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For a simple journey abroad or for a trip around the world, whether you’re traveling to Mauritius or to Japan, travel insurance is a necessary expense. This is obvious right? But what about choosing the right policy among this huge range of choices and offers? Here is a guide to look more clearly at the matter of travel insurance!
You certainly can’t anticipate everything and most national health insurances will not cover your expenses abroad. The market is indeed a juicy one worth millions of Euros and every company inevitably wants its own share of the cake, that’s why the number of insurance policies can be confusing at first. When searching for the most appropriate travel insurance for your needs, make sure that the solution you choose covers all your potential medical expenses. It is absolutely important that you opt for a health insurance to cover your medical expenses so that you won’t have to pay for the usually very costly hospital bill that you will be presented with if you get sick, hurt or if you need to consult a doctor. Do not relegate your health to a second plan!
Insurance contracts often make the difference between a few hours of emergency and a lengthy stay in a hospital. In the first case, it will be up to you to pay the costs while in the second case, it is possible to request a direct support. Before subscribing, make sure you check the exact definition of a hospitalization, to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Also, it’s important to know that your travel insurance must take into account emergency evacuation situations. The evacuation in question here may also mean repatriation to your home country from the hospital of your place of residence. Standard emergency evacuation insurance often pays for such repatriation, but it’s crucial that you make sure the insurance company you choose will cover your airfare if needed.
Obviously, before you dive into the different offers and general conditions, be sure to be up-to-date with the travel insurance related vocabulary so you can understand the options better and be able to make a more informed choice. You can get help with this very particular vocabulary by reading about multiple travel insurance policies available on the net. Travel insurance covers other guarantees of course, but let's say that the most important ones, and the ones at which you should pay the most attention, are mentioned in the previous points. These are the ones that will make the difference between the offers, and if you still hesitate, you can also take a look at the secondary guarantees such as baggage insurance, early return in case of death of a family member or legal assistance.
Another important thing related to travel insurances is the credit card one. If you book your flight with your VISA Premier or MASTERCARD Gold, you will receive insurance as soon as you leave the national territory. However, if you only have a classic credit card, you should know that you are not covered for civil liability. Similarly, the ceilings are low: € 11,000 for reimbursement of health expenses. If you have a serious problem in a country where health costs are high (Japan, USA...), you will have to pay the costs yourself unfortunately. However, if you’re German for instance and travel within the countries of the European Economic Area, you are covered by your country’s social security. Just ask for the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to be taken care of without any problem.
It’s very usual that some people think, especially younger travelers, that travel insurance is not necessary. Some people may think that nothing can happen to them, that accidents and other issues only happen to others. Well this is definitely wrong!