Summer Vacation: Is Travel Insurance Really Necessary?

Guest Post

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Every year, many people look forward to summer vacation. Families have the opportunity to relax and strengthen bonds, as do couples and friends. One of the most intriguing things about travel is the chance to see and try new things. During these times, being out of a customary environment presents situations that are specific to travel. For instance, navigating around can be challenging, with airline, rail and other delays. Thankfully, travel insurance can alleviate anxiety about things like delays, lost luggage and stolen property.

Safety

One of the most important aspects of planning a trip during the summer is safety. Over the summer season there are more people out and about than most other times of year. This means that it is usually more hectic at airports and on roads. Keep in mind that planning ahead makes for a better trip, since dealing with the unknown and schedule changes are commonplace.

Research

Before making any decisions, conduct research to find out about logistics. Knowing what it will take to do certain activities will allow you to make better decisions. For instance, review the areas to be visited for best times, and less traffic and congestion. Also consider the safety of the areas to be visited and avoid the ones that could be unsavory.

Travel Insurance

Quite a few people wonder if having travel insurance in place is actually necessary. Some believe that having a medical plan is usually enough to cover traveling medical emergencies.

According to the professionals at Monkey insurance located in the UK:”Everyone should have travel insurance, and it’s not just us as insurance brokers who think this. Newspaper travel section columnists and consumer magazines all strongly recommend purchasing a policy before you go on holiday to protect you against everything from lost luggage to the holiday provider going bankrupt.” However, there are far more incidents that can occur that would not be covered without a form of travel insurance in place. For instance:

1. Many medical insurance policies have restrictions as to where services may be rendered. Some plans only cover a limited number of services or those to be rendered in the town or country of residence. Also, medical policies rarely cover evacuation or other necessary services to render medical care. What happens, then, should a medical emergency occur while on the road? Travel insurance can cover for these types of deficiencies.

2. People often choose flights and other travel services based upon the best deals offered. Usually this involves a no refund policy. As such, if there is any travel disruption, money paid could easily be lost. Travel insurance usually offers coverage for trip and flight cancellation. This means that, should a trip be canceled due to weather or medical reasons, the costs would be reimbursed.

3. Most everyone has heard a horror story relating to lost baggage. Aside from lost clothing, there may be other expensive items like prescriptions which lost baggage coverage would insure.

4. Another common issue that travelers experience is stolen wallets and passports. Without those two key items, it is virtually impossible to get around. Travel insurance policies can include coverage for these instances or a rider can be issued to assure a safe return home.

Traveling Children

Most children enjoy going on vacation as much as everyone else. However, parents should keep in mind that some kids adapt to new surroundings better than others. First, talk about the trip with the kids, no matter how old they are. This can help them prepare for what occurs while traveling such as long bouts in the car or on an airplane.

Preparing ahead for travel with kids makes the whole process more enjoyable for everyone. Since there are usually disruptions in eating, play time and sleeping schedules, be prepared with snacks and toys that travel well.

Travel is essentially an investment in well being. Just like any other investment, it should be protected adequately. While planning for travel, people do research, confirm reservations, pack their belongings and attend to other details, which should also include arranging for travel insurance. This will give them peace of mind knowing that frustration and costs can be minimized in the event of an unfortunate travel mishap.

Being an avid traveler gives Nadine Swayne the insight to offer this article. Advice from the professionals at Monkey insurance at Monkey.co.uk, about travelers insurance, can give one ease of mind when booking a vacation. Along with offering various insurance policies, they are also a company that gives back to different charities to allow the consumer a ‘feel good’ purchase.

15 Comments

  1. I once had to cancel a trip, and because I didn’t get the insurance that allows me to cancel, I lost all my money.

  2. Whenever I travel I take the insurance – it is a minimal amount compared to what I would lose if something were to happen and I had to cancel. I like to have peace of mind too.

  3. We book all of our travel with our credit card which gives us travel insurance should we need it because we charged the tickets/hotel etc. with it. Thankfully we’ve never needed it, but it’s a great perk of the card that doesn’t cost us any extra.

  4. I would never travel without travel insurance, including the medical portion. When you travel you are more likely to participate in activities that you may not normally do and it doesn’t take much to have an accident. The other thing is the food. In many places it is so easy to get food poisoning and without medical insurance you’d be paying a lot of money for help.

    1. Author

      You make great points. I’ve never really done much traveling, so I really never thought about travel insurance, before. I definitely do now, though.

  5. Sometimes we do get extra travel insurance if our credit card doesn’t offer it. We got it for when we went skiing because so many are prone to get hurt doing that. Fortunately we didn’t have to use it but the problem is when you need to use it and don’t have any.

  6. I have never purchased it but would definitely consider it for one of our more expensive trips.

  7. We are skipping the travel insurance this summer, but I sure do hope we don’t end up regretting it.

  8. From personal experience, I have learned a lot of ‘travelers tips’. Credit card coverage is always great, but it’s a good measure to check to see how much coverage they offer. In the event of an unfortunate turn on your vacation, a couple of extra bucks for insurance pays for itself.. not to mention the peace of mind while you’re out having fun! We work hard to take vacation, insure it!

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