With planes being grounded and unpredictable weather conditions impacting flights, here’s what you need to know about travel insurance and why it may be more important than ever.
Travel insurance provides peace of mind along with many benefits if something goes wrong during your trip. Allianz Global Assistance
One of the most confusing decisions travelers need to make before taking any trip is whether to buy insurance.
What will it really cover? How much will it cost? Is it worth it?
Too many people find the whole thing so overwhelming, they just skip the insurance and end up finding themselves in situations that would have been so much easier and less expensive if they were covered.
After planning a big, complicated bucket list trip to Thailand with my family (six of us) in December, I decided we should really get insurance but I had no idea where to start.
I’d had a number of friends share stories about the times they had to use their travel insurance during trips because of illness, injury or flight delays and cancellations, and almost all of them had gone through Allianz Global Assistance .
Allianz has been named Best Insurance Provider in Travel Weekly ’s Readers Choice Awards for three years in a row, so I did some research and we ended up getting a policy through them that, thankfully, we didn’t need to use but that definitely gave us peace of mind as we spent two weeks traveling throughout Thailand.
I was so surprised by how easy they made the whole process (which I will write about in detail separately so you can follow the step-by-step), I decided to reach out to Allianz to ask the questions all travelers seem to have about insurance.
The most timely question revolves around today’s grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 planes. If you were scheduled to fly on one of those planes, what would travel insurance cover?
According to Daniel Durazo, director of communications for Allianz Global Assistance USA, “Our customers may be covered for travel delays caused by this ruling, with coverage paying for meals, accommodations and transportation while they’re delayed, up to the limit of their policy. As the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 were grounded on March 13, travel insurance policies purchased on or after that date will not cover delays or other losses caused by the grounding.”
Durazo recommends always reading your insurance policy and calling the number on your certificate of insurance with any questions so you fully understand your coverage.
Here’s a basic guide to travel insurance:
Should every trip be insured?
We always advise travelers to purchase travel protection when they book a trip. Problems like lost bags, significant delays, canceled flights and missed connections happen all the time. Travel insurance can reimburse you for covered losses and make sure you get where you’re going. Plus, it can give you the peace of mind to enjoy your vacation without worrying about what can go wrong.
While trip cancellation coverage can reimburse your non-refundable expenses for any trip, emergency medical benefits are essential for international trips. And don’t forget that travel and baggage delays can happen with any trip.
Most policies cost between just 5 and 10 percent of trip cost, so it’s a small investment that could prevent major headaches – both financially and logistically.
What is the most important reason you should buy insurance? Which would be the hardest or most expensive situation to take care of if you didn’t have insurance?
There are many important reasons to buy insurance, but what’s most important will vary by traveler and the type of trip they are booking. One thing that can be extremely difficult to navigate is medical emergencies outside of the U. S. Finding a medical facility, guaranteeing payment and arranging and paying for transportation are all things that travel insurance and travel assistance can do.
Medical treatment overseas can be expensive, with payments often required either prior to treatment or before you can leave the hospital. Many domestic health insurance plans may not cover you in other countries. If you’re not prepared to pay all your medical bills out of pocket, this is a very important reason to buy travel insurance.
A travel insurance policy with appropriate medical benefits can handle all payments. Even more expensive than treatment is an emergency medical evacuation, something the right travel insurance policy can cover for you.
