Why Buy Travel Insurance?
Sadly, bad things happen to good people all of the time. Good intentions are not always fulfilled and at times, avoiding making poor decisions will also be a benefit you receive from buying the Travel Insurance.
You may need to shop it a little because prices can vary as much as 50%! If you don’t buy the travel insurance, you may pay all of your additional costs by default, or by choosing to do nothing to prevent loses. You are in essence, “self-insuring.”
This may not be a necessity if you are just taking a flight to visit friends, or have a weekend in Vegas, but if you are flying overseas, it is necessary. If you are flying to take a cruise but don’t book the airfare with the cruise line, again, it is necessary. If you book your airfare with the cruise line and have all of your transfers paid ahead, the cruise line will make things right for you by taking full responsibility for all of your transportation. If you plan to save money, like I do, often using free frequent flyer tickets and booking a discounted cruise, you may have a lot to lose!
First, I will explain the value of the insurance, and then I will explain how to obtain the insurance. If you are filthy rich and can pay full price for airline tickets and accommodations, it isn’t necessary to insure your trip, but if losses are a consideration, you will appreciate this story.
I arrived in Singapore at the Cruise Ship Terminal on the morning of embarkation to find that the cruise was cancelled due to an engine disaster that had just occurred. The cruise line was hospitable and put all passengers up at a 5 star hotel and fed everyone until the flights the Line had purchased had taken these passengers home. I knew I did not want to go home, after the 20+ hours it took me to fly to Singapore, so I called my Travel Insurance. They said I had experienced a trip delay and we were entitled to $1,000 each per our policy. We decided to stay longer in Singapore and found a wonderful hotel. We booked a trip to Phuket, Thailand days later. Due to the generosity of the cruise lines, we received a free future cruise as well as the refund for the one that was cancelled. They paid my airfare home. I had to recoup the miles into my frequent flyer account for the ticket I had not used, departing from Perth Australia, where the cruise was to disembark, and the fees for that were about $300. Between the generosity and integrity of Princess Cruises and the Travel insurance I bought, I was not out of pocket for anything but the airfare to Phuket. I was WELL DOCUMENTED, having saved all receipts and the letter from the cruise line explaining the cancellation of the cruise. Everything worked out and I didn’t fly to Singapore “for nothing.” It was still an enjoyable trip. It took the travel insurance several months to pay from the time I submitted my documentation and receipts. They lost my documentation once, they changed processors once, and they make errors once, but eventually we received the full $2,000. It pays to be organized, and never give up!
Benefits of Travel Insurance include: (but are not limited to)
- Losses for trip delays if you need to book last minute transportation, hotel rooms, or have meals.
- Your possessions and suitcases may be covered as well as any necessities you may purchase waiting for your lost or delayed bags
- Emergency Medical, including Medi-Flights
- Medical and Dental attention in foreign countries, AND MORE
Naturally, you will need to check your limits on your policy, and also realize, if you oversleep and miss a flight, this isn’t covered. Most likely, if a relative dies or becomes desperately ill, you may be covered to get a refund before departure or during the actual trip. Whatever you hope to claim must be a documentable reason, like flight cancellation or injury. If you slip and go to the hospital injured, even if it is your fault, this cost would be covered. Clarify these issues before leaving! Read your policy and be sure it states the same as the salesperson who sold it to you!
This brings me to another issue with travel insurance; it is not unusual for them to refuse to pay. Travel agents tell me that travel insurance companies are notorious for resisting payouts on claims. You have to inform them immediately, in a documentable way when you experience a delay, cancellation or covered loss, file the papers when you return, sometimes a few times, and continue to expect payment or you may be forgotten. They may also attempt to pay you less, thinking you will accept less and not pursue what you are actually due. I have had both scenarios happen to me, but eventually, if you are documented and in the right, they will pay in full. You may be frustrated waiting for reimbursement, but I was eventually made whole. Be persistent. You can be polite but don’t take no for an answer.
If you can read, document and pay for the insurance that will serve you, you will have more fun, worry less and have more options if something goes wrong. Remember, “Suffering is optional.”-Dr. Cie