Travelling comes with many risks and some of them could leave a damaging and lasting effect on a traveller.
When
travelling, it is advisable to always be ready for any eventuality and one of
the ways that you can mitigate the dangers associated with travelling is taking
out travel insurance
While
some of the journeys you have taken may not have had a reason for alarm or
necessitated the need for travel insurance, bad times tend to spring up when
least expected and these could mean the difference between a memorable holiday
or in extreme cases, a matter of life and death.
Why Buy
Travel Insurance?
For many
travellers, the main decisions to make when travelling is how to get to the
destination, where to stay and how to go back home.
Despite
the fact that round trips come with many potential dangers, rarely do people
take into consideration travel insurance.
For the
basics, travel insurance is good to cover non-refundable travel expenses.
Imagine
being thousands of kilometres from home and being unable to buy essential stuff
you need because any extra expense would mean that you are eating into savings
for a future event.
In such
a scenario, travel insurance comes in handy to ensure that you will your
expenses are taken care of without your having to break the bank. Some
emergency expenses like medication are unavoidable and so taking insurance to
cover such is a wise move.
According
to Simmy Micheli from Travel Insurance Consultants (TIC), by taking out travel
insurance you are essentially covering yourself against travel risks such as
lost or stolen luggage, cancellation cover (should you not be able to travel
due to unexpected medical reasons) and most importantly, unexpected medical
costs abroad.
Micheli,
quoted by the Flight Site Agency says, “Considering that the cost of a small
medical emergency abroad could deplete one’s entire holiday budget it (travel
insurance) offers you peace of mind.”
She adds
that travel insurance provides a level of protection against currency
fluctuations as, although one’s policy is paid for in local currency, all
claims are incurred in foreign currencies.
A
comprehensive travel insurance policy provides an emergency medical cover,
losses occasioned by cancellations etc, death and disability cover, a personal
liability cover and luggage cover.
How To
Buy Travel Insurance
While
many insurers promise to cover the traveller, it is important to thoroughly
research them to understand their terms and what they offer.
Most of
the antagonising clauses are hidden in the fine print and if need be, seek
legal advice before putting pen to paper when buying insurance.
Insurers
will promise that their cover is the best and it will give you peace of mind
during your trip.
Beware
that the same insurers who offer “easy claims, express payments and 24/7
worldwide travel assistance” could turn against you if you missed the fine
print.
Depending
on time of travel and if it is not an emergency, take time to process all the
information on offerings regarding travel insurance. Do not rush to sign papers
which may turn against you when you need the assistance.
Insurance
Agents and Subcontracts
When
buying travel insurance, it is advisable to avoid agents and other subcontracts
unless you have dealt with them before.
In
Kenya, for instance, insurance fraud is a big problem and scammers will not
mind fleeing you.
Bismart Insurance CEO
Eunice Maina, advises that fraud is
rampant with many people, especially motorists being
exposed despite having paid for the covers.
With
this kind of insight, she says that it is good for motorists to verify
the state of their cover to avoid exposure in case of an accident.
As with
motor insurance, travel insurance should be taken as seriously to avoid
disappointments.
Maina
urges insurance policy holders to directly communicate with their
insurers to verify their policies after purchasing insurance through
intermediaries.
For
better cushioning against fraud, Maina said it is better for policyholders
not to pay premiums to intermediaries but directly to
the insurance firms.
Are you
travelling? Make sure that you are cushioned against the pain that could come
with not being insured.
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