Travel is an exciting experience, but having been in the Travel business for many years, I know personally how important travel insurance is to any trip especially those out of country. Many countries now require you to have at least proof of medical insurance coverage on arrival particularly since the arrival of COVID. There are so many unpredictable situations worldwide, with the appropriate insurance you can travel with peace of mind.

It can be quite confusing on what type of Travel Insurance to buy so here I will try to explain some of the options. It should also be noted that if you are relying on the travel insurance offered by your Credit Card company you should check thoroughly exactly what is covered as most of them just offer very basic coverage.

1. Medical - basic doctors visits for illness or injury, medications, pre-existing conditions, hospitalization, evacuation to your home country options

2. Cancellation - Flight cancellations, tour cancellations, cancellation due to family emergencies, cancellation for any reason

3. Interruption - Flight interruptions, flight delays, trip interruption - any reason you may have to leave the trip

4. Baggage loss - If your baggage is lost/delayed/damaged or stolen in transit or whilst on the tour

5. SOS - Insurance to cover you for evacuation in the case of an uprising or other major reason such as extreme weather conditions like earthquakes, hurricanes etc.

6. Then there are other categories, such as Students Studying Abroad, Group Travel Insurance, and Multiple Trip Insurance.

It is important to check exactly what your policy covers.

1. Ask exactly what the policy includes, such as medications, doctor visits for illness or injury and hospitalization.

2. Is there a deductible, if so how much. 100% coverage is more expensive but saves money in the long run if you get sick.

3. Length of time of the coverage.

4. What are the limitations if any.

5. Can you extend the length of time on the policy if you extend your trip.

6. Is there 24/7 emergency number in English - with translators if necessary.

7. Does the company pay directly to the supplier of the service, or do you have to pay upfront and request a refund.

8. Medical Evacuation - Does the policy cover medical evacuation to your home country or to the nearest place with appropriate medical care. Also check that it covers the costs of a companion or a medical expert to travel with you.

9. Pre-existing Medical Conditions - Does the company include pre-existing medical condiitons and if there are any limitations or restrictions based on any treatments or tests you may have had.

- Ensure you have it in writing that they cover your condition so as to ensure any claim is not declared null and void.

- Ensure it includes a stability clause showing you are covered for a specific period of time on your pre-existing conditions.

- There should be no changes to your medical condition to ensure coverage.

- There should be no new medical conditions, symptoms or medications during the stability period before your trip.

- The policy should include a change of health clause and a compassion clause so as not to invalidate the policy.

10. Repatriation in the case of Death - In the worst case scenario ensure you plan covers the following to help your loved ones in case of an accident or sudden illness that claims your life whilst on your trip.

- The preparation and return of your remains

- Local cremation or burial outside of your home country

- Additional expenses for someone to travel to identify or claim your body

If you have to cancel your trip because you are unable to travel due to illness, injury or death Trip Cancellation insurance can cover you for 100% of the prepaid and nonrefundable trip expenses if you cancel for a reason specifically listed in your policy. Trip Cancellation can also cover you for other events that prevent you from traveling including cancellation for no reason.

Here are some examples of what may be covered.

- Illness, injury, or death - If you or your traveling companion or an immediate family becomes sick, injured or passes away preventing you from traveling you can be covered for any funds already prepaid.

- Earthquakes, Storms, Hurricane etc - If bad weather or significant mother nature events delay or cancels your trip or damages your travel destination or enforces an evacuation, you have the option to cover this in your policy.

- Terrorism - If a terrorist attack or similar event takes place at your destination or close by you can have this covered in your policy. - Financial default - If one of the carriers like the Airline, Cruise ship or Tour Company goes into financial default you can be covered for this in your policy.

- Employment layoff - Depending on the policy you can be covered if you are unexpectedly laid off or fired from your job depending on the length of time you have been employed at that specific place of work.

- Work time off revoked - You can also get coverage if your time off is revoked by your employer due to work obligations.

- Cancel for any reason - This coverage gives you the flexibility to cancel for a reason not otherwise covered in the policy including just a change of mind. However it will add significantly to the cost of the policy and there are some rules on when you need to purchase your policy.

Trip cancellation and trip interruption go hand in hand. Trip cancellation basically covers you before you leave home and trip interruption kicks in once you are on the trip based on the type of coverage you have in your policy. If you have trip interruption coverage and you have to leave your trip midstream you can be reimbursed for the unused prepaid portion of your trip, your original return flight if you have to incur new costs for a flight home, and the cost of the new tickets and any additional transportation expenses such as a taxi to the airport and from your return airport home.

Baggage Insurance is usually an optional coverage to the rest of your travel insurance. Baggage insurance pays for the loss, damage, destruction or theft of your baggage.

When you purchase baggage insurance this may cover checked airline luggage and contents as well as carry-on luggage and it's contents. Baggage insurance for carry-on bags is very important as airlines are not required to reimburse people if something happens to their carry-on.

Airlines are required to compensate for lost, delayed or damaged luggage up to a set limit. They must compensate passengers for lost, delayed or damaged luggage, up to a limit. If the baggage is lost the airline is required to compensate for a depreciated value of the contents based on a preset maximum.

Luggage can also get lost during your trip or stolen whilst on your way or at your destination, your policy can cover for this. Particularly as you are likely to have to replace some if not all of your contents to continue on your journey.

There are numerous other travel insurance options for specific activities, like sports events, group tours, students studying abroad and more. I will explain these in future posts.

The above options are the main ones to consider for any International Trips, and medical should be considered as necessary for all trips where you are not covered by your normal health coverage.

Carefully research your needs. Verify the terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions and requirements of your insurance policy before you leave on your trip.

Trip Cancellation polices are wise to have but tend to be more expensive than policies without because of the risk in covering a traveler's entire trip cost.