You have just bought yourself a ticket to the US and you are as happy as lark. But did you think of buying a travel insurance for yourself and your family? Probably not. Probably you thought that it is a complete waste of money. And anyway, there is nothing bad that can happen on a holiday right? Wrong. Travel insurance exists for a reason. It’s there to protect and safeguard you at a time when you meet with an unpredictable situation –which requires instant financial support. Given the high cost of living in the States, Indian travellers are advised to buy a comprehensive travel insurance to stay financially protected against a sudden emergency – be it medical or travel related. A good US travel insurance covers the following:
- Trip delays: Often things don’t go as planned. It may happen that one’s flight gets delayed beyond the scheduled departure time due to a technical snag or poor weather conditions. To ensure that one’s hard earned money does not go in vain, it’s imperative to get adequate travel insurance to cover against a delayed flight.
- Medical Insurance: Medical care is expensive in the US. Infact, many US residents travel to India as part of medical tourism to obtain quality medical treatment at a lower cost. Thus, falling sick onUS trip is an unpleasant situation to land in. Its important to avail necessary travel insurance to cover against the health costs in case of contracting a sudden medical condition in the US. Often, it may happen that due to unfamiliar weather or consumption of unfamiliar food, one may fall ill in a foreign country. Thus, it is best to be well prepared for such an exigency.
- A travel insurance policy can cover you by bearing emergency medical as well as dental expenses, since carrying on a trip with a terrible toothache is hardly desirable. You will be entitled to daily cash allowance if you are hospitalized. Also, the insurance will take care of medical evacuation in case of extreme situations where you might have to be transported to the nearest hospital via road or air.
- Accidental deaths are also covered by such travel insurance policies and a lump-sum amount will be paid to your family, if such an unfortunate event arises. Moreover, the insurer will bear the costs of transferring the mortal remains to your homeland. If an accident causes permanent disability, even then the insurance company will pay you a lump-sum amount so that you can plan your life a little easily.
- Baggage Insurance: Delayed or lost baggage is a common compliant amongst overseas travellers, especially to the US, given the presence of several smaller interconnecting flights to the major airports. However, with a travel insurance in place, one need not have to worry. One is well equipped to handle such inconvenient situations. The insurance company would compensate for lost baggage and even the damaged goods in some cases. This is especially useful in case one is carrying valuables.
- Flight Insurance: Insurance companies also compensate for untoward incidents like collision of aircrafts and emergency landing. This is not to sound like all is gloom and doom. But in unpredictable times like today, it might make sense to sign up for travel insurance to protect from every possible eventuality. Afterall, better be safe than sorry!
- Other situations: Insurers would bear the costs towards damage arising from undesirable situations like forced evacuation due to terrorist attack or other enemy action. While previously such things were unheard of in developed nations like the US and one would only avoid travel to dangerous conflict prone locations in the world, 9/11 has changed all that! Now a terrorism activity is possible anywhere, anytime. Thus, it is good to be prepared for the worst and buy comprehensive travel insurance before making a trip to the US. Such an insurance policy will also protect you against thefts and robberies, and you will be provided with emergency cash.
- With the right travel insurance, you will also be covered in case you have to extend your hotel stay while recovering from an emergency medical condition. In case you are accidentally responsible for any third party damage, even then the insurer will offer compensation.
While choosing an insurance policy for the USA, make sure you read about the exclusions as well. Usually, you won’t be covered for adventure sports, consumption of intoxicating substances, pre-existing medical conditions, any sickness due to breach of law or war, and cosmetic treatments.
So, while you are making plans to visit the Central Park in the Big Apple, and the White House in Washington DC, don’t forget about purchasing a good US travel insurance policy that meets your specific needs.Make sure that the insurer has an efficient customer service team so that your queries get handled immediately in case of an unanticipated situation. You should also ideally compare different policies and then only sign on the dotted line.
