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.