Should you buy travel insurance, or not?

Deciding to purchase travel insurance is especially hard because you’ve probably just spent a lot of  money on flights and accommodation – making it feel almost like a waste to part with more cash for something you may not even need.

Travel insurance doesn’t cost as much as you probably think it does. Obviously, it depends on who you buy insurance from (and what, exactly, it covers), but it’s a small price to pay for a safe trip abroad.

There are generally two kinds of trip insurance:

Basic trip cancellation protection, which usually covers lost bags, reimbursements if you miss a connection and a refund if you can’t travel because you’re sick or hurt.

Comprehensive travel insurance, which typically covers all that, plus any expenses related to medical or dental emergencies, disaster evacuations and even costs associated with accidental death.

Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But if something goes wrong, medical help may be difficult to come by, and it could be expensive, too. That’s when a comprehensive travel insurance policy can come in handy.  

Before deciding which insurance to buy, we suggest you chat to us about what options are already available to you. For example: your current homeowner’s policy may automatically cover your belongings when you’re traveling abroad and your credit card company may also include basic travel and theft cover.

Handy Travel Insurance Tips

• Read the fine print. Know what you’re covered for. For example, some policies don’t cover high-risk activities such as skydiving, hang gliding, rock climbing or off-piste skiing.

• Take photos (with date stamps) of all your luggage and gear.

• Write down your camera, GoPro and cell phone serial numbers as well as your policy numbers and insurance contact information.

• Store this information online in a secure, easy to access place like Google Drive or mail it to your Gmail account.

No one likes to think about theft or injury when they’re on holiday but the threat is real and without good travel insurance, an unexpected incident could ruin the rest of your year.

Phone Melissa on 044 382 0550 to chat about what options are available to you then sit back, relax and enjoy your holiday.