When you travel, do you buy travel insurance?
I guess you can say I am overly cautious, but in checking with my health insurance company, we would have some gaps in coverage if something should happen overseas. So I do buy it. But should you?
Let me tell you what happened on our recent cruise and why I personally think travel insurance is something you need to seriously consider purchasing along with your trip.
We were in port in Alaska and driving into the Yukon. We turned the corner on a piece of windy road, when we came to a screeching halt. There were two other cars stopped and off to the side of the road we could see someone lying in the road and onto the shoulder. Instantly, my stomach tied in knots seeing a person hurt out here in the middle of nowhere. A few people in our car jumped out to see if they could help.
What we learned is this elderly woman was on an excursion from another ship in port. She was participating in the White Pass train and bike road down from the top ship excursion. She lost control of the bike, slammed on the brakes and slid in the loose gravel, falling off the bike and suffered what appeared to be a very severe head injury.
Her husband was frantic while they waited for an ambulance. Unsure of what to do, what to do about notifying the cruise ship, what he was to do about packing up their cabin. This is a lot of stress when you have a loved one that is severely injured. What a tragic ending to a vacation you know they planned for and anxiously anticipated for months.
Without travel insurance, his hotel expenses, transportation costs, airline ticket changes, food and any misc. expenses will be coming out of his pocket. Did you know that travel insurance will typically cover these expenses or a portion of the cost based on the policy that you buy? They will help change airline tickets, help with coordinating accommodations while you stay behind until your loved on can travel. The medical coverage may supplement or cover any gaps in your personal health insurance. You will need to verify your coverage with your own insurance company.
Travel Insurance is a personal decision and there are quite a few policy options, you just need to find one that covers your needs. I hope this at least gets you thinking about it before you book your next trip. You just never know what can happen. I know this woman didn’t think she would end up with severe injuries when she set off for a fun day out.
I still think about her and hope she has recovered or is recovering, and I hope I have given you something to think about when you book your next trip.
Travel Safe and smart,
Terri