Why travel and why travel with insurance?

Taking a short trip out of town or going on a weekend drive provides the needed rest for our weary brains at the end of a long work week.  Perhaps it’s the trip itself and the refreshing sceneries we pass by or maybe it’s the ability to commune with nature that resets and refreshes our minds.

Travelling to different countries is more so a cherished experience. There are irreplaceable learnings we can gain and adventures that nourish the soul.  They say traveling teaches us a lot about ourselves, those who travel with us and those we encounter.  It broadens our horizons and makes us better rounded individuals. This is true indeed, and is the reason many to travel.

But traveling and the adventures it provide also tags along danger.  Exposure to the elements, the food, a different culture and a strange environment may result in illness, infections and in some cases, accidents.  All of these may require medical care or hospitalization. This leaves you, the traveler with some financial exposure. Usually, the exposure is burdensome but in some cases, the financial exposure can be debilitating.

Why do I need travel insurance? While travelling, you are exposed to risks that you are not otherwise exposed to if you stayed at your home country.  These risks could be as simple as a delayed suitcase or as complicated as a medical emergency that requires a loved one to go on a trip to be with you.

Last minute trip cancellations are a reality.  While it is good to plan your trip many months ahead, there is no certainty you will be in a state of health good enough to take the trip when the time comes. When this happens, a travel insurance coverage will enable you to recover some of the trip expenses you would not be able to recover if you did not have travel insurance.

With COVID and other infectious diseases hovering, we can never tell if we can even be allowed to travel. When infected, you have no choice but to confine yourself so as not to infect others.  In the process, you lose all the investments you have put into your trip.  This is not the case though, if you had the foresight to secure a travel insurance plan from a trustworthy company like Standard Insurance.

When is the right time to buy travel insurance?  Ideally, it should be part of your trip checklist.  After you have booked your ticket, your accommodations and transfers, you cover it with travel insurance like Travel Protect. That way, your trip is immediately secured from anything that may happen.

What are the ideal features and benefits you should be looking for?  Travel Protect provides COVID coverage.  That is one of the major benefits you will need.  That way, if you get infected prior to your trip, you can reimburse a portion of your trip expenses.  It also provides coverage for flight cancellations due to personal or medical emergencies that will result in your having to cancel your trip plans. Because we cannot foresee the future, this benefit is something you would certainly want to have.

You also want coverage for delayed or lost luggage.  It is not just clothes you may need to replace.  There might be important documents or medications in your checked-in luggage.   Travelers with co-morbidities would not want to take trips uncovered.  Hospitalization due to medical emergencies is a reality! Travel Protect covers medical emergencies in need of immediate medical attention in a foreign land.  In fact, your Travel Protect plan will take care of the delivery of medicines prescribed urgently by the doctor during your trip provided said medicine or equivalent thereof, cannot be found in the place where you have traveled.

When traveling overseas, you most certainly want someone looking after your care. Through its service provider, a travel insurance company will advance funds to you up to the limit indicated in your plan, for actual loss of cash or cheques due to theft, robbery, burglary, mugging which are properly documented and reported to the police. You cannot tell when or where you will fall prey to thieves or robbers so a travel insurance coverage helps you sleep better during your trip.

What about delayed flights? When your flight or connecting transport (ship, coach or cross-channel train) has been delayed for more than 6 hours because of Acts of Nature or sunset limitations or carrier breakdown, the travel insurance company shall reimburse the expenses you have incurred such as hotel accommodations, food, clothing.  Keep all original receipts of your trip and make your documents handy as you will need all these when filing a claim.

What should I do when I need to file a claim?  Travel Protect policies come with a handy instruction booklet and a 24-hour emergency hotline you can reach anywhere in the world.  There is comfort talking to a Filipino-speaking person at the other end of the line, assisting you in your time of need.  Call this hotline number and you will be guided on what to do.

Planning to travel soon? Reach out via our FB page https://www.facebook.com/StandardInsurancePHto know more about Travel Protect.