Although traveling can be an incredibly rewarding and fun experience, there’s always a possibility that things can go wrong. However, that doesn’t mean you need to stress about your vacation. Nothing can stop emergencies from happening, but purchasing travel insurance is your best safeguard against any emergency that arises. Here are four of the most common travel emergencies, and what you can do to prepare for them.
Medical Emergencies
Medical emergencies are the most likely emergency to occur when you’re traveling overseas. Why? Because there are so many incidents that can all fall under medical emergencies. For example, accidents could range from physical ailments, bruising or spraining a bone to stomach aches or food poisoning, or activity-based incidents. The list goes on and on.
While accidents might not be preventable, purchasing travel medical insurance can certainly ease the burden and the financial stress in case anything were to happen. With travel medical insurance, your policy will help pay for any treatment that is needed in case you become sick or injured while abroad.
Flight Emergencies
Any time your plan involves a flight, there’s always a possibility that something can go wrong. It could be the unfortunate chance for a flight delay, or even a flight cancellation. In those instances, it can not only be incredibly frustrating, but can sometimes turn into a financial burden as you are forced to figure out additional lodging or meals until you can catch the next flight.
If you purchase trip insurance, you’ll be covered in the event of any flight troubles. Trip delay insurance specifically will provide you reimbursement for additional transportation costs or additional expenses for meals and lodging should your flight be delayed by inclement weather or other covered reasons. Likewise, if you want the flexibility of cancelling a trip for any reason, purchasing the Cancel For Any Reason add-on would allow you this option. Trip insurance would also cover costs associated with airline cancellations.
Losing Items
Losing an item happens to the best of us, but it can definitely make your trip more stressful. If you lose your passport or your ID while abroad, you’ll need to head to the nearest embassy so that you can be issued a replacement passport. Reimbursement for fees for a replacement passport are included in a number of trip insurance policies.
Likewise, if you were to lose your luggage at some point during your transit, trip insurance will provide coverage for these expenses as well. Your policy may also cover you if your luggage is damaged during transit.
Rental Car Emergencies
Car emergencies such as accidents, vandalism, or even theft can be incredibly stressful when you’re dealing with your own vehicle, but even more stressful when you’re dealing with a rental car in a foreign place. Not only would rental car troubles create a headache for you, but it could also result in hefty fees by a car-rental company.
Purchasing rental car collision insurance is a great option if you’re taking a road trip by rental car, or if you’re simply renting a car in a different country. Rental car collision insurance covers theft or damage of a car rented by a policyholder during the trip. It will also cover costs related to any damage and injury sustained by other people if the policyholder causes an accident.
Travel Insurance: A Smart Investment
Everyone hopes that their vacation or trip will be smooth sailing. Unfortunately, that’s not always the reality. We’ve highlighted the most frequent travel emergencies because they’re just that—common (or at least more common than you might think). In the event of an emergency, the last thing you’d want to be is unprepared. Instead, purchasing travel insurance gives you the reassurance that you’re covered. By purchasing a travel insurance policy, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you’re covered against any impending emergency.
