Getting travel insurance before heading for a vacation abroad is indeed a wise move. It provides you and your family, the medical and financial assistance in case of sudden illness or an accident, passport loss or delay in checked baggage etc. while you are on vacation.

But, what if a person is struck in a condition due to a pre-existing disease? Will his hospital bills be paid by the insurer? In most cases, it won’t as travel insurance usually doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions for the reason that, from an insurer’s point of view, you are a bigger risk as you are more likely to need medical treatment while travelling abroad.

However, there are a few insurance companies in India that include pre-existing diseases in their travel insurance plan. But for this, you may need to undergo a medical assessment and pay an extra premium for medical travel insurance.

Also, most companies give customers a privilege to include just one pre-existing illness provided this illness doesn’t and has not required hospitalization in the last 5 years. Some travel insurance policies will also cover pre-existing conditions if you buy coverage within a short time after booking your travel. It's worth doing some research to find such policies.

Oftentimes, insurance companies completely refuse all medical coverage owing to some pre-existing medical conditions. This will vary by insurer, but include conditions such as incurable illness, being an organ donation inheritor and other such conditions. Such people may not be able to travel securely by receiving affordable medical treatment for any condition at all. When a medical cover is rejected by the insurer, the other provisions of the travel insurance policy still apply.

If you have a life-threatening illness, it may get included in your travel insurance policy, but you need to check with your insurer before you purchase the policy. Also, when buying a travel insurance plan, you must be aware of the loopholes with which your insurer can reject your claim in future. If the purpose of your travel is seeking medical treatment abroad, you won’t be covered. Travel insurance also doesn’t cover war injuries, suicide and hospitalization due to a risky sport.

HDFCEGRO, one of the most trusted names in providing travel insurances, enables you to enjoy and explore new destinations with its wide range of travel insurance plans that cover both business and leisure travel. The travel insurance policy from HDFC ERGO will best suit your travelling purpose and is available at a cost that is easy-on-pocket too. So why wait? Buy travel insurance plan now and enjoy your travelling abroad without worries! 

While planning a trip abroad, overseas travel insurances are never on the priority list. However, have you even wondered what if your return flight gets canceled and you are left stranded at the airport? What will you do if you met with an accident while travelling abroad? Will you have enough cash to pay for hotel accommodation or to the hospital to get the best medical care services in the international country?

These are some of the questions that are equally important to consider apart from deciding on what all places you would be travelling or what you will be wearing during your trip. Thus, to cover you from uninvited health hazards and unanticipated situations, it is good to buy a travel insurance policy quickly.

Why is travel cover important?

• Travel insurance cover the high cost of medical treatment. In case you few ill and require immediate medical attention while travelling abroad, travel covers guard you from the entire hospitalization cost.

• Much insurance may also provide cover in case your flight gets delayed or cancelled or you yourself cancel a flight in an emergency. It also covers your expenses when the train gets delayed due to severe weather.

• Many insurers also cover the cost of stolen or lost belongings, especially the passport or the jewelry while travelling.

• They also offer 24*7 free telephone assistance worldwide, to help you in some unforeseen situations.

Where to buy travel insurance?

Buying a travel insurance plan online is a simple procedure. All you need to do is to choose the appropriate cover according to your preferences and make payments via credit/debit cards or net banking.

To begin the process of purchasing travel insurance online, you can visit websites of any general insurance company like HDFC ERGO or websites of IRDA approved web aggregators. You can also buy policy from travel agents or the websites from where you want to book the ticket but the travel agents only offer standard policies that may be low priced and do not provide adequate cover.

The cost of travel insurance policies

Travel policies for short duration are less expensive as compared to one which offer cover for longer period of time. In short term travel insurance, you can cover four family members (not below age of 40) travelling for a week at approx. INR 1800/- the cost therefore escalates if the age of the traveler is high and there are multiple destinations to travel.

Now days, the insurance companies offer different policies to travel within Asia or to travel overseas, therefore allowing you to choose the one that suits your preferences.

Strategically speaking, while travelling you are more prone to accidents, no matter whether to take all the safety precautions, dress accordingly or stay alert, thus, to guard you from all the hazards, travel insurances play a bigger role.

There are quite a lot of insurance companies offering travel covers online, so it would be wise to look into all the aspects and then pay for the insurance. Always choose a policy that offers cashless claim settlement. Make sure that the expenses must be reimbursed if there is a trip delay (more than 12 hours) and check the extent of cover provided for checked-in luggage.

If due to any situation, your trip gets cancelled or you may have a bad experience, travel insurance policies will ensure that you don’t have to take the load to added bills.