When people are planning for vacation, they usually have a checklist of things to buy. For one, you’ll need transportation to your destination. This could be by car, train, boat, or airplane. You’ll then check into where you’ll be staying for the duration of your trip. Maybe you’d like to stay in a villa, a bed and breakfast, maybe you have a timeshare, or you’d like to keep it traditional with a hotel. You search for good entertainment, fun attractions, and you might even do some research on where you’re going to be eating. You have every intention of your trip running as smoothly as possible. But there’s one thing you forgot to look into: travel insurance.

Travel insurance is for when things don’t go quite as planned on your vacation. It can cover many of the things that can interrupt or even cancel your trip. It may seem like just another expense, but some people should not leave home without it, especially if you plan on vacationing abroad. Travel insurance actually isn’t that expensive when you factor in the coverage. It takes into account how long your trip is, where you’re going, how much your trip is, and what you’d like to be covered. So what does it cover?

  • Cancellation Coverage: Things happen, and as much as you plan for your trip, the inevitable can still occur. Whether your child gets sick or you have a mandatory meeting at work, you may not be able to go on your vacation after all. This would be devastating, both emotionally and financially, if you already paid for your trip and it’s nonrefundable. However, with travel insurance, you can cancel and possibly get reimbursed for your trip, and you can reschedule for a more convenient date.
  • Baggage Delay: If you haven’t had it happen to you, then you know someone who it did happen to. Your bags either find themselves on the wrong flight, or somehow get lost. You’re without clothes and toiletries from hours to days. Do you have to come out of pocket for replacements in the meantime? Not with travel insurance. You can be reimbursed for these purchases while your bags are en route back to you.
  • Medical Insurance: What a lot of people don’t realize is that their health coverage at home may not transfer abroad. That means if you’re sick or get injured in a foreign country, you can end up paying a lot of money to receive medical attention, or making accommodations to get back home to complete your care. Travel insurance is great for medical coverage, since you can be seen in the event of a medical emergency and you can receive emergency evacuation if needed. Medical insurance is probably the hugest benefit of having travel insurance.
  • Weather: Mother Nature can make your trip a lot more difficult. With tropical storms and other weather changes, your flight can be cancelled or delay, or you could miss your connection. Travel insurance can help you find another flight and take care of your expenses why you’re stranded.

These are just a few of the things that travel insurance can take care of for you. It’s better that you purchase it and not have to use it than not having it and needing it. Ask your insurance provider or your travel agent if they have suggestions on where to purchase your insurance. Be sure to compare prices, ask for discounts, and only get enough coverage for what you think you may need to keep the price low.

Briana

Briana

Briana Myricks is a 20 something freelance writer and blogger. Striving for financial independence as a newlywed, she blogs about young married life at 20 and Engaged.