Do You Need Travel Insurance ?
This is the million-dollar question — and ultimately a personal decision. I’ve met plenty of people who travel without travel insurance and I’ve contemplated doing the same.
But after over 10-years of constant travel, hearing horror stories from other travelers, and getting into a few dangerous predicaments myself — if someone asks for my opinion on the subject I answer with:
YES. Everyone should carry some kind of health/property insurance when traveling.
Why? Because stuff happens. Whether you think it will or not. Despite your best-laid plans and preventative measures. Sure, if you sprain your ankle, it might not be a big deal.
But what if your appendix bursts? Or your bus crashes? Or you contract a deadly disease? Or require medical evacuation after breaking your leg?
These things definitely happen to travelers from time to time, and could cost you tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars. Without insurance, you’re screwed!
My recommendation is based on listening to countless first-hand tales of disaster from other travelers, as well as my own personal experiences.
Real-Life Examples
I know a woman traveling in Costa Rica who fell off a ladder, shattering her arm. She did not have health insurance, received horrible treatment at the local hospital, and was basically held hostage there until she was able to pay the HUGE medical bill.
Another person I know lost everything he was traveling with when his locked guesthouse in Ecuador was broken into. Without personal property insurance, he would have needed to spend thousands replacing all his gear.
Another friend contracted a flesh-eating parasite while trekking through the jungles of Peru. He required months worth of treatment from specialized doctors, and a medical evacuation flight back to the United States.
These are all people I know personally.
Making An Insurance Claim
Insurance companies are notorious for trying to avoid paying out claims. Making a claim might take some work on your part, depending on the situation. Here are a few tips for getting paid through travel insurance:
- If you’re having issues filing a claim, always work your way up the corporate ladder. Talk to a supervisor. Then talk to the supervisor’s supervisor. Make your claim issues public using Social Media if needed.
- Record conversations. At the beginning of every phone call, tell the other party you’re recording the conversation to ensure no misunderstandings later.
- When filing a police report of any kind, keep the story simple. The longer and more in-depth the report, the easier it is for insurance companies to find a loophole to deny your claim.
Additional Travel Insurance Tips
- Read the fine print first! Know what you’re covered for. For example, some policies don’t cover extreme sports or theft of unattended items.
- Take photos or a video of all your travel gear with a date stamp.
- Save PDF copies of any travel gear purchases & hospital receipts. Keep originals too.
- Write down serial numbers, policy numbers, and insurance contact information.
- Store this information online in a secure, easy to access place. I use Evernote. Another good option is Dropbox or Google Drive.
- File a police report immediately after any theft or accident while traveling.
No one likes to think about theft or injury when they’re on vacation, but the threat is real, and without good travel insurance, an unexpected incident could ruin the rest of your year. Never travel without it!
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