An oversees holiday is a time of great enjoyment and it seems a shame to think about the things that can go wrong, but just because you are in another country there is no reason to assume that you are less likely to fall foul of any of the dangers of everyday life. Theft, loss and medical emergencies are at least as likely to affect you when on holiday, and the experience will be even more traumatic if you are not covered and have to bear the full weight of any financial losses. Instead of seeing travel insurance as an unwelcome expense, remember that what you are paying for is the peace of mind that will allow you to relax and enjoy your holiday, without worrying how you will cope if something goes wrong. Travel insurance is a vital part of any overseas holiday, whether you are a fit young backpacker, an elderly traveller joining a group tour or a young family on a resort holiday.
If you are still not convinced, take a look at these reasons why you might need travel insurance.
1) Medical
Australian government statistics tell us that each year Australian Consulates deal with 900 deaths and 1200 cases of overseas travellers being hospitalised. Hospitals in South East Asia can cost up to $1000 per day and if the traveller has no insurance cover then they are likely to be wholly responsible for the cost. The same government statistics point to approximately 50 medical evacuations per year. When you consider that you might have to pay $100,000 to be evacuated from the USA, you can see how important it is to be insured.
2) Loss
Things get lost when you are travelling. Baggage gets lost at airports and wallets get stolen when you are sightseeing in unfamiliar cities where you are not as streetwise as you would be at home. As long as you have insurance cover however there is no need to be paranoid. Losing your property is always frustrating, but having insurance is the difference between a temporary inconvenience and an expensive disaster that could ruin your entire holiday.
3) Flight Cancellation
Flight cancellations are quite common and extremely stressful. At the very least you can find yourself hanging around at an airport for hours. If you have connecting flights or transfers, the knock on effect can be much worse — and very expensive. Even if you don’t, you may find that you suddenly need to arrange extra accommodation at the last minute, or you might miss out on one or more nights accommodation already paid for at your destination. Take out basic travel insurance and you will be covered for each of these problems.
4) Acts of Nature
If you get stranded overseas as a result of an act of nature such as a hurricane or typhoon, you may be covered by your insurance. If you are going to an area with a high risk of such phenomena it is a good idea to make this a priority when choosing your policy, as it is not always covered.
5) Personal Circumstances
Unforeseen circumstances in your personal life might mean that you have to cut short your trip, or even postpone it completely. You never know when you are going to fall ill or suffer a family bereavement. Travel insurance will allow you to recover some of the costs of your postponed or curtailed holiday.
Far from being a necessary evil, travel insurance is a safety net to ensure that you do not find yourself unnecessarily out of pocket as a result of your overseas holiday. It doesn’t need to be expensive either. There are plenty of cheap travel insurance deals available, so there is no reason ever to leave home without it.
