While planning a trip abroad can be extremely exciting, it’s important to keep in mind that there are potential risks, especially for U.S. citizens. Accidental injuries, illnesses, theft, unexpected changes in travel plans, or even large-scale catastrophes can easily spoil your travel plans. Not only that, but facing all this in a foreign country makes it significantly more difficult to navigate. For this reason, purchasing an international travel insurance policy is crucial in order to protect yourself from financial burden.
How Travel Insurance Can Reduce Potential Risks for U.S. Citizens Traveling Abroad
Travel insurance is something that should be at the top of anyone’s packing list, but it’s especially crucial for U.S. citizens traveling abroad for the following reasons:
- Your domestic healthcare, including Medicare, won’t cover you outside of the U.S. This means that while traveling outside of the United States, you won’t have any form of medical coverage protecting you from the unexpected. In this case, it is important to seek supplemental coverage in the form of travel insurance with medical coverage to safeguard you against financial burden. As crucial as travel medical insurance is for every American traveling abroad, it becomes even more essential as we age. Senior citizens above the age of 65 traveling abroad are especially vulnerable to injury and illnesses.
- Healthcare outside of the U.S. may have limited resources and may work differently from what you’re used to. Purchasing a comprehensive travel medical insurance policy will reduce your out-of-pocket expenses should you need medical attention while abroad. Navigating a foreign healthcare system in the midst of a medical emergency may be especially difficult. If you have travel medical insurance your travel insurance company can assist in communicating with the treatment providers to ensure that you receive adequate coverage. If you purchase your travel insurance policy through VisitorsCoverage, our award-winning Customer Success Team can also help you through every step of the claims process.
- U.S. citizens may be targeted for theft or victimization while visiting a foreign country. The U.S. dollar and U.S. passport are highly sought after by thieves in foreign countries due to the high value that they hold. Because U.S. citizens are likely to be traveling with these items, they automatically become targets. Having a trip insurance policy can assist you with passport and currency replacement in case of theft, or in more extreme, very rare cases, it can assist you or your family with issues pertaining to kidnapping and ransom.
- Natural disasters or large-scale catastrophes might mean you have to be evacuated to safety. If such an event occurs during your travels, medical facilities could soon be overwhelmed. Should you get injured or contract a severe illness and are unable to receive adequate treatment at your current location you may need to be transported elsewhere. Emergency medical evacuation could be necessary. This usually involves the patient being airlifted by plane or helicopter to the nearest hospital or care center. Without travel insurance this can be extremely expensive with the airlift alone costing thousands of dollars.
Five Key Benefits of Travel Insurance
There are many different travel insurance policies that offer a wide variety of coverage options. Having a lot of options is generally a good thing but it does make it harder to know what benefits could help you the most as you travel abroad. Here are the top 5 travel insurance benefits for international travel:
- Comprehensive medical coverage
- Theft, kidnap, and ransom Insurance
- Trip cancellation, interruption and delay insurance
- Loss of baggage coverage
- Emergency evacuation Insurance
Because U.S. citizens do face higher risks when traveling outside of their home countries, the Department of State highly recommends that you purchase a travel medical insurance policy in preparation for your international trip.
