Travel Insurance Buyer Tips WORLD TRAVEL TRENDS BLOG
What to Consider When Traveling Without Travel Insurance
The Risks of No Travel Protection
Have you ever wondered what happens if you don’t have travel insurance? The short answer is that it depends on the potential mishaps you face during your trip. The long answer is that not purchasing travel insurance can cost you if something unfortunate happens. Some travel mishaps, like lost luggage, can be a major inconvenience but will not likely break your bank account. In other cases, a serious medical emergency that requires hospitalization could result in life-changing bills that are simply unaffordable to the everyday person.
Travel insurance addresses the potential risks that come with international travel, even if nothing wrong happens during your trip. Whether it is a travel delay, lost luggage, or a medical emergency, travel insurance can reduce the financial burden of a mishap during travel.
Travel Insurance Addresses Risk in Many Forms
Think of travel insurance as personal “risk mitigation” for travel. There is no guarantee that you will experience a travel mishap, but if it does happen, your travel insurance policy can help address it.
Those who consciously decide they don’t need travel insurance are ultimately vulnerable to several risks. Many travel mishaps can come as a surprise. A traveler could step on a sharp rock at the beach or get bitten by an exotic bird while posing for a photo. Receiving medical care while traveling can be costly, and some facilities may expect a foreigner to pay upfront even before a simple medical procedure.
In some instances, a foreign hospital is simply unequipped to address more complex medical emergencies, and a traveler will need to be returned home to receive further care. This could result in astronomical costs to the traveler, facing a bill that could be life-changing.
Why Purchase Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance policies can save consumers tens of thousands of dollars when a medical emergency occurs. However, you should know that travel insurance is not an all-encompassing solution to the risks that come with international travel.
Travel Insurance: The Risks of Exclusions and Denied Claims
Vacationers should never assume that their travel insurance policy covers every risk that comes with international travel. Travelers often learn the hard way that there are a number of exemptions in their policy and “triggers” that can void their coverage entirely. At times, the fine print of a policy can be intentionally vague or confusing, leaving a gap in coverage that could result in denied benefits.
It’s also important to consider that almost all travel insurance policies are on a reimbursement basis. When a traveler racks up tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses, they should never assume that all their bills will be reimbursed by their insurance provider. The reimbursement process can be complex, and an insurer might find that the incident doesn’t fall within their policy. At other times, a provider might research the client’s medical history to see if their medical expenses were associated with a “pre-existing medical condition,” resulting in a denied claim.
Every policy is unique, but the truth is that travelers should never blindly purchase travel insurance policies without fully understanding the coverage it entails. Every traveler should understand the risks that come with buying travel insurance itself to avoid complications and the financial disaster that can occur from experiencing a denied claim for benefits.
Travel Insurance Gaps Addressed by CAP, Powered by FocusPoint
For any consumer that is concerned about the gaps in traditional travel insurance, there are solutions in travel assistance products known as CAP. Travel assistance offers response to a number of travel mishaps that come with international travel and includes air ambulance and emergency relocation services for no additional costs, without any reimbursement process.
The CAP Plan offers unlimited 24/7 advice for a long list of travel mishaps often overlooked by traditional travel insurance, including COVID quarantine cost coverage. It also provides a fully-funded response to incidents of riots, strikes, civil commotion, and natural disasters, with medical evacuation to a home hospital of choice, should you suffer from a medical mishap resulting in hospitalization.
Contact us directly to learn more about solutions for North Americans traveling internationally and domestically.
The Risks of No Travel Protection
Travel Insurance Addresses Risk in Many Forms
Why Purchase Travel Insurance?
Travel Insurance Gaps Addressed by CAP, Powered by FocusPoint