No one wants to imagine anything going wrong on vacation.
But what if you finally take that trip overseas and get sick or injured while out of the country? Considering all of the planning that goes into taking an international trip, don't forget to prepare for the possibility of injury or illness. As much as you don't want to think about it, you also don't want to be stuck paying an outrageous, unplanned medical bill.
Here are some things you need to know about travel insurance:
1. Travel Insurance and Health Insurance are Not the Same Thing
Don’t assume your health insurance covers you when you are outside of the country. Some health insurance may include some coverage but not for everything that you might need, depending on your illness or injury. A travel insurance plan will cover medical emergencies that may occur while you are traveling.
Health insurance Is mainly for check-ups and treatment of pre-existing conditions.
2. Travel Insurance Offers Some Perks that Health Insurance Does Not
Travel insurance coverage has a much wider range of benefits for specific emergencies that would leave you with a hefty bill. For example: emergency medical evacuation home from another country. Emergency evacuation from a foreign country can run as high as $100,000 or more.
Also, be aware that many times when you seek medical care outside of the country while traveling, you may be asked to pay cash whether or not your medical insurance covers what you need.
3. Travel Insurance Gives You More than Healthcare
Travel insurance includes trip cancellation coverage, and has coverage options should you need to cancel your trip due to illness or injuries that are included in your plan. It also gives you travel assistance should you need help finding a doctor or hospital. On a cruise? Many cruise lines now charge you for visiting their medical staff and there is no guarantee your health insurance will reimburse these costs.
Even I thought travel insurance was silly and probably unnecessary....until I fell in a pothole on the second day of our trip, as I did this summer. We ended up coming home because it was hard to explore Peru on a sprained ankle.
But – because I had travel insurance – that coverage made up for the fact that we lost the entire cost of our trip.
Make sure you're prepared for the worst case scenario! If you need help planning a trip, or want to talk about travel insurance, I would love to chat with you!