What’s the one travel mistake you should never make? That’s right – skipping on travel insurance!
When you think about travel insurance claims you may immediately think about dramatic accidents happening, loss of personal belongings or illnesses that can happen overseas, but in some cases, things can go wrong even before packing your bags.
If a loved one, say your mother gets sick, and you have to take out a travel insurance policy in case you had to cancel your upcoming holiday (already booked), it’ll be too late by then. You should’ve taken out a policy when you book the trip.
This is just one of the most galling mistake those without travel insurance makes: thinking you can book your trip early and sort out the insurance later. With an almost countless number of affordable deals like the travel insurance promotion Singapore, you’ll be the only one keeping yourself from being protected.
“Insurance is designed to protect travelers against many unforeseen circumstances throughout your travel, not owning one puts you at risk of not just one, but multiple problems.”
The cost of a travel insurance is based on the amount of time you’re going to be away, and as a plus, there’s no extra cost to take out a policy early, so you’re ensuring yourself even before you leave.
Travel insurance covers you if a close relative gets sick or if there’s a natural disaster, provided that there were no official warning about it prior to you taking out the policy. Your insurance also covers if your employer cancels your leave (only applies if you are in full-time employment). You’re also covered if you get called up for jury duty.
However, take note that not all insurance policies include cancellation cover, so it’s vital to read the coverage details very carefully.
One survey in Australia alone showed that amongst 1000 travelers, 62% or 620 travelers are now buying insurance at the same time as their trip. Travelers booking through travel agents are most likely to be covered, with at least 80% of travelers purchasing travel insurance straight away.
Still, there are many other basic mistakes that travelers make with their insurance.
For many, it’s as simple as not getting their claim in on time: your claim should be lodged within 30 days of returning from your trip, or it’ll be voided. Others make the mistake of not buying a cover for each destination they are visiting, which includes stopovers.
If you’ll be traveling to a destination not included in the cover, any claims you make during that entire trip can be denied. Many of these mistakes relate to theft or loss of personal belongings, which is the most common category of claims worldwide.
Experts say that the most common reasons claims are getting rejected is that travelers fail to get a police report from their destination’s local police station. Another reason for rejected claims is when the traveler fails to provide relevant documentation, like proof of purchase of goods.
You see, skipping on travel insurance is needlessly risky, as well as not having the right documentations when lodging a claim. Being protected while traveling isn’t really expensive if you put the benefits into consideration – and what’s keeping circumstances from happening, right? In any case, getting a travel insurance is a wise choice.