Insurance Travel

When Should You Get Travel Insurance Benefits

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If you are going on an expensive or long trip, buying travel insurance is a great idea to protect you in case anything unforeseen happens. The trip may be cancelled due to circumstances beyond your control, like a hurricane rolling in to the islands just before your getaway is planned or a civil conflict that throws the country you are planning to visit into chaos. If this does happen, travel coverage will reimburse you for the lost money paid for plane tickets and hotels, which are typically non-refundable.

Travel Insurance Benefits

Travel insurance can also help pay for the costs of medical treatment if you get sick while on vacation outside your home country. A foreign hospital stay can be very expensive, and some medical facilities in other countries will refuse to treat you if you do not have insurance coverage. Having insurance protects you in these circumstances and helps you relax while you have a good time.

Anytime that you are booking a trip to a region of the world that experiences extreme weather events or has ongoing political conflict, its wise to get insurance to protect you. This includes travelling to popular destinations like the Caribbean, Central America and the Florida Keys during hurricane season, which typically runs from Summer until November. Even if a hurricane does not make landfall, evacuation warnings can ruin your vacation plans or cause your hotel to cancel your stay at the last minute. Flights may be cancelled, making it impossible to get there.

Some types of travel insurance also cover you in case you have to cancel the trip for your own reasons, like a scheduling conflict, sickness or family emergency. This coverage is a must have if you have a busy work schedule that is always changing, or children with a full schedule of activities. It gives you the freedom to change your mind at any time without being punished financially.

Minimum Required Purchase Date

For the insurance to be valid, you must buy it within a certain time of booking the trip. This is what is known in the travel insurance world as the initial trip deposit date. A typical travel insurance policy has stipulations saying you must purchase it within 14 days of this initial trip deposit date for the policy to be valid. If you purchase outside of these dates and try to use the insurance, the claim is likely to be rejected once the company investigates the paperwork.


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