Travel insurance might seem like an extra and unnecessary expense at the beginning of your trip. You might have friends that have been travelling for a long while who convince you how they have never been in a situation where they needed travel insurance. However, it is always better to be safe than sorry. A lot can happen between your flight from and back home. So here are things that should hopefully help you when choosing travelling insurance for your trip.
Budget
Everything always comes down to the kind of budget you have set for yourself. Different companies have different rates and it is only wise to find one that correctly fits your budget. You should know that the cheaper the budget, the fewer things are covered. But this is not always a bad thing because then you can choose the things that you feel are most important such as medical emergencies.
Nature of trip
If you are an adrenaline junky, you already know that all your trips are going to be full of extreme activities such as bungee jumping, deep-sea diving or zip-lining. Whatever the case, these are high-risk activities meaning they can be as dangerous as they are fun. We advise you to carefully vet the nature of your trip and then get suitable travel insurance.
Number of people on the trip
The more people you travel with, the higher the chances of liability. You might end your trip without anything having occurred, but this is just a gamble. If you are travelling with family or children, make sure you get a travel insurance that covers all of them. A group insurance is bound to be cheaper than getting one for every individual.
Pre-existing Conditions
If you have pre-existing conditions such as asthma, epilepsy, recurrent joint dislocation etc. it is best to get a travel insurance. Such conditions can get worse while you are on your trip causing you a lot of money trying to cover medical costs out of pocket.
Valuables carried
Your trip can be business-oriented meaning you get to carry a lot of valuable documents, money or goods. In such a case, having a travel insurance covers these items in case they get destroyed or lost during transit. Imagine losing your items in a bus in a foreign country and not having insurance to help you recover them. It can be frustrating and depressing.
Length of the trip
The length of your trip should determine the kind of travel insurance you get between a single trip or annual insurance. If you are staying for a lengthy period of time, says 6 months to 1 year, getting annual insurance is cheaper and more efficient compared to a single trip. Even if you travel to two different destinations, annual insurance covers you either way.
