What Kind of Travel Insurance Do You Need?

Is a simple single trip travel insurance policy the best option for your travels? It seems to be an easy question to answer correctly, but many people tend to get it wrong.

The truth is, many people decide too late into their travel preparations on whether or not to get cover: something that leads to rushed, uninformed decision-making that in turn results in either paying too much, redundant policies or, worse yet, the most common - insufficient coverage.

Ask yourself these few questions if you’re going to travel soon, and find out which policy is best for you!

Am I Already Insured? Does It Include Travel Eventualities?

If you already have health, life and accident cover, it pays to check inclusions, as well as the locations where your existing plan is applicable. While many plans exclude plane crashes and the like, some of the things that may happen during a trip may be covered by your current policy. What’s more, many global health plans such as BlueCross and the like ensure coverage for medical assistance and treatment in case of accidents and sickness in many countries all over the world - so having those inclusions in a single trip travel insurance policy may be redundant.

Still, just because you are already insured for sickness and accidents shouldn’t mean you shouldn’t get any kind of policy at all. You will still need to get coverage for instances such as trip cancellation, lost luggage and other possibilities not included in your regular plans.

How Often Am I Travelling This Year?

If the answer is more than two times, then annual cover might be the better option, rather than single trip travel insurance. There are many options for annual cover that cost less than, say, three separate policies. Like many package costs, the price per trip goes down depending on how often it comes into play. Still, you should investigate specifics, such as where you are going and what (and where!) is included in the annual policy. And it is always a good idea to check travel advisories issued by embassies and professionals before making plans.

What Kind Of Trip Is It?

Business trips are often insured by the company, but may be limited to the areas and dates covered by the business trip. For instance, if you are travelling to another country to attend a convention you are covered for the entirety of the trip, from departure to arrival. Should you decide to extend your trip on your own to sightsee, however, many companies will not include those dates and places. Check very carefully in case you need to arrange for additional coverage with a single trip travel insurance policy.

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Insuremore. We provide low cost travel insurance and offer a range of policies including single trip travel insurance, annual, multi-trip and family cover. For all your travel cover needs, Insuremore can help you in the quickest and most cost-efficient way.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.