Countless travelers never give travel insurance a second thought. Many of the ones who do think about it see it as a needless expense. If you, however, are planning a trip with your family in the near future, you should not dismiss the idea of family travel insurance. Why?
Think about it
What you will do if you and your family find yourself in one of these situations:
- You or another family member becomes ill and you will have to cancel your trip.
- Political unrest or a terrorist incident occurs in your destination city before your departure, and you want to cancel your trip.
- Your flight is canceled.
- You have packed medication, and your bag containing it is lost or stolen.
- Your wallet or purse was stolen and along with it all your money and passport. You need emergency cash, and you need to have your passport replaced.
- You have reached your destination and are having the time of your life when the news arrives that your tour operator has gone bankrupt and will not be able to cover the rest of your tour expenses or to get you back home.
- You or a family member is injured or becomes ill while you are in a foreign country. Your existing health coverage does not pay for services received outside of its network of providers.
- A hurricane, flood, or other natural disaster damages your hotel or cruise ship so severely that it is no longer functional.
That may present a bleak picture of the joys of traveling with your family, but you can set aside all your concerns simply by deciding to spend a few extra dollars to purchase family travel insurance. Having the insurance will free you from all worries about what might happen while you’re far from home in a strange country or city, so you can relax and enjoy your time together. Here are some tips on how to find a good family travel insurance policy:
Make sure to get family travel insurance from a provider who is not connected to your tour operator. While many tour operators and cruise ship companies offer family travel insurance at a discounted rate, your coverage will disappear if the operator or company happens to go bankrupt in the middle of your trip!
Study the fine print on your family travel insurance, because if your flight or cruise departs late, you may want to cancel. Some family travel insurance policies, however, have a clause that says that your cancellation won’t be covered unless it means that more than half of your vacation will be canceled!
Be absolutely certain, when purchasing a family travel insurance policy, that you are completely honest with the insurance company about all your family’s medical conditions. If someone has a pre-existing condition and you don’t mention it, you might have any claim for medical expenses you incur during your family vacation denied!
Because so many things can go wrong during a family vacation, you need to understand clearly what your insurance company is offering to cover, and what circumstances have to occur before they are liable to pay your claims your claims! If you have a good family travel insurance policy, however, it can be a true lifesaver. Your travel insurance company can act as an advocate if you have a medical emergency while abroad, and the medical facility might be tempted to overcharge you because you are far from home!
