Most of us understand the wisdom of buying travel insurance, especially when we are traveling to another country. We all know the horror stories of people who have fallen sick or had an accident on vacation and have been faced with huge bills.
So, wise travelers always buy decent travel medical protection and other types of coverage. The only problem is that doing so can get expensive.
But, it need not be. It is possible to keep costs down; all you need to do is follow the suggestions listed below.
Always shop around
It’s understandable as busy as we are that when someone like your airline offers you coverage at the time you book your tickets, you simply say yes. Often, this is a big mistake.
Firstly, there is a good chance you could find the coverage cheaper if you said no and shopped around. If you can not find a better deal, you can always say yes later.
The hidden dangers of not shopping around
The other problem is that, often, simply saying yes to the first policy you are offered turns out to be a false since of security. If you take this approach, the chances of your buying insurance that is not adequate for your needs is pretty high. That is very bad news if you do end up having to claim. In that situation, not only will you have paid too much for your policy; you will still end up having to cover most of the bills should things go wrong.
Buy from a pick and mix travel insurance provider
Another approach you could take is to buy from a travel insurance provider that allows you to pick the things that are covered. This can offer the exact coverage you need, making a huge difference to how much you have to pay.
For example, if you are staying with friends and your plane tickets only cost $100, you may not need cancellation coverage. After all, in those circumstances, if one of you should fall sick, you can easily re-schedule and stand the cost of buying new airline tickets. But, even in that situation, you would want to have medical coverage. In that situation, if you were injured, the cost of your hospital bills and being flown back by air ambulance would be covered.
Fortunately, more providers are now offering their customers a higher level of choice. So, this is now a viable option for many travelers. Provided you take your time and choose wisely, this type of travel insurance policy can be a very good option.
A word of caution
However, when trying to save money on your travel insurance, you do need to be careful. It is too easy to end up buying a policy that does not provide you with adequate coverage.
Asking yourself the five simple questions that are listed in this article should help you to avoid making this common mistake. Giving yourself enough time to research the various options will help too.