunded for your prepaid, nonrefundable trip charges if you need to cancel your trip because your child is sick and unable to go.
Travel insurance may cover medical expenditures, including an ambulance journey, if you are injured while on vacation. Many health insurance plans do not cover travel outside of Australia.
If you can’t finish your trip due to an injury, Trip Interruption coverage may be able to reimburse you for the time you missed and even assist you in returning home.
# 3 Calamities and natural disasters
You have no control over the weather, which could create travel delays or compel you to cancel your trip altogether. From snowstorms to hurricanes, travel insurance can protect you if bad weather or a natural calamity prevents you from taking your trip, such as flight cancellation.
# 4 Delays on travel schedule
In 2015, about 20% of flights were delayed, and more than 53,000 flights were cancelled. Flight delays, cancellations, a stolen passport, a road accident, a natural disaster, and a variety of other unforeseen occurrences could cause your vacation to be delayed or totally disrupted. Many of these situations are covered by a travel insurance plan, so you can concentrate on taking care of your needs rather than worrying about how much it will cost.
# 5 Stolen or lost baggage
Airlines lost, delayed, or damaged 23.1 million bags in 2015, and missing baggage took an average of 1.76 days to be recovered to its owners. ² You can be reimbursed for lost, stolen, or damaged baggage or personal belongings with travel insurance, and a plan with Baggage Delay coverage can repay you for the purchase of essential things while your bags are delayed.
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