The pent-up urge to travel again has led to many people at ticket booking centres or booking hotel rooms in advance. Worldwide Covid-19 restrictions impeded the freedom to travel freely; Relaxed restrictions encouraged even many to renew their plans of travelling abroad. Many experts have referred to this attitude as the “revenge travel” wherein people view travelling as their next, ultimate goal.
While many countries including India have waved off travel restrictions and opened up their myriad destinations to both domestic and international travellers, it is also necessary to pay attention to the current resurge of the virus in many countries and how it might possibly affect your travel plans. Though countries have opened up their borders, you must have travel insurance in place to overcome health concerns and travel safety. It does not matter how old you are or how sturdy your family members are. Plan your travel insurance for you and your entire family just the way you plan your next travel. The essential elements involved in buying a travel insurance plan include:
Health coverage
China has imposed lockdowns in many of its cities owing to a new variant of coronavirus that has affected its citizens. Other countries have also complained about how many of their vulnerable people including children and the aged are succumbing to the effects of the new variant whose symptoms are still being studied. Among all this, the panic of being affected by Covid-19 remains.
While buying travel insurance, please ensure that it has the necessary health coverage to pay for your Covid-19 treatment. The cost of treatment may vary depending on the severity of your illness and the hospital charges in the country you are travelling to. Unknowingly, you may be just a step away from losing your savings to hospital bills. So, opt for a plan that covers all expenses related to treatment and offers either quick settlement claims.
Quarantine expenses
Remember those days when Indians flying abroad were mandated to self-quarantine for 14 days. Foreigners travelling to India also had to confine themselves to designated hotel rooms as per the protocol. However, this also means having to bear the hotel expenses that can be really high in other countries. This may result in a dent in your pocket. To avoid falling into the cycle of expenses and consequently unwanted debt, choose a travel insurance plan that offers coverage for quarantine-related expenses.
Trip cancellation
Certain macro factors like a sudden declaration of war, an uptick in Covid-19 cases and others can result in many airline companies cancelling their flights at the last moment. This may leave you stranded at the airport. Living in the airport lounge is out of the question, which means you may have to bear the cost of booking a hotel room among other expenses. Some insurance companies take cognizance of such a possibility and pay towards your hotel expenses by offering you a rider that can be added to the base plan at nominal costs. Having this rider means that the insurance company pays for your stay at a hotel if your trip is suddenly cancelled. In times of the Covid-19 pandemic, it might be dangerous to stay back at crowded places like airports for fear of transmission, thus, mandating you to check in some hotel for the stay.
Paying for medical coverage
Other than the fear of catching the virus, there are other possibilities that travellers must look out for, for example, the fear of meeting with accidents or suffering from a prolonged injury during a hike or a trip to a new place. Subsequent treatment during travel would translate to hefty hospital bills. Take health insurance that covers treatment at most of the hospitals in the country you would be travelling to. This means that you must be aware of the insurer’s network hospitals that would allow you to seek the necessary treatment with the insurance coverage that you have bought. Though it is most advised for international travellers, those indulging in domestic tourism must also consider the idea of buying travel insurance to ensure a safe and seamless treatment in case required.
Paying for losses
How many times we have heard travellers losing their belongings or falling prey to theft? This is especially true of travellers who lose their wallets, belongings, mobile phones, passports and other personal identification cards in foreign lands. The right insurance cover can help you trigger a claim for such damages or losses, thus, providing you with the much-needed support during unexpected situations.
Travel insurance is a must for those travelling to outside lands be it, domestic or foreign. However, this does not mean that you take up whatever you are offered. Check for the multiple insurance companies offering travel insurance plans. Find out what benefits and the extent of coverage they offer before you buy the one that suits you most.