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Writer's pictureJenny Lou Faber

Why Travel Insurance Is a Must-Have for Every Trip

Planning a trip is always so exciting. Maybe you’re setting off for Thailand to see the fantastic temples. Perhaps you’re heading for the vibrant and relaxing beaches in the Philippines. Maybe you want to spend your next 3-day weekend checking out New Orleans or Mount Rushmore. But amidst all the planning and the packing, one essential gets overlooked – travel insurance.
 
Today, we’re doing a somewhat deep dive into why travel insurance should be seen less as an add-on and more as a must-have. Here are why you shouldn’t leave home without it.
 
1. Protection Against the Unexpected
It does not matter how you plan. Every minor detail could be mapped out, but the unexpected can happen. The unexpected can include flight cancelations, missing luggage, and medical emergencies.

Flight Cancelations and Delays: we’ve all heard the saying – “you can’t predict the weather”. The same applies to technical issues, strikes, and other flight delays that affect yours. With travel insurance, you can get reimbursed for additional costs like hotel stays or alternative transportation if your flight is delayed or canceled. Have you ever watched an episode of a sitcom where the character in crisis can just head over and rent a car when something goes wrong on the flight? Maybe they had travel insurance!

Lost or stolen luggage: Even if it hasn’t happened to you, maybe you could imagine what the feeling is like to be waiting at the luggage carousel, and not see your suitcase among the others. What a nightmare. But it happens. It for sure happens. This is why many people have started suggesting putting air tags in your luggage. Travel insurance can help you recover the costs of lost belongings and assist with replacing essential items while you’re abroad.

Trip Interruption: If something happens that forces you to cut your trip short such as a family emergency back home, travel insurance can help you cover the costs of returning home early and possibly the unused portions of your trip.

Natural Disasters and Civil Unrest: No one can predict months in advance of your big trip that an earthquake, tsunami, tornado, or other natural disaster would hit during your trip. If your destination should become unsafe, travel insurance can help you change your plans without losing your investment in the trip.
 
2. Medical Emergencies
This is probably the one most people think about when they think about travel insurance. Rightfully so. This could be the costliest, especially if you have to be evacuated from your destination back to your home hospital. Most health insurance in the United States does not cover care outside your home country.

Medical coverage: Travel insurance can cover medical expenses if you get sick or injured while traveling. This could include hospital stays, doctor visits, and emergency evacuations if one is necessary. We all know we don’t plan on slipping on the wet steps leading up to that temple in Thailand and breaking our ankle. But if it does happen, you can rest assured that your travel insurance will help you.

Emergency evacuations: This is, of course, the worst-case scenario. You’re on your cruise and the absolute worst thing happens. The medical staff on board is not equipped to handle the situation, so they have to get you back to your home country or to the closest country available for the help your partner needs. Could you imagine not having travel insurance in this situation?

3. Peace of Mind
Did I scare you with those scenarios above? I did mean to a little bit. The thing is if you have travel insurance, you can have peace of mind that if something unexpected were to happen, finances won’t be adding to the stress and worry.
Traveling is a time to relax and enjoy new experiences. Don’t let the worries about unforeseen events ruin your mindset while you’re out enjoying a cup of coffee looking at Mount Fuji or eating that taco off of a food truck in Los Angeles.

Cancellation Coverage: As long as it is a covered reason such as illness, injury, or family emergency, travel insurance can reimburse even your non-refundable expenses.

Rescheduled Travel: Again, if your trip needs to change, travel insurance could help you reschedule flights and accommodations, often without additional costs.
 

While it is an additional cost you probably weren’t thinking about when you consider your trip budget, it is an important one. It is a small price to pay for the peace of mind it provides. No matter what happens, you are covered and your dream vacation doesn’t turn into a financial nightmare.

So, before you finalize your next adventure, make sure you add travel insurance to your checklist.

If you have any questions about this or any other aspect of your next trip, please feel free to reach out to F That Travel!
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