Why Should You Not Take the Risk of Travelling Without Insurance?

Mr. Mehta planned a foreign trip to Bali with his entire family for the first time. He was as excited as a kid and did his best to book the most suitable airline, bought clothes suited to the climate there and suitable baggage to carry them. Since he was travelling abroad for the first time and knew that he won’t be able to afford another such trip in the current year, he thought that there is no advantage of wasting precious money on availing a travel insurance plan for just a single trip! But, his decision backfired when he stepped in the foreign country and realised that two of his bags were missing! When enquired, he realised that there is a risk of the bags not being retrieved and what a huge loss it would be as one of the bags had expensive jewellery in it! At that moment, he was full of regret and realised the true value of a single trip travel insurance policy which he had been earlier suggested by his friends but he ignored their advice. The whole trip was ruined because of loss of baggage and Mr. Mehta had to bear the financial brunt as well.

Well! As uncommon as the above case might seem such unexpected events keep happening. And these incidents won’t consider whether one is taking a single trip or multiple trips in a particular year! Chances of such emergencies have risen with the rise in the tourism industry and the constant political, social, and economic upheavals the world is facing which may later become a source of social disharmony leading to riots and strikes! Moreover, accidental, and medical emergencies can also not be taken lightly. As it is, with the medical inflation, the prices of treatment abroad are quite high and may well go beyond the affordable income of an individual.

Let’s have a look at the provisions of the single-trip travel insurance policy to understand its necessity in today’s time:

Emergency dental treatment:

Along with the treatment of any critical illness like heart attack, kidney failure, etc.; which require hospitalisation, the insurance policy also covers emergency dental treatments. Imagine a person with severe pain in his gums which require an immediate check-up! Dental costs are already more than the average costs of other medical illnesses and might be completely unaffordable in a foreign country. But, dental problems will be considered under the cover only if they did not pre-exist before the trip.

Trip interruption:

Mrs. Kaushik booked a flight to Bangkok, which had a stopover in Chennai. But, when she reached Chennai, due to harsh weather conditions, the flight did not fly further. Due to which, she did not reach her destination on time and the hotel (where she was supposed to stay) cancelled her booking and did not refund the booking amount. This cost her huge amount of money, which escalated her travel budget by ten times. A single trip travel insurance policy would have covered the expenses of trip delay, interruption, and cancellation, and thus, saved her from bearing the financial burden personally. The insurer will compensate in such situation provided you show the boarding pass as proof of your journey between Chennai and Bangkok and the airline confirms that they cancelled the flight.

Burglary and fire cover for home:

Imagine yourself enjoying and getting clicked with the statueus of the world celebrities in the Madame Tussauds museum in London and back home, everything being ruined by a group of burglars! Imagine an accidental fire breaking out in the adjacent flat, spreading to your apartment! Such incidents can ruin your entire life savings if you avoid availing a travel insurance policy! The travel insurance policy will reimburse you the estimated cost of the total loss that you may have suffered in such a case.

Money theft:

Even though you may have placed your wallet in the safest place possible, the chance of it being stolen cannot be ignored. And if you are stuck in a foreign country among strangers speaking a different language, you may not get any help easily. It is better to have a safety cover in the form of a travel insurance policy which will advance suitable cash for the time being and save you from several hassles. It will also help you with the procedure to block credit/debit cards if these were in the wallet.

Political unrest risks:

If the country you visit faces political unrest due to some problems, then, evacuation can be sought through the insurance policy. Similarly, medical evacuation is also possible in case of medical emergency. But, without an insurance policy these things might be very difficult to do on your own!

So, whether, it is a single journey or a multi-trip, there are several benefits of availing a travel insurance policy. However, one must always check the exclusions which might include pre-existing diseases, venereal diseases, mental disorder, plastic surgery, naturopathy, homeopathy, and allopathic treatments, etc. Therefore, before making a claim, be clear about what exactly is admissible in the policy.