Travel insurance: what does it cover? What exclusions do you have? Is it mandatory?

When we go on vacation, what we least expect is that we come up with an unforeseen event that complicates us on summer days. However, it is advisable to take a look at travel insurance to easily solve these undesirable situations.

Everyone, at some point in our lives, we are a real sea of doubts about choosing travel insurance. We do not know exactly if the getaway we have planned should be assured and we are not aware of the risks involved in our trip when we do not have this type of service.

This article will put an end to all the indecisions that have arisen at certain times. Travel insurance is a service that you should know very well and that you should keep in mind when you go on vacation. Do you want to know everything about him? Read carefully!

What is a travel insurance?

Travel insurance covers the incidents that may occur during a trip, from its cancellation to the loss of luggage and many more coverages. You can hire a policy for a specific trip, for a long-term one and even for several that will be carried out in a year.

Travel insurance is one that covers all unforeseen events that may arise at the destination, such as doctors, baggage or flight. Depending on the travel insurance that is hired, you will have some coverages or others.

During trips, whether on vacation or for work reasons, the risks multiply. The user can miss the flight, the luggage, get sick or even be forced to cancel the flight or the hotel. Making the reservation of the accommodation or of the transport without a travel insurance that covers it can have as a consequence 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, while there, the traveler becomes ill and requires healthcare, extend the days of stay due to the impossibility of traveling or even return to their country with a 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 away. Travel insurance is not mandatory, but it is recommendable because it covers the risks that surround stays outside the home.

Travel insurance is an insurance product that allows the user to travel safely and carefree in order to enjoy it. They offer covers throughout the world so that the displacements do not prevent the user from enjoying the best assistance and protection.

Their guarantees are adapted to their duration as well as to the chosen place of destination or to the purpose of travel. It can include a wide variety of benefits, among which are the possibility of canceling the trip or interrupting it, receiving emergency medical assistance or not having to face the medical expenses that may be needed during the stay. Thus, this insurance covers the previous risks but also the unforeseen that may occur in the enjoyment thereof.

Hire an insurance to enjoy the trip

Traveling always involves risks, and more if it is done abroad. Some credit and debit cards offer insurance coverage that can be applied to them and even some health insurance have coverage abroad. In addition, public transport has Compulsory Travel Insurance, but hiring 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 time depending on the needs of the user and even opting for an annual coverage. The guarantees are decided by the insured to select the ones that suit him best and are adapted to his specific case and choose the best travel insurance for him.

Information about the trip

Travel insurance offers many possibilities. For example, specific protection can be obtained according to the duration of the trip or the reason for it. In addition, depending on the number of people who will do it, the companies offer the possibility of covering several travelers or groups of more than more than 10 people in the same policy.

Reason for the displacement

The reason for the trip is one of the points that insurers use to make categories between their Travel insurances and thus be able to adapt the coverages to the specific case. So, depending on whether it's a vacation, a cruise, a study trip, a business trip, or a skiing break, the insurance can include ski pass reimbursement, ski lessons and runway relief costs. , until the substitution of employees in the case of companies. Within each of the reasons for the trip it is possible to make the insurance from 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 Travel insurance is contracted. But when what is desired is a single insurance for several trips it is possible to subscribe an annual coverage that protects the insured from the incidents that may occur in all that he / she carries out during that year, as long as each of them has a duration less than 3 months You can also hire travel insurance for a long stay abroad, which can be up to one year. The difference between them is in the term of coverage, and therefore in the price, but also in some of the guarantees included, although these depend directly on the insurer.

How much does travel insurance cost?

The longer, more areas, the more medical insurance you need to hire and the more eventualities the insurance covers, the greater the premium to be paid. However, the savings also increase, if a problem arises during your trip, you will not have any additional cost in your destination. For example, medical costs represent a very important outlay if you do not have travel insurance that covers them completely.

What coverages does travel insurance offer?

Visiting the world is one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. We love to contemplate new magical corners that make us feel good. So that there is no "but" in this type of summer, it is convenient to cover your back.

Hiring travel insurance is essential to achieve this goal. Before this, you must take into account factors such as the days you travel, the number of companions, the country of destination, if you are going to practice risk sports, etc.

The benefits of this type of insurance are varied, as in the rest of the services offered by the companies.

With a basic travel insurance plan you will be covered before:

• Medical Assistance for Illness
• Medical Assistance for Accident
• Medicines
• Dentistry in cases of urgency
• Transfer and hotel expenses of a relative
• Hotel Costs for Convalescence and Expenses for a Family Member
• Funeral repatriation
• Travel cancellation fees
• Compensation for delay and loss of luggage
• Legal assistance

What travel insurance does not cover?

Despite containing a wide network of benefits, travel insurance does not cover any situation that occurs during your holidays abroad. There are certain exceptions that will not be covered by any type of policy. We tell you:

• The attention or incidents that occurred as a consequence of a pre-existing illness. In this case, the situation is not considered to have a vital emergency character.
• Incidents caused by the ingestion of alcohol or other substances.
• Situations caused by the insured. This section includes claims, loss of luggage and cancellation of the trip due to surgical interventions that are not urgent or due to epidemics.
• When the transport company or service provider covers the travel problem. In these cases, the travel insurance does not cover any inconvenience that may arise during the trip: cancellation of the cruise, cancellation of the flight, accommodation expenses due to delay, etc.

5 Situations Where you Need Travel Insurance

When you are booking a trip, most of the time, you do not hire insurance to make such a trip. You think: With what the trip cost me, like to pay an extra expense!

But you can be wrong because you never know if you are going to have a mishap, however small, and having a guarantee that covers any setback saves you a lot of headaches.

There are many types of travel insurance, with different prices and, therefore, with different coverages. Before hiring, think about the problems that may arise in your trip, to choose the one that best suits your needs.

Necessary!

We show you some examples of real situations that will make you change your mind when hiring travel insurance:

1. They rob you and you need a translator to put the report: A theft is a very normal situation unfortunately, if it can happen to you in your own city, imagine yourself in a foreign country. The fact of not knowing the language of the destination and not being able to communicate prevents you from filing a report of the theft. The translator is an added expense, which may be even more expensive than having initially taken out travel insurance.
2. The flight is delayed and you miss a contracted excursion.
3. Break some valuable item in a hotel: A television of last generation, a vase of authentic Chinese porcelain, if you have contracted travel insurance should not worry, although this does not mean that if you have hired you can destroy the hotel room.
4. You break a foot and you need two airplane seats to go home.
5. Your credit and debit cards fail and you need cash.

What happens if I do not have travel insurance?

The first thing you should know is that, when you do not hire travel insurance, you are totally unprotected. Any irregularity that arises in your trip can suppose a serious economic problem that you could have saved hiring a service of this type.

We put you in situation. You move to another country outside the European Union to spend a different and somewhat more expensive holiday. For things in life, you have an accident down the stairs of your accommodation. Although everything can be a scare, it is going to be a pretty expensive scare if you do not have adequate travel insurance.

The expenses of transfer and hospitalization can be stratospheric. For this reason, it is essential that you meditate a lot on the contracting of travel insurance that covers medical care. Regardless of what this service costs, it will compensate you a lot: you will save yourself trouble and money!

How to contract travel insurance?

We would lie to you if we told you that there are certain trips in which it is not necessary to take out insurance. Any unforeseen event can appear on any route, so it is always advisable to have different types of coverage.

Now, should we hire the same services regardless of where we move? In this case, common sense should be used. As usual, I will not need the same coverages if I travel to a Spanish coast if I go on vacation to a Caribbean island or a city with a tropical environment.

Keep in mind that if you travel to another country, your insurer should know exactly what dates you are going to make the trip. Each territory of the world has its particularities and your travel insurance will have to adapt to them: vaccines, typical diseases of the country, etc. Therefore, we recommend that you hire travel assistance insurance whenever you travel on vacation, but it is advisable that you adapt the coverages to the needs of the same.

Cancellation of travel and insurance

Other coverage that may be of great use within travel insurance is the cancellation of the trip or cancellation. With it, the company allows the insured to cancel their vacations without cost, but as long as the cause is included in the general conditions of the policy they have signed. Among the medical reasons for which a trip can be annulled without cost are: illness, accidents or death of the insured or of some of their relatives; citations for a serious surgical intervention; transplants

But they also usually include labor causes within the guarantee, such as the incorporation to a new job, the dismissal or the call for competitions. Also when the insured is summoned to a polling station or to a judicial procedure, when a child is going to give him up for adoption or if the one who annuls the trip is his companion and they are part of the same insurance.

Insured trips

To enjoy a trip with complete 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 occurred 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 some insurers establish that the contract must be made during the 7 days following the acquisition of the trip. In the case of exceeding this maximum term it is possible that a grace period is 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 period of lack or when the start date of the policy arrives.

Is it compulsory to take out travel insurance?

As a general rule, it is not necessary to take out travel insurance. However, there are situations that require the hiring of various services that imply the approval of insurance of these characteristics. Do you want to know what these specific cases are? We tell you!

Trips organized by an agency

Whenever your trip is managed by an agency or a tourist company, it will compulsorily take out traveler insurance. The assistance of this insurance will be effective when accidents occur in Spanish transport with departure from national territory.

Concrete cases of countries

In addition, there are certain territories scattered around the world that to enter them, it is necessary to have a compulsory insurance to meet certain requirements of the States that comprise them. Take into account the conditions demanded by the following areas of the world!

Travel insurance for Cuba

Cuba is a beautiful country full of magical places. Even so, when you visit this country, it is mandatory to have a travel policy that contains a fairly broad coverage. The constant incidents related to medical assistance with illness or accident and thefts of luggage forced to take this measure.

The contracted policy must cover medical expenses, repatriation and assistance 24 hours. You should know that the health care you will receive in Cuba will be foreign to that of Cuban citizens. Health Tourism provided by this country, allows tourists to be served in Serviced, Cuban corporation in charge of managing these health services.

Insurance to travel through the Schengen Area

This space is comprised of nothing more and nothing less than 26 countries : Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg , Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland.

The contracting of Schengen insurance will depend on the country of origin. People who do not belong to the countries of the European Union, will need the Schengen travel insurance to achieve the corresponding visa required in these territories. This visa must be requested at the embassy or consulate of the country to which you are going to travel.

What main coverages does this type of policy cover? The services covered by the insurance are, mainly, the costs of repair in case of emergency or death, emergency medical assistance and emergency hospital care -with a minimum of 30,000 euros-.

Safe to travel to Russia and Belarus

Moving to these countries requires having a visa that specifies the expected period of stay and the number of entries. This visa will only be obtained if you contract travel insurance with medical coverage that includes all types of benefits (you must face up to the cases of repatriation).

When you travel to Russia, you will find variations in the quality of health care. For this reason, it is likely that, on certain occasions, you will receive assistance in a private center. The search for your well-being is the main objective of these insurances!

Insurance to travel to Algeria

Algeria is a country full of monuments, history and charm. However, you cannot visit without travel insurance. To obtain the visa it is mandatory to take out an insurance that covers a minimum number of days of stay. Among other things, the policy must be valid throughout the trip and be stamped, in addition to corroborated, by the company.

Eye! Obtaining visas to travel to these countries is usually slower than usual. Therefore, do not leave it for the last moment and do it well in advance. Only in this way will you avoid last-minute shocks and scares!

Travel insurance for Iran

Only when the reason for your visit to Iran is tourism, you can get your visa at the border, with which you can enter only once and it will be valid for 90 days. It's a pretty expensive document to get. On the one hand, there is a waiting time to get it between 2 to 6 hours. In addition, certain denials of border entry are likely to occur.

For these types of problems, we recommend that you apply for a visa one month in advance at the Embassy of Iran in Spain. Of course, the visa requires travel insurance, where the policy will be expressed and the effective days of the same.

Why buy travel insurance?

Being unprotected from possible unwanted situations will only give you eternal headaches and will not allow you to make the most of your days off.

When you travel you have to make it safe, but if you also hire travel insurance that covers the possible incidents that you may suffer during the holidays you will be more protected and you can enjoy quietly.

Having seen, there is no doubt that hiring travel insurance is one of the best decisions you can make when you go on vacation to another country.

Travel insurance allows you to save and guarantees a series of benefits that will put the dose of tranquility necessary to your days of disconnection. From travel insurance, you the possibility of getting these services at a price adapted to your needs.

Travel insurance agent will be responsible for finding and advising you to hire the cheapest travel insurance that best suits what you need. So you just have to worry about enjoying your trip!