During trips, whether for vacation or work, the risks are multiplied . The user can miss the flight, the luggage, get sick or even be forced to cancel the flight or the hotel. Booking accommodation or transport without Travel insurance that covers it may result in the loss of the amount paid if it is finally necessary to cancel it or if you do not arrive at the airport at the precise time, for example. In addition, when the destination is outside the borders of the country itself, vacations can multiply their cost if the traveler falls ill while there and requires health care, extend the days of stay due to the inability to travel or even return to their country on a regular basis. of urgency.
To cover all these circumstances, and many others, insurance companies offer citizens the possibility of contracting specific policies that guarantee their safety and well-being when they are abroad. Travel insurance is not mandatory, but it is recommended because it covers the risks surrounding stays away from home.
travel insurance
Travel insurance is an insurance product that allows the user to travel protected and carefree in order to enjoy it . They offer coverage throughout the world so that travel does not prevent the user from enjoying the best assistance and protection.
Their guarantees are adapted both to their duration and to the chosen place of destination or the purpose of the displacement . It can include a wide variety of benefits, including the possibility of canceling or interrupting the trip, receiving emergency medical assistance or not having to face medical expenses that may be needed throughout the stay. Thus, this insurance covers the previous risks but also the unforeseen events that may occur in the enjoyment of it.
Take out insurance to enjoy the trip
Traveling always carries risks, and more so if it is done abroad. Some credit and debit cards offer insurance coverage that can be applied to them and even some health insurance has coverage abroad. In addition, public transport has compulsory passenger insurance , but contracting a specific policy extends the user’s protection .
These policies are usually contracted for the determined duration of the trip, but there is the possibility of subscribing them for a longer period depending on the user’s needs and even opting for annual coverage. The guarantees are decided by the insured in order to select the ones that best suit him and are adapted to his specific case and choose the best travel insurance for him .
travel information
Travel insurance offers many possibilities. For example, specific protection can be obtained depending on the duration of the trip or the reason for it. In addition, depending on the number of people who are going to do it, the companies offer the possibility of covering several travelers or groups of more than 10 people in the same policy.
Displacement reason
The reason for the trip is one of the points used by insurers to make categories between their Travel insurance and thus be able to adapt the coverage to the specific case. Thus, depending on whether it is a vacation, a cruise, a study trip, a business trip, or a ski getaway , the insurance can include from the reimbursement of the ski pass, ski lessons and relief costs on the slopes. , to the substitution of employees in the case of companies. Within each of the reasons for the trip, it is possible to draw up the insurance based on the duration of the trip.
Travel time
Depending on how long it will last, insurers offer different products. When it is a few days or a few weeks, the common Travel insurance is contracted . But when what is desired is a single insurance policy for several trips, it is possible to take out annual coverage that protects the insured against the incidents that they may experience in all the trips they make during that year , as long as each of them has a duration of less than the 3 months. You can also take out travel insurance for a long stay abroad, which can be up to a year. The difference between them is in the term of coverage, and therefore in the price, but also in some of the guarantees that they include, although these depend directly on the insurer.
What does travel insurance cover?
Within travel insurance, several types of guarantees are distinguished , those that refer to health care and those related to its cancellation. Normally, the application of all coverage is adjusted to a limit agreed between the parties at the signing of the policy.
Travel assistance coverage
The most common covers in Travel insurance are those related to assistance to the insured during the trip. From help for medical problems to theft of your personal belongings.
Medical assistance
One of the main guarantees of this type of insurance is medical assistance. This grants coverage in the event that the insured falls ill or suffers an accident during their stay, either inside or outside their country of residence. In addition to guaranteeing medical, pharmacological, hospitalization and surgical intervention expenses until the journey can be continued, healthcare goes further and can offer:
- Travel and accommodation for a companion of the insured in the event that the latter is hospitalized.
- Extension of stay as a result of illness or accident.
- Shipping of medicines to the place where the insured is located.
- Transfer or repatriation of the insured and his companion.
- Transfer or repatriation in case of death .
- Early return .
- Management and coordination of care services .
- Translation service .
- Substitution of the insured by repatriation in the case of work trips .
In addition to these, it is possible to find others such as the payment of expenses for loss of documentation or classes in the case of a study trip, for example.
baggage coverage
Along with health care, the loss or theft of luggage is the most contracted coverage. This guarantee grants the insured monetary compensation in the event that luggage or personal effects are lost, stolen or damaged during transport, and also in the event that their delivery is delayed when they have been checked. The insurer advises the user to present the claim and collaborates in the localization procedures in addition to taking care of its shipment to the place of travel or the residence of the insured.
In the event that the objects were not stolen or damaged during the journey on public transport, some insurers also guarantee compensation when the theft occurs inside a hotel room or a vehicle .
delays
Some insurers offer coverage for delays so that when the trip is delayed for reasons beyond the insured’s control, the latter can receive compensation for the purchase of basic necessities, the costs of lodging and meals, and the reimbursement of the costs of using another means of transportation. transportation.
accident coverage
On the other hand, travel insurance may include accident guarantees to cover the insured in the event of permanent disability or their relatives in the event of death.
Legal defense
Other coverage is Civil Liability and Legal Defense outside of Spain. With it, the insured can receive telephone legal advice and have legal defense expenses covered as well as the advance payment of the judicial bond.
Cancellation of the trip and insurance
Another coverage that can be of great use within travel insurance is that of cancellation of the trip or cancellation. With it, the company allows the insured to cancel their vacations at no cost, but as long as the cause is included within the general conditions of the policy they have signed. Among the medical reasons for which a trip can be canceled free of charge are: illness, accidents or death of the insured or some of his relatives; citations for major surgery; transplants.
But they also usually include labor causes within the guarantee, such as the incorporation to a new job, dismissal or the call for oppositions. Also when the insured is summoned to a polling station or a court proceeding, when a child is going to be given up for adoption or if the person canceling the trip is the companion of the child and they are part of the same insurance.
exclusions
These insurances, like many Health insurances, do not usually take care of care or incidents that occur as a result of a pre-existing illness unless it is of a vitally urgent nature . Neither by pathological states produced by the ingestion of alcohol or other substances. Outside the coverage are also claims caused by the insured himself, such as loss of luggage by himself or theft, cancellation for non-urgent surgical interventions or epidemics.
In addition, in the event that the transport company or service provider covers the problem of the trip, such as the cancellation of a cruise or a flight, or accommodation expenses due to delay, the Travel insurance does not cover it. However, on some occasions it compensates financially to compensate for the difference between the amount delivered by the service company and the actual expenses incurred.
Insured trips
To enjoy a trip with total peace of mind, it is advisable to take out travel insurance , and it can be done at any time, bearing in mind that any event that occurs before the signing of the policy will not be covered. However, it is necessary to know that depending on the type of trip and policy that you wish to subscribe to, some insurers establish that the contracting must be done within 7 days after the purchase of the trip. In the event that this maximum period is exceeded, a grace period may be imposed on the application of the coverage, which means that during those days the user does not have the contracted guarantees, which will take effect after the expiration period. deficiency or when the start date of the policy arrives.