Travelling overseas soon? If you are, you had better make sure you’re prepared for a great holiday experience by taking out a suitable level of travel insurance cover for your personal situation and travel plans. A good travel insurance policy isn’t something that anyone travelling abroad can afford to go without as the repercussions for failing to take out travel insurance can be hefty.
For example, if you were to have an accident, fall ill or lose your luggage when travelling abroad, you’d have to bear the financial consequences and they’re often a lot heavier than most people expect, especially if there are expensive items in the luggage lost or they have the misfortune to require hospital treatment in a country like the US where medical costs are exorbitant.
What’s more, there are additional benefits to taking out a good travel insurance policy from a leading insurance company, including enjoying peace of mind when you’re travelling. Moreover, it won’t just be you who enjoys that peace of mind, as your friends and family will also feel a lot better knowing that you’re able to get the assistance you need should you ever need it.
With those important considerations in mind, here are a few insightful tips to help you get a great deal on a travel insurance policy in readiness for your next big adventure abroad.
Identify Your Required Level of Cover
The first step that any traveller should take when shopping around for a great deal on travel insurance is to identify the level of cover they will require when holidaying abroad. Not everyone has the same travel insurance requirements, so it’s very important to understand what you absolutely must have covered on the policy you purchase, which things aren’t so important, and what you don’t have any need for. Ask yourself the following questions to gain a better understanding of your required level of cover:
- Do I have any pre-existing medical illnesses that I need to declare or that may make me likely to require medical assistance when abroad? If you have a pre-existing medical condition that may require treatment when holidaying abroad, it’s advisable to look for a specialist medical insurer.
- Am I planning any adventure sports (skiing, snowboarding, bungee jumping, kayaking, diving, etc.) that require a certain level of insurance cover? Adventure sports require additional levels of travel insurance, so you need to declare that you’ll be engaging in such activities when holidaying to avoid having your policy deemed void.
- How expensive is medical treatment in the countries I’m planning to travel to? In some countries, like the US, medical treatment is incredibly expensive, so you need to look at things like excess and coverage when comparing policies.
- How am I planning to travel in the countries I travel through? Certain modes of transport are riskier than others, especially in developing world countries.
- Am I taking any expensive items (cameras, jewellery, etc.) that require additional cover? The more expensive your possessions, the greater the need for travel insurance when travelling. You also need to consider excess and similar considerations.
You need to answer these questions and many more to decide the level of cover you require because different travellers have different insurance requirements. For example, a retired couple travelling across Europe for three weeks will have very different insurance requirements to a pair of university students travelling through Southeast Asia on their summer holidays. Before you start shopping around for a great deal on travel insurance and obtain a quote from Travel Insurance Expert, you need to decide what level of cover you require. Compare some quotes, look at some policies online, and speak to friends and family who’ve travelled abroad recently and were happy with their travel insurance policy.
Research Policies
What’s covered in a travel insurance policy? It’s remarkable just how many people have little to no idea what they’re covered for or how they’d go about seeking assistance if they found themselves in need of aid when overseas. That’s why it’s very important to research policies, or at least look at a few insurers’ websites, to get a good idea of what they cover and the assistance that they offer travellers abroad. It’s also a good idea to look at some customer review websites as these websites provide helpful insights into what other travellers have thought of their experiences with travel insurance companies.
Compare Travel Insurance Policies
To get a good deal on travel insurance you need to compare travel insurance policies. There are quite a few things that you’ll need to compare here (unless you’re looking at the most basic policy, which is often more than adequate for some travellers), including premiums, assistance, excess, level of cover, pre-existing medical conditions and many more. Repatriation is a very important aspect of insurance cover to look at when comparing policies because you need to know that if you were seriously injured when on holiday abroad and needed to seek medical assistance in your country of origin that this would be covered.
In addition to understanding what you need to compare, you also need to work out the best way to compare travel insurance policies. While you could contact multiple insurers and source a quote from each, a much better way to go about things is to find a website that enables you to source and compare quotes from multiple insurance companies simultaneously. There are a quite a few of these websites around, moreover, they’re also free to use, which makes sourcing numerous quotes both easy and free.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to compare travel insurance quotes from multiple insurers and get a great deal on travel insurance, then these websites have plenty to offer. You’ll not only stand a much better chance of sourcing the best travel insurance policy for your travel requirements, but also save yourself a lot of time which can be better spent planning and preparing other aspects of your trip, like researching accommodation, tours and the best party spots to hit at your destination!