What is travel protection?
You are planning to travel to the other side of the world (or not necessarily as far away) and you checked online about ‘travel protection‘, which actually means travel insurance.
What is a travel insurance?
Abroad, medical care is not necessarily free and can even be extremely expensive, and travel insurance will cover some or all of the costs.
By definition, a travel insurance is a contract that offers a set of financial guarantees to cover you for the consequences of incidents that may occur before and during your travels, trips and stays abroad.
Indeed, when you go on a trip abroad you are not immune from an accident, illness or other. It can be a simple toothache, a sprain, a cut on coral that will require medical attention, mosquito bites that have become infected, food poisoning, heat stroke… in short, a lot can happen, and I have only told you about the most common risks!
If you don’t have travel protection, it can lead to considerable financial problems, stress and a sense of helplessness.
In short, travel insurance is not necessarily mandatory, but it is highly recommended because it will give you peace of mind when you leave.
What can travel insurance cover?
There are different types of insurance, but here is a brief overview of the things that can be covered by travel insurance:
– Personal assistance: this is a guarantee of assistance to persons in the event of illness, accident or death. Travel insurance will cover the costs of medical care and hospitalization. The benefits and amounts covered will vary depending on the formula or insurer chosen.
– Baggage insurance: this is a guarantee that provides compensation if anything should happen to your baggage (loss, theft, damage,)
– Cancellation of the trip: in certain circumstances you may have to cancel your trip (illness, force majeure…). Cancellation insurance offers financial protection in the event of cancellation of a trip already booked.
– Repatriation assistance: in the event of an early return due to a serious accident of a relative who remained in your country or following an illness or accident that occurred on the spot.
– Insurance for the theft, loss or destruction of your luggage and personal belongings (imagine if you forget your laptop in a taxi or if your hotel room is burglarized!)
– Civil liability: accidents that cause bodily injury or damage to property can also occur and the cost of repairs can rise very high.
There are other insurances that can also be useful to you when you travel: insurance for photographic equipment, car insurance, hospitalization insurance, fire insurance, legal protection insurance…
Generally, travel insurers are at your disposal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are therefore certain that, in the event of a problem, you will be able to contact someone who can help you.
Some tips before starting your trip abroad:
- Don’t wait until the last minute to take out insurance: read the general terms and conditions of sale in their entirety, in order to avoid surprises if you have a base-jump accident or other sporting activity that is not covered.
- That being said, don’t take out your insurance until you have set your travel dates and destination, but do so as soon as you have purchased your flight ticket.
- If you have a particular medical condition prior to your trip (epilepsy, diabetes etc.) check if you can be covered.
- If you have expensive photo equipment, see if it is not better to take out specific insurance to cover them in case of problems.
- Take the time to have a complete check-up at your doctor or dentist to avoid unpleasant surprises on site. It will be cheaper for you than doing it on site.
- Print your insurance certificate and keep it with you when you clear customs, it may be required to prove that you are insured (travel insurance is required to travel to certain countries).
- Familiarize yourself with the refund process and plan what to do in the event of a problem.
- Photocopy all the necessary documents to provide in case of a problem: assistance number, insurance card, RIB (to be reimbursed). Also take pictures of them and send them to your mailbox.
- If you have any specific questions you can contact World Nomads directly by email or phone, so that you are not in doubt and have more details.
- Avoid doing stupid and dangerous things that you might regret because you just want to entertain your friends, that you’re drunk or that you’ve just lost a bet…
- Use common sense and follow instructions if there is an obvious risk: swimming where swimming is prohibited, for example.
- Finally, take a minimum care of your belongings: do not leave them lying around in plain sight: dormitories in hostel backpackers are places where it is better to be careful, as are campervans that are poorly closed or parked in an isolated car park. Always keep the essentials with you!
Where to buy a travel insurance?
- In a travel agency
- At your insurance company
- With a travel insurance specialist
- From airlines (when purchasing the ticket)
- To your bank
- Simply online, on the internet with World Nomads (the easiest way)
The benefits of World Nomads Travel Protection:
- Most destinations are covered
- No paperwork or forms to send back by mail
- The subscription is done online quickly, payment by card, there is no medical form to fill in.
- You can buy cover while traveling: World Nomads lets you buy more cover to keep you on the road.
- Possibility to extend your health coverage via their website.
- They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- They cover around 150 adventure activities, like surfing or scuba diving!
- Coverage of the insured’s early return.
- See all the advantages of World Nomads by clicking here!
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Prepare your trip righ now!
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