International Travel Insurance For Expats – What Are Your Options? – that will be the topic of today’s article.
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Introduction
As of today’s 21st century, travel insurance is quite essential. Would you love to travel without travel insurance? I bet you won’t, and it might not even be possible. While you can purchase insurance for one single trip, an annuity policy that covers you for any trip you take abroad is essential when traveling.
With a core international travel insurance policy, you can adapt covers and premiums to provide you with exactly the right travel insurance solution for your needs. It is also advised that, rather than wait until you’re about to travel to arrange your travel insurance, you should purchase one as close to when you made your booking as possible.
Nowadays, buying travel insurance is as quick and straightforward as possible. More so, expatriate travel plans are widely available and can be purchased conveniently via travel insurance websites, banks, companies, and many others, to mention a few. But let’s be real, most of us buy travel insurance without getting acquainted with the benefits offered.
Have you been surfing the internet to get the right information about the best international travel insurance? Look no further as there are hundreds and thousands of travel insurance plans on the market, and understandably, they can all look very similar on the surface. Does that sound interesting to you?
If that sounds like a YES, you’ve landed on the right platform. In this article, we will walk you through the best international travel insurance for expats. Not only is that, but you’ll also know the tips for choosing the best ones. I’m sure you’ll want to know the best and how it could grace your travel. Read further!
Top 7 Benefits of Travel Insurance in 2021
Families vacationing, Students studying abroad, international business people, holidaymakers, and many others need travel insurance when traveling to a new country. In case of sudden illnesses and accidental injuries, would you prefer to deal with such events on your own? Or you’d like to feel fortified? Regardless of your options, let’s quickly walk you through the seven benefits of travel insurance.
1. Accident Can Happen Within
No matter how much or how careful you choose to be in a new country, accidents can and do happen to expatriates. This doesn’t mean that travelers should be scared or anxious about traveling, but it does mean you should be as prepared as possible. This is why buying travel insurance today with several benefits like flight accident protections, emergency medical evaluation, and rental car collision is smart.
2. Passports Theft Covered
Passports are very valuable to individuals. When you travel abroad, you may be vulnerable to passport theft. And this is especially true for U.S. and Japanese citizens, as American and Japanese passports are among the most sought after by thieves.
To guard against this, keep your passport close to you. However, there are also chances that you must lose your passport, but if you have travel insurance, costs related to obtaining a replacement passport are covered.
3. Traveller’s Safety and Mandatory
One major thing to put into consideration is safety. And for the fact that the pandemic has changed a lot of things about travel, most travelers now care about their safety. Some of which include; making insurance mandatory for foreign visitors, as some countries like Costa Rica and Aruba have already done. So, these travel insurance restrictions are meant to protect both the locals and the tourists.
4. Hospitalization and Personal Accident
Another reason why travel insurance is essential is because of the daily allowance for hospitalization and personal accident. In this case, if you get hospitalized while traveling, you’ll get a daily allowance maximum of five days to manage your day-to-day living expenses such as meals, transportation, and communication abroad. While personal accounts are more like emotional and financial trauma.
5. Trip Delay Advantage
Without travel benefits, you should know that trip delays can be costly. However, travel insurance may provide reimbursement for expenses such as meals or a hotel for covered reasons such as meals or a hotel for covered reasons such as common carrier delay, unannounced strike, or if any of your documents are lost or stolen.
6. Peace of Mind to Explore
Having good travel insurance packages allow you to have peace of mind while traveling to your new country. And since you don’t want to waste a single minute of your vacation thinking about the what-ifs, travel insurance is crucial. Moreover, with travel insurance as your backup plan, you can relax and enjoy yourself.
7. Coverage for General medical Expenses
This is the general and one of the most important things reasons for travel insurance. This is because; the chances of getting sick are higher while traveling abroad due to a change in weather, food, and even time zone. So, if you get injured or ill during your foreign trip, you’re covered with an insurance policy. And this travel insurance can come to your rescue because it covers any medical expenses.
Cons
● Rejection of Claim is Common
When people use travel insurance, there’s always a complaint about getting rejected after requesting insurance benefits. In fact, you may have researched and purchased the best travel insurance for your trip, but when you raise a claim with your insurer, it gets rejected for a minor reason or mistake.
However, paying for the premium package would feel utterly useless if you end up incurring a financial loss. Thus, you must read the terms and conditions of your travel insurance policy before you fill the form or request anyone.
● Travel Insurance Comes with Loopholes
It’s no doubt that all travel insurance plans come with certain loopholes. And without your notice, you get to know that certain kinds of expenses get rejected even though they are not excluded as per the policy terms.
A good example is when you fall from the steps of a temple while climbing; your insurer may reject your travel insurance claim. And this is because most travel insurers do not cover adventure sports activities, and they may consider climbing the temple at a height as an adventure activity.
● It Doesn’t Cover Pre-Existing Diseases
While all travel insurance plans cover unforeseen medical expenses incurred during your trip, you should always know that they do not cover pre-existing diseases. This means, anytime you get sick and you probably need medical treatment during your trip abroad, you will have to pay for the medical treatment during your trip abroad, and it’s going to be from your pocket.
Best International Travel Insurance for Expats
With fall here and winter fast approaching, you may be looking to squeeze the last travel fun out of 2021. This way, having travel insurance is a smart way to guard against the unexpected when you’ve put down a lot of money. Without further ado, let’s quickly walk you through the best international travel insurance.
HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance
This is one of the best travel insurance you could ever think of. They help travelers find the best policy for their trip at the lowest possible price. Aside from this fact, they have excellent medical benefits of $500,000, which includes Covid-19. Not only that, but they have top-notch emergency medical evacuation coverage of about $1million. Also, they help cover your pet’s medical expenses.
John Hancock Insurance Agency
The second international travel insurance on our list is the John Hancock agency. Why we picked this travel insurance is because; their packages are packed with coverage options that offer high levels of reimbursement. Also, they have a 14-day free look period, and you can only wait for 3 hours of trip delay for an insurance payout. Meanwhile, their baggage delay reimbursement of $500 is lower than some competitors.
Seven Corners Insurance Company
The seven corners insurance company provides extensive coverage for travel problems. Aside from this, they help travelers make the right decision, and they also have the option to add coverage for lost ski days or lost golf rounds, along with equipment rental reimbursement.
Meanwhile, their mission is to protect the travelers and provide the highest levels of customer service reflected in their 24/SEVEN customer service guarantee. When you travel with this insurance company, you travel with 100+ customer-focused travel insurance professionals ready to assist you.
Trawick International Travel Insurance
Trawick international travel insurance has the solution for the Costa Rican entry requirement. Moreover, they have been awarded top honors by Forbes Advisor in their best travel insurance companies list. They strive to implement innovative travel insurance products for travelers all over the world.
More so, they’re proud to offer travel insurance products that cover over 500 adventure sports and to have Cancel for any reason benefits that pay up to 75 percent. Again, Trawick International is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating for responsible, trustworthy, and client-centric business operations.
Also, one of the promises to their customer is to provide affordable travel insurance products that meet the needs of clients traveling worldwide. They care about your experience and also provide the best possible service to get the right insurance product.
AIG Travel Insurance
Whether you’re planning a two-day getaway, a cruise, an adventure vacation, or a month-long international holiday, this is the right choice. This travel insurance is designed to fit everyday travelers and budget.
Not only that, but they offer trip insurance plans that include assistance with navigating canceled flights, lost bags, sudden health emergencies, and many others. On the flip side, AIG is a leading global insurance organization that provides a wide range of property-casualty insurance.
April International Insurance
April’s insurance plan always fills the need of travelers looking for good benefits to address a wide variety of travel issues. For over 30 years, APRIL International Care has been specializing in international health insurance solutions.
They design, distribute, and manage insurance plans and assistance services for individuals-travelers or expats- and businesses. By combining local presence and international expertise, this travel insurance aims to facilitate their customers ‘access to top-quality healthcare insurance products to meet their needs.
AXA Assistance USA
The AXA assistance insurance specializes in best-in-class cost containment, health and travel services. With over 60 years of experience combined with the US and international network of providers, they deliver innovative solutions and services in the United States and worldwide.
Not only that, but AXA Assistance is part of AXA Group, which is the 27th largest company in the world. Again, they respond to a wide range of requests with solutions that reflect the local culture and language. Aside from this fact, they have developed thousands of resources and relationships, enabling them to support client needs quickly and effectively.
10 Surprising Facts about Travel Insurance
Just after the Covid-19 pandemic, travel insurance has become a crucial thing. It can actually cover some pretty wacky things that you wouldn’t believe. Travel insurance is also good as it saves you a whole lot of money in the long run and makes your overseas trip a lot less stressful. Below are the surprising facts.
1. Don’t Worry If Your Luggage Got Stolen
Travel insurance got you covered for cases like this. You might think we’re joking, but that’s just the truth, and that’s what does happen to holidaymakers. A couple visiting Canada had their hands by an unknown stranger. Some of the Canadian children tried to help by attempting to chase the person but were late. These are the kind of situations that travel insurance could help you cover.
2. Different Categories of Travel Insurance
If you don’t know, travel insurance isn’t just one set thing as it always comes with three different categories. Trip investment is the first one, and it covers trip interruption or cancellation. The second one is personal health, and it covers accidents and injuries, filling the gaps of your normal health insurance.
The third one is for personal belongings, which covers baggage loss and sometimes car rental damage. It is always good to have all of these three categories, but the first two are by far the most important to have. This way, it’s always good to check that your health coverage, including repatriation.
3. Getting Travel Insurance
If this is unclear, get this fact today that the travel insurance is sold in three different ways. As an expat, you can get it through cruise lines, travel agencies, and also through websites. Nonetheless, if you choose the cruise option, check that the cruise is only brokering the deal.
This is because; the insurance itself should come from an outside company. Additionally, travel insurance usually offers extra features when you order from them, like higher spending limits and better health coverage.
So, if you look online, you’ll always find a range of websites that provide travel insurance. However, it’s better to do plenty of research to ensure you buy insurance from a reputable and reliable company which is always a good idea to check.
4. Snake Bites Are Also Covered
Another thing to consider when visiting your favorite destination is your travel insurance covers that snake bites. Let’s say you visited South Africa’s Kruger National Park, and you got bitten by a cobra snake, which is one of the dangerous snakes in the world.
The good news is that all your medical claims are covered, and you’ll survive it. So, if you don’t want to find yourself in such a situation during your holiday, travel insurance is one of the best ways to add some gloom to your vacation.
5. Travel Insurance Is Affordable
With the way people are talking about travel insurance, you may think it’s pretty expensive. Surprisingly, travel insurance isn’t always as expensive as you think. Moreover, it depends on where you actually purchase your travel insurance. On average, it’s usually five and eight percent of your trip that goes to the travel insurance agencies.
6. Lost Engagement Rings Are Covered
I’m sure this could be funny, right? Of course, going for a vacation can somehow get you misplaced some essential things. Here’s a story to enjoy – a tourist in the Whitsundays went shark diving, but it wasn’t the dangerous part.
The dangerous part about this story was when the lady removed her wetsuit, and her engagement ring fell off into the deep blue sea. Many of us would never believe that something like this could be paid for. But it is good to know that you’re covered with another ring, but travel insurance can’t recover the last one except to buy a new one.
7. Claiming Technological Devices
A female tourist spent her trip days in Rome. Whilst there, she plugged her camera into an adapter charging in the hostel dormitory. Afterward, she plugged in her straightener but unfortunately, it was too much for the power board to deal with. So, this ended up cutting the power off the entire hostel.
In the long run, this woman’s camera was damaged due to the power surge, but her claim was paid. Besides, you never really know what kind of situations you’re going to find yourself in on your travels. That’s why it makes perfect sense to invest in the best travel insurance because it could cover many things.
8. It Saves Medical Cost
Another surprising fact about travel insurance is that it would definitely save your medical cost. As you know, falling sick or getting injured overseas can be quite expensive. In that case, you may end up paying a huge amount of money. So, if you don’t want that to happen, travel insurance is the best.
9. Cuba without Health Insurance is Impossible
Another surprising fact about travel insurance is that Cuba won’t let you in without health insurance. And this rule applies to all people traveling to Cuba. If you cannot provide proof of coverage to immigration, you will be obliged to purchase insurance from a local Cuban insurance provider.
10. You Can Insure Your Pet
Don’t be surprised that this is another thing to put into consideration while traveling to a new country. It’s a smart idea to get your pet travel insurance because it’s similar to human travel insurance. This policy covers any emergency care your pets may need while traveling. Therefore, it’s best to get in touch with the companies that sound good and ask for a quote.
Frequently Asked Questions about International Travel Insurance
Does travel insurance cover COVID 19?
Well, as of the time of writing this article, some travel insurers now offer limited cover for COVID-19. Aside from this fact, it will likely only cover medical, quarantine, and cancellation costs if you or someone you’re traveling with tests positive to COVID-19.
What’s the average cost of Travel Insurance?
Just as we’ve mentioned earlier in this article, travel insurance is quite affordable. While the cost varies, the average is somewhere between 4-12 percent of your total trip cost. If you’re on the fence, then you should consider an emergency that could cost you thousands of dollars, but an insurance plan might be a fraction of your trip cost.
At what age does travel insurance increase?
Many travel insurers charge higher premiums when you get to 65 years old, with some even increasing premiums when you reach your early 30s. However, you should be wary of this fact whenever you’re applying for travel insurance in any of the companies mentioned above.
Does age affect travel insurance?
In a general sense, we can confidently tell you that age doesn’t affect travel insurance. While your age can affect your eligibility for certain coverage, we have packages and plans that cover all age groups. Therefore, if you are age 65 or older, you may be asked to answer a few questions about your health to make sure you’re using the appropriate coverage.
Why is travel insurance so expensive?
Well, it’s not that expensive, but since your health is essential, you should make provisions for healthy living and unforeseen occurrence that could occur during your visitation to another country. On the flip side, you should know some of the main costs of travel insurance; and they include medical treatment.
Conclusion
With flexible travel insurance, rest assured that your trip is safe. Choosing the best travel insurance company means you and your family are covered with world-class insurance coverage for medical expenses. Would you love to subscribe to the best international travel insurance? Refer to the ones above.
