How would you choose which travel insurance company to use? Will you be confident enough of your choice not to mutter, “I hope this works the way they said it would”?

When making a decision, be sure about the details of the plan coverage. You don’t want them telling you “I’m sorry but that’s not covered in your policy”. I once got life insurance with medical coverage built into it. Once I was hospitalized, I told them I wanted to avail of the medical coverage. They told me that if I did, the policy would come to an end. Know what is and what is not covered in the plan. You don’t want this happening to you especially when you need it most.

You also want to be aware of any deductibles that must be paid for each claim.

Some insurers exclude sports or dangerous activities such as flying in a plane from their areas of liability. There are also stipulations that exempt insurers from honoring a policy if force of nature or “Force Majeure” acted as catalyst.

Just be sure you know all there is to know before you sign the policy. Cover all the important bases while shopping for travel insurance. This can prevent unpleasant surprises such as having to pay for unforeseeable circumstances once your claim is reviewed.

It is best not to buy your travel insurance from your tour operator. Below are a few reasons why it may be better to purchase through an insurance company separately.

1.      Most travel insurance policies offered by the operator are less flexible to your individual needs;

2.      Provide a lower amount of coverage;

3.      May only cover a portion of the trip;

4.      Your coverage may be secondary and the insurance will only pay for what you own private health or homeowner's insurance does not cover;

5.      May duplicate coverage you already have; 

6.      In the event the tour operator liquidates and goes belly up, you would lose not only your trip, but also your premium. 

7.      Many travel agents are not fully knowledgeable when it comes to understanding the details of various travel insurance policies and may overlook something that could be important to you or your family and few offer suggestions. Buying travel insurance may be less expensive purchasing through your tour operator or cruise line, but for the reasons listed above, you should really check around. 

Even though we don’t really wish it, accidents can and will happen. Traveling to strange and distant places without any form of insurance is a foolish mistake to commit.