Do I really need travel insurance?
Coming from a country where medical care is accessible to citizens and permanent residents, travel insurance seems like a no brainer to me. But after a quick survey amongst the people around me, I was shocked to find some so blasé about what I thought to be a top priority in travel.
Now I am not talking about the insurance that they try and tack on when buying an online flight to visit Grandma three hours away but rather insurance for extended overseas trips.
Sold in nice little packaged bundles, you can purchase comprehensive travel insurance that will cover you for a multitude of events including, theft, cancellation and injury.
If you are one to think it will never happen to you, then chances are it probably will! Even the best-laid plans can go completely wrong and to state Murphy’s law, if it can go wrong it will.
On the road we are pre-disposed to higher risk simply because we are not as familiar with the surroundings. In the big scheme of things if you can afford to travel you can afford travel insurance. If you ever need it and didn’t pay for it, trust me, you’ll wish you had purchased travel insurance before leaving home.
While travel insurance can be considered a luxury, there are a few ways to get the benefits of travel insurance through other existing programs. If you purchase flights on a credit card, many providers will offer travel insurance at no extra cost as well as some existing medical insurance plans.
Sure insurance won’t get you anywhere faster but if for some reason your plane is delayed or cancelled you can receive “travel delay benefits” and “trip interruption benefits”. It’s almost like you are making money!
Whether you buy a policy outright or have adequate cover through other means, I highly recommend travel insurance. The price is a small fee to pay when that sickening feeling of dread comes over you as you are the last person standing at the baggage claim or worse, just been a victim of theft.
Herstory is a weekly column on women and travel by Steph Ridhalgh. Steph is a Sydney born; New York based television producer and travel blogger. Not one for being quiet for too long she simply loves talking about travel and lifestyle.
Steph is the founder of STEP(h) ABROAD, a travel and lifestyle resource for those who love to be in the know and know how.
