Before even considering legal protections or legal coverage, you have to remember that travel insurance is a terrific investment. For a relatively small sum, you can be covered against many different things, including medical care and/or hospitalization for you or your traveling companions, lost luggage, ticket loss, passport loss, and even trip cancellation. When it comes to cancellation, there are policies that cover both you canceling the trip before going and forced cancellation because of acts of God and/or natural disasters or the breakout of war, etc. In fact, you should never travel without travel insurance. That said, there are three top legal considerations regarding travel insurance.
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1. Right to Recourse
You have to be able to challenge any company that tries to deny any of your claims unfairly. Be sure to check all the “fine print” to see what’s what. In reality, companies are required by law to allow such challenges, but they’ll often try to make it so difficult for customers to proceed that they’ll give up and let the company win. Be sure to choose a company whose fine print is something you can easily understand.
2. Seeking Clarity
Companies are also required to state policies in clear terms that laypeople will understand. Try to find a company that offers certain things, tells you about the key points in a few sentences, and doesn’t try to “baffle you with bunk.” You need to know what you can claim and what you can’t, so that there are no “entanglements” when you’re off traveling in another country. That means no burying what you’re entitled to in a policy under a blanket of jargon and/or overly technical prose that’s designed to hide things from you.
3. Checking Coverage
Not everything will be covered. Without higher premiums, most policies won’t cover acts of God or war outbreaks. They also won’t usually cover known issues, such as an epidemic or a disaster that has already happened. Without certain waivers, policies won’t cover preexisting conditions either. It is still possible to get coverage for these things, but you have to request it specifically. Such coverages generally won’t be listed as general options.
Another example where it would pay to check your policy thoroughly is in the case of luggage delay vs. Luggage loss. Luggage delay would cover you for incidentals like toiletries or single packs of underwear. These policies usually have a small dollar amount as a cap or a timeframe of just a couple of days until your travel company gets you your luggage. Luggage loss coverage will replace not only your suitcase or other bag but also the contents.
Other things that probably won’t be covered include you taking part in dangerous activities, such as skydiving, mountain climbing, extreme skiing, and the like. Still, it pays to ask your travel insurance company if such coverage is possible. The worst thing they can say is, “No.”
Your domestic health insurance won’t cover you when you’re abroad. Therefore, buying travel insurance is smart. Always research the policies you wish to buy thoroughly, and never be afraid to ask questions. Before signing up, ensure that you completely understand what’s what with your chosen policy. Enjoy your trip!
