Matching Travel Insurance to Your Trip: Why It Matters

It’s important to choose a policy that meets destination requirements, covers adventure activities, and provides medical evacuation.

Regardless of how well you have prepared for your trip, emergencies can occur, putting your travel plans on hold or forcing you to alter your bucket list. You never know when you might encounter a medical emergency or become a victim of pickpocketing and lose your passport. In all these unfortunate scenarios, a travel insurance policy can offer support. However, before purchasing insurance for your next trip, it should align with your specific requirements.

Travel insurance provides crucial support during emergencies, such as medical issues or lost luggage.

Why your travel insurance should align with your trip

Here are some reasons why you should purchase a travel insurance policy that matches your trip:

Mandatory Coverage

While travel insurance is not mandatory worldwide, 41 countries — including all 27 Schengen nations — require tourists to have a valid policy before entering their territory. Moreover, if you are flying to a Schengen country, your insurance must provide a minimum medical coverage of €30,000, which translates to approximately ₹30,90,000. Therefore, before purchasing a cover, familiarise yourself with the legal requirements of your destination.

Adventure Activities

After months of a regular work-life schedule, you may decide to travel abroad with a bucket list full of activities such as skiing, scuba diving, or trekking. However, such activities carry inherent risks. What if, while trekking, your leg slips and you sustain an injury?

In this scenario, it is important that the policy you purchase covers higher-risk adventure activities, which traditional insurers often exclude.

Medical Evacuation

If you are planning to visit an offbeat destination, you may not have access to even adequate medical facilities. In the event of an illness or injury in such locations, and with no one to drive you to the nearest city for hospitalisation, having a travel insurance policy that includes a medical evacuation benefit is crucial.

Timely Booking

Let’s say you booked your flight tickets, hotel accommodation, and other itineraries for a journey scheduled to begin on the 15th of the month — all on the 1st of the month. You postponed purchasing travel insurance until the last minute. Two days after making your bookings, a medical emergency arises, requiring a month of bed rest. In this case, since you did not have insurance at the time of the emergency, you won’t be compensated for the non-refundable travel expenses.

Travel Purpose

If you take multiple international trips a year, buying a single-trip travel insurance policy each time may not be cost-effective. What’s the alternative? A multi-trip travel insurance cover can be more practical and saves you from the hassle of purchasing a new policy before every trip. A multi-trip policy is typically valid for 365 days. However, it’s important to check whether your insurer covers multiple destinations under the policy or only multiple trips to a specific region.

Pre-existing Disease

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, such as a cardiac issue, and are travelling to a destination where harsh weather may affect your condition, it is essential to check whether the insurer covers pre-existing conditions. Even if coverage is provided, claims will usually be accepted only if you have received medical clearance from your registered doctor before taking the flight, stating you are fit to travel.

Travel Duration

If you frequently travel abroad, purchasing a single-trip travel insurance policy for each trip may not be practical. In such cases, a multi-trip travel insurance plan is a suitable option. It is generally more cost-effective and convenient, sparing you the repeated process of buying a new policy. As noted earlier, multi-trip policies are valid for 365 days, but you must confirm whether the policy supports travel to multiple destinations or only to specific regions.

Claim Ease

Before finalising your insurer, check their claim settlement ratio. This metric indicates how many claims the insurer has settled relative to the total number received. Additionally, understand the claim process in detail. Can you easily raise a claim online? Is a third party involved? Familiarise yourself with the documentation required in various scenarios to ensure smoother processing.

Luggage Protection

No one wants to arrive at their destination only to find that their luggage is missing or delayed. Common causes include tight layovers, misrouted baggage, or tagging errors. Security checks and gate changes can also result in your luggage being sent to the wrong destination. Check whether your travel insurance policy provides luggage protection and what specific conditions or exclusions apply.

Emergency Assistance

Ensure that your insurer offers 24/7 emergency assistance. Suppose your policy includes medical evacuation and a health situation occurs at midnight. If your insurer is unreachable, your policy coverage becomes ineffective when you need it the most. Also, check whether the insurer provides multilingual support and local medical referrals — especially important when travelling to non-English-speaking countries.

Choosing travel insurance that matches your trip contributes to a more organised journey. From mandatory coverage and adventure activities to medical evacuation, pre-existing conditions, and luggage protection, the right policy offers helpful support.

To maximise policy benefits, make timely bookings, understand your travel purpose, and be clear about your trip duration. When choosing an insurance provider, knowing the claim process and ensuring the availability of 24/7 emergency assistance are equally important.

Note to the Reader: This article is part of Hindustan Times' promotional consumer connect initiative and is independently created by the brand. Hindustan Times assumes no editorial responsibility for the content.