The Challenge

Imagine for a moment that you and your family have embarked on a long-awaited and planned for vacation to Europe. You finally arrive at your destination and excitedly set out on a day tour of your first city. During the day, one of your family members falls ill, or trips and breaks a leg.

Do you have any idea how much it will cost for an ambulance trip in this foreign country? How about doctor’s fees, hospital services and medications?

Every year, thousands of travelers are left in just such situations without adequate medical coverage to pay for the emergency they find themselves in.

When planning a trip or vacation, many people neglect to spend the little extra money and time to ensure themselves the peace of mind of having travel insurance. This leads to the (unfortunately) common scenario of travellers who find themselves ill or hurt in a foreign country and unable to afford the appropriate care.

When you are visiting foreign places there are often aspects you will be unfamiliar with, such as terrain, animals, plants and insects. Add to this possible difficulties communicating because you don’t speak the language or understand the local customs, and you could be setting yourself up for a difficult time should anything unexpected happen.

Suggestions

Like any good insurance product, the premium is always worth the coverage in case of needing it, and is often overlooked by consumers.

Most people have an ‘it won’t happen to me’ complex – don’t be most people!

Travel insurance, also known as travel accident insurance or travel health insurance, should include at least the following:

Any charges for ambulance services to the nearest hospital Hospital accommodations as needed Any laboratory testing and x-rays Doctors, surgeons and nurses’ fees Emergency prescribed medications

In general, be sure and ask for coverage which cover at least the above-mentioned. Additional questions to ask include:

Specific amounts of coverage and what is excluded, if anything Is there a deductible and how much? Are sports related injuries covered? Are any medical emergencies due to pre-existing conditions covered or excluded? Is every member of your family or travel group covered in the plan? Is there a provision for costs incurred if a flight is missed and a more expensive flight has to be booked? What about missed work due to illness or accident? Is the cost of returning the sick or injured person home covered?

Medical emergencies can be expensive no matter where they occur. Travel health insurance is an effective and cost-efficient way to secure peace of mind so you can go have some fun!