- Should I Get Travel Insurance?
- What Types Of Policies Are There?
- Is There A Difference Between Travel Insurance And Trip Protection? Can You Get One Or The Other?
- What If Something Serious Happens And I Need To Be Flown Home?
- Do Policies Cover Extreme Sports?
- What Happens If Something Gets Stolen, Like My Expensive Camera?
- Where Should I Get My Travel Insurance?
- If Something Horrible Happens, Like Death, How Will Being In Another Country Affect My Family?
- Do I Need To Plan Ahead For My Return Home?
Should I Get Travel Insurance?
There’s obviously no right or wrong answer here, but just be aware that you will be at risk, just like at home, if you don’t have insurance. There are a lot of different policies out there covering all manner of sicknesses, injuries, theft, loss of gear, natural disasters, etc., etc. You definitely have options.
What Types Of Policies Are There?
Many, many types. BootsnAll offers several different types of policies from multiple different companies, from basic health insurance policies to ones that cover most everything, with tons of options in between. Be sure to check out what’s available.
Is There A Difference Between Travel Insurance And Trip Protection? Can You Get One Or The Other?
Yes, there is a difference, and yes, you can get one or the other, or both. It’s up to you. The best way to explain this is that travel insurance will deal with the medical side of things, while trip protection will cover things like lost luggage, stolen cameras or laptops, and canceled flights. The tricky part to this is that many travel insurance policies have some sort of trip protection included, so make sure you ask all the right questions and read all the fine print so you aren’t doubling up.
What If Something Serious Happens And I Need To Be Flown Home?
Many policies have an emergency evacuation clause in them, but they all differ depending on the company and policy, and they all have a limit. That limit can be $100,000, $1 million, or in some cases, the coverage is unlimited. It all depends on what you’re willing to spend up front. On a side note, many travelers only purchase an emergency evacuation policy to cover them in case something serious happens. In most areas of the world not called the United States, it’s actually rather cheap to just pop into a hospital or doctor’s office for something minor and get it taken care of for an inexpensive price.
Be sure to read the travel insurance interview to find out more about travel insurance for your RTW trip.
Do Policies Cover Extreme Sports?
Some do, some don’t, but they are all specific in what they do and don’t cover. Again, all policies are different. Some may cover things like bungee jumping, some may exclude bike riding. Most offer the chance to add an extreme sports rider to your policy (for more money of course), but make sure you check which extreme sports they cover.
What Happens If Something Gets Stolen, Like My Expensive Camera?
It all depends on if you have some sort of trip protection or policy that covers stolen items. If you do have a policy that covers this, the very first thing you’re going to want to do is file a police report. That is probably the first thing your insurance company will ask for. Like emergency evacuation, there are limits to how much is covered, and they have a detailed process for getting reimbursed (hint: they don’t make it easy). It works much the same as car insurance. If something is lost or stolen, you file a claim, send in all the paperwork, they review it, then you start negotiating.
Where Should I Get My Travel Insurance?
There’s a lot of companies out there, that’s for sure, so researching can be time consuming, frustrating, and confusing. Start here at BootsnAll, as there is an extensive travel insurance section. You can check out side by side comparisons as well, or you can go to a consolidator site to compare.
If Something Horrible Happens, Like Death, How Will Being In Another Country Affect My Family?
Hopefully this is something that no families will have to deal with, but unfortunately it can and does happen. Getting remains back for a funeral is possible, with the right policy of course. Most companies offer this as part of their emergency evacuation policy, and like with everything else, there is a cap on what they’re willing to pay. Read the fine print and check on this.
Do I Need To Plan Ahead For My Return Home?
YES! Many policies end the second you touch back down in your home country. There are some companies that will offer coverage for a certain amount of time after you return home, but it’s usually something you have to arrange in advance. If you are heading back to a country that isn’t the US, then you probably don’t have to worry quite as much, but US residents really need to take this into consideration. There isn’t a worse country in the world not to have medical insurance coverage in.
The planning process of the trip is really coming together now. Most of the hard stuff is out of the way, and now it’s time to turn your attention to gear and packing. There is a lot to consider when you are getting clothes and other gear together, considering you will be carrying all of your possessions on your back. It’s vital to choose wisely. Be sure to read on to find out how to choose clothes to bring on your RTW trip.
For more information about travel insurance, make sure you read the travel insurance article in our RTW section, which will include a checklist to keep you nice and organized in your planning.
[more link=”https://www.bootsnall.com/rtw/faq-packing.html”]Next RTW FAQ-How to Choose Clothes for your RTW Trip[/more]