Are you travelling solo? Here is why you must buy Travel Insurance

Travel insurance will cover various kinds of risks associated with your journey. If you are travelling alone, you should take additional care as you should be able to manage the situation when something goes wrong. There are various kinds of travel insurance policies offered by Indian companies. You should choose a plan that best fulfills your needs. If you are covered by a health plan offered by your company, you should fill the gaps with the travel insurance plan. 

Benefits of travel insurance plan 

The best Travel Insurance Policy will take care of your needs in a very efficient manner. 

• Medical emergency - The travel insurance plan will protect you from medical emergencies. If you make a claim, upfront payment will be done by the insurance company. When you have access to cashless treatment facility, there will be great convenience. 

• Trip delay/trip cancellation – If you pay higher insurance premium, you can take advantage of the trip cancellation benefit. You should be aware of the trip length and trip delay clauses as well. 

• Age restrictions – The travel insurance plan should fulfill your needs. If you are above 65 years, some restrictions are applied by the insurance company. 

• Loss of baggage – If there is loss of baggage or personal items, the insurance company will bear the expenses. You should declare the value of items in your policy proposal form. The insurance company will take all possible searches to find out the lost baggage. If your baggage cannot be traced due to several reasons, you can make the claim. 

• Loss of travel documents – Loss of travel documents will be replaced by the travel insurance company. As soon as you notice the loss of travel documents, you should report the information to the insurance company. 

• Personal liability – The travel insurance company will offer legal help if you are involved in an accident. 

• Single/multi-trip – If you travel very rarely in a year, you should go for a single trip travel insurance plan. For frequent travelers, the multi-trip travel insurance plan is ideal. 

You should go through the terms and conditions of the travel insurance plan very carefully. Some travel insurance companies offer full coverage for the pre-existing health conditions. Other policies stipulate that your health should be stable for few weeks or months before covering the pre-existing conditions. Even though the premium is high, you should opt for a policy which covers the pre-existing health issues so that there will be great satisfaction. 

Cash hospitalization 

The travel insurance policy offers cashless treatment facility. It is the best policy to take care of your medical emergencies. You can carry the electronic travel insurance card from your insurance company so that there will be great convenience. The insurance company will have agencies in various countries. The services will be rendered through their partners in a seamless manner. 

How to choose the travel insurance plan?

Before buying a travel insurance plan, you should assess your insurance requirements. The policy should be purchased based on your single trip or multi-trip needs. It should offer the medical and dental coverage. 

The following features are prominent in a travel insurance plan:

• Trip cancellation/ trip interruption/trip delay 

• Loss of baggage 

• Pre-existing medical conditions 

• Emergency medical reunion 

You should share complete information in the proposal form so that the insurance claim will not be rejected by the insurance company. If the insurance company comes to understand that your information is false, it can reject the claim. 

 You can buy travel insurance policy from the following companies:

• SBI Travel insurance 

• TATA AIG Travel Insurance 

• Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance

• HDFC ERGO Travel Insurance

• Bharti AXA Travel Insurance

• Apollo Munich Travel Insurance

Types of travel insurance plans 

Individuals can buy domestic or international travel insurance plan as per his or her requirements. 

• Domestic - If you are travelling within the county, you can opt for domestic travel insurance plan. If you are travelling to a foreign country, you will want to overcome various contingencies as part of your journey and stay. 

• International - International travel insurance policy will offer comprehensive coverage. The policy will take care of your medical expenses, baggage, travel delays, repatriation, and loss of travel documents. 

• Student - With the help of the student travel insurance plan, student will be able to pursue higher studies in a distant land. Students who enroll in academic or professional courses will cover various kinds of risks with the best student travel insurance policy. The policy should be in tune with your university/school requirements. 

• Medical – The medical travel insurance plan will cover healthcare as well as medical expenses. If you are travelling solo, there is every need to cover emergency medical expenses. 

• Senior citizen – If you are in between 61 and 70 year age group, you will get benefits under the senior citizen travel insurance plan. You will have a pleasurable travel experience when you are insured by a reliable company. The insurance company will extend help you fulfill the needs of senior citizen in the best possible way. 

Key features of travel insurance plan 

• Covers flight issues – The flight delay or cancellation will be covered by the insurance policy. You will get accommodation at the nearest hotel until your catch the next flight. 

• Medical liability – If you meet with an accident, the insurance company will bear the medical treatment expenses. 

• Legal liability – Various kinds of legal expenses will be covered by the travel insurance company. 

• Loss of baggage – The loss of luggage and travel documents will be covered by the insurance plan. 

Conclusion 

Before buying a travel insurance plan, you should be aware of the limitations of the policy and the coverage extended by the policy. The policy should cover the places of visit and the duration. The insurance policy should be adequate enough to absorb all kinds of travel-related risks. Trip delay, trip cancellation, loss of baggage and medical & dental coverage will certainly help you accomplish your vacation with great ease. The solo travel insurance plan will be a great companion during your vacation. 

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When Should I Buy Travel Insurance?

Travel insurance covers various kinds of risks such as loss of baggage, cancellation of trip and medical treatment. There are various issues which may surface ‘out of the blue’ and they may drain your pocket or lead to bankruptcy. If you pay a little premium, you can cover travel-related risks in a very efficient manner. There are various kinds of travel insurance policies which can be selected as per your needs. If you go for a group insurance plan, the premium will be low and there will be many benefits. 

Types of insurance plans 

You can go for various kinds of insurance plans as mentioned below:

• Individual travel insurance plan

• Student travel insurance plan 

• Family travel insurance plan 

• Senior citizen insurance plan 

• Corporate travel insurance plan 

Features of insurance plans 

• Emergency medical coverage – You can cover the emergency medical expenses with the help of travel insurance plans. There are various kinds to cover new-born babies, children, and adults. By choosing a group insurance plan, you can reduce the premium and you can get maximum benefits. 

• Emergency evacuation – If there is an emergency medical evacuation, the expenses will be reimbursed by the insurance company. 

• Personal accident – As you Buy Travel Insurance, accidental death and personal total disability will be covered by the insurance plan. 

• Loss of baggage – If there is a loss of accompanying baggage, there will be a great risk. Hence, you should buy a policy which covers all kinds of expenses that arise from the loss of baggage. If you report the loss of checked-in baggage, every attempt will be made by the insurance carrier to trace out the lost baggage. The luggage will be delivered to your doorsteps. If the luggage is lost, the replacement cost will be 

• Loss of travel document – Loss of travel documents such as passport and affidavits will land you in trouble. Hence, you should choose the most appropriate plan to cover travel documents as well. 

• Trip cancellation/trip delay – There will be huge financial loss due to delay or cancellation of the trip. These expenses will be covered in the best possible way by subscribing to the most appropriate insurance. Hence, there is immense Need Of Travel Insurance to take care of your financial needs in the best possible way. 

Buying a travel insurance 

You should ensure that the purchase of travel insurance should be done on a priority basis. You can Buy Travel Insurance as soon as you deposit money towards the trip. 

In order to ensure the coverage of the trip, you should choose the insurance plan within 10 to 14 days. You are advised to buy the travel insurance cover immediately after the trip deposit so that the insurance plan will be effective. Even though you make changes to the trip or cancel your trip, your losses will be borne by the insurance company. 

You are advised to collect basic information about the journey. The insurance premium is based on various factors including age, location, number of members, and activities at the new place. If there is involvement of adventurous activities, you will want to pay a higher premium. 

Before buying an insurance plan, the level of cover should be assessed. You should not go for underinsured or over insured policy. If you go for underinsured policy, the out of pocket expenses will increase. If you go for over insured policy, the premium amount will be high and it will not be cost-effective. 

Declaration 

You should choose an individual, group or family policy as per the feasibility. You should get extensive information about various kinds of policies. The Need Of Travel Insurance will arise when you undertake domestic or foreign travel. 

You should choose a policy from an insurance company that manages best claim settlement percentage. A reputed insurance company offers various riders to cover a wide range of risk factors. Thus, you will be able to make the most of your money. The travel insurance premium should not be considered as an expense. 

The following risks are covered by the insurance policy:

• Cancellation of the trip

• Cancel due to work reason 

• Pre-existing medical conditions 

• Natural calamities (varies from company to another company) 

If you buy travel insurance early, you can cover plane tickets which are purchased later. If the travel cost is less than the coverage offered by the insurance plan, you will get a partial refund from the insurance company. The changes to the policy should be done to get a refund. 

Conclusion 

You should buy the travel insurance plan as soon as you make the initial trip payment. After assessing the total expenditure and comparing various insurance plans, you can buy travel insurance online. The little premium will save you great fortune and you will have absolute peace of mind by subscribing to the best insurance plan. 

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What You Need To Know About Student Travel Insurance?

Student travel insurance gives protection from accidents, theft and illnesses. If you are planning for studies in abroad, you should possess international student travel insurance. The insurance plan enables you the payment of medical bills, hospitalization expenses and other expenses. Students can avoid large financial losses can be avoided by possessing the best student travel insurance plan.

Is it necessary?

The cost of medical treatment in abroad is very high. The student travel insurance will help avoid major financial stress. The insurance plan will also cover medical emergencies, flight cancellation & curtailment, loss of personal possessions, sports activities, accident to sponsor, family visit and 24-hour emergency assistance. 

If your plan includes ‘bail bond’ rider, you will get bailout amount when you are arrested under for bailable offense in a foreign country. If you are buying a student travel insurance policy in India, you should ensure that the policy is accepted by the overseas university. You can get an online policy instantly from top insurance companies in India and the travel insurance plan is issued at the lowest premium. 

What is covered by the insurance plan?

You should choose the student travel insurance policy as per your needs. You are advised to compare various travel insurance policies offered by different insurance companies in India. You can get additional information about the plan from the insurance provider. It is possible to buy the best product online at best premium so that you can save time and effort. The travel plan will cover the risk so that you will have great peace of mind and you can focus on studies without any issues. 

• Medical expenses (due to accident, sickness, disease and death)

• Expenses involved in transportation of the dead body or burial expenses 

• Evacuation to India due to medical emergencies 

• Dental surgery due to injuries on the current stay 

• Compensation due to permanent dismemberment or death due to accident 

• Loss of passport (the cost involved in procuring the new passport is covered)

• Loss of baggage due to mistake committed by the carrier 

• The amount spent on return flight ticket towards the family members who are on a visit to see you 

• Amount paid towards bail in case of apprehension by judicial authorities due to a bailable offense. 

• Tuition fee reimbursement due to discontinuation of education on medical issue

• Reimbursement of tuition fee on death of sponsor  

What is not covered by the insurance plan?

The student travel insurance plan comes with certain exclusions. They are mentioned below:

• Suicide

• Mental disorder

• Depression, stress and anxiety

• Alcohol or drug abuse

• Venereal disease 

• HIV/AIDS

The travel insurance will not apply under the following circumstances:

• Registered or undergoing a medical treatment 

• Travel abroad to get medical treatment 

• Suffering from terminal disease 

• Baggage lost due to negligence (or not reported to police)

• Damage or loss of checked-in baggage 

• Situation that arises due to war or nuclear threat 

What are the important factors?

• Age- If your age is in between 16 and 35, you are eligible to buy student travel insurance plan. 

• Affordability - If you buy policy in India, it will be cheaper than a policy bought in a foreign country 

• Mandatory - Health insurance plan is mandatory for most of the universities in foreign countries. 

• Better policy - You are advised to buy a student travel insurance plan which is far better than the health insurance plan offered by the foreign university. The travel insurance plan purchased in India covers better and the premium will be low. 

• Get refund - The premium is included in the tuition fee collected by the foreign university. If you have subscribed to a travel insurance plan in India, you can get a refund from the university. 

• Renewal - The policy can be renewed automatically so that your stay will not be disrupted. You can buy extension policy in advance by using the online facilities. 

• Compulsory coverage - You should be aware of the specific mandatory risk coverage against drug abuse, mental disorder, alcoholism, pregnancy, mammography, cancer screening and sports injuries. 

• Pregnancy - The pregnancy and childbirth are not included in the travel insurance plan. There are certain exceptions to deal with emergency situations. However, the age of the woman should be less than 38 years and pregnancy should be less than 38 weeks. 

• Discontinuation of studies - Certain conditions warrant the student discontinuation of studies. The death of sponsor, loss of family member and hospitalization of the candidate due to accident or illness will be covered by the insurance plan. The student will get the tuition fee as the risk is covered by the insurance plan. 

Conclusion 

If you are studying alone in a foreign country, it is wise enough to go for student travel insurance so that uncertainties will be covered in a very efficient manner. The travel insurance will cover various contingencies and it will minimize your expenses. 

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How to Travel with a Group of Friends?

Travelling is a highly exhilarating experience and especially travelling with friends. So how do you make a trip with friends memorable, here is a list of all the ideas and strategies in order to make your trip easy.

Choosing your companions: When you are deciding who you want to go with, it is also important to choose those who you easily get along with. Travelling always forces you and your friends to be together constantly. As you will be spending much time together you will need to decide which friends to take along and which to avoid so that there is good compatibility and no conflicts on your trip. 

Money: The second most important thing when it comes to travelling. Money has always been a sensitive topic, and by agreeing on things beforehand you can avoid conflict later. What one person considers to be affordable might not seem to be the same for the other. So deciding the budget of the trip and how much money to carry along would be the ideal thing. 

Communication: One of the best ways of reducing stress during travelling is communication. So whether you are on a trip with your best friend or with a new friend having a proper communication will benefit everyone. For example telling your friend if there is something bothering her in the entire trip then don't hesitate to tell them. 

Creating an Itinerary: You don't have to plan your trip hour by hour. But can along with your friends decide where you want to go, and how you wish to go. Your travel companions must gel well with the idea of what they are exactly getting into. 

Making sure there are enough rooms: Do not make everyone stay in the same room. Some people have the habit of snoring or fidgeting during their sleep. So the more number of beds you have, the more number of chances you will have to make adjustments. Try and search for a hotel or place where there will be separate rooms for all in a tight budget. 

Helping your friends prepare: Some of your friends might have less travel experience. So do offer them some advice of what to bring, and what they can expect from the entire trip. 

Travelling without Travel Insurance nowadays is an open invitation to unnecessary expenses occurring due to any untoward happening. 

So here are the 5 best travel insurance plans for you to review and make a selection from.

Apollo Munich: Apollo Munich is considered to be one of the best travel insurance providers in India. It offers five kinds of travel insurance policies and they are Easy Travel Individual, Easy Travel Family, Easy Travel Senior Citizen, Easy Travel Annual Multi Trip Plan, Educare (Students travel insurance plan). 

The features of this insurance plan are as follows 

1. Personal Liability, Maternity benefit, childcare benefit, Treatment of Mental and Nervous Disorder; Including Alcoholism and Drug Dependency. 

2. Medical Expenses for Inter-collegiate Sports Injuries, Cancer Screening and Mammography Examinations, Emergency Financial Assistance, HIV Cover.

3. Delay of Checked Baggage. 

4. Loss of Passport, Financial Emergency Cash, Personal Liability, Trip Delay, Hijack Daily Allowance.

5. Trip Cancellation and Curtailment, Missed Connection

Bajaj Allianz: Bajaj Allianz has received the award for best travel insurance company in 2011, 2010 and 2014. The company offers customers with plans like Individual Travel insurance Plan, Family Travel insurance Plan, Senior Citizen Travel Insurance Plan, Student Travel Insurance and the last but not the least Corporate travel Insurance plan. 

The features of this plan include:

• Medical Expenses,

• Evacuation and Repatriation

• Emergency dental pain relief

• Loss of Checked Baggage

• Delay of Baggage, Personal Accident, Loss of Passport, 

• Personal Liability, Hijack, Trip Delay etc. 

• Emergency Cash Advance

Bajaj Travel Asia plan: Apart from the five types of travel insurance plan, Bajaj has also come up with customized travel insurance plan called as Travel Asia. Like the other categories the plan also has variants in terms of the coverage amount. It comes with a coverage amount of US$15,000 and US$ 25,000 respectively. The features of this policy are as follows: 

• Delay of Baggage

• Personal Accident

• Loss of passport

• Personal Liability

• Hijack

• Emergency Cash Advance

• Medical Expenses, Evacuation and Repatriation

• Emergency dental pain relief

• Loss of Checked Baggage

• AD & D Common Carrier

HDFC Ergo: HDFC Ergo Travel Insurance policy offers customers with single trip multi Asia plan, Family Floater plan and a Student Travel Insurance Plan called Student Suraksha etc.

The features of this policy are:

1. Accidental Death and Permanent Total Disability Common Carrier

2. Emergency Dental expenses 

3. Hospital Cash

4. Loss of Baggage and Personal Documents

5. Contingency Travel Benefits

6. Hijack Distress Allowance

To conclude 

Now that you have become familiar with the different kinds of insurance plans in India, you can have your policy purchased from any of these Insurance companies as per your needs and requirements. You can choose any one from the above mentioned providers and get the travel insurance policy directly from their portal.

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Difference between travel and student travel insurance

You might have great plans to execute the journey in the best possible way. The travel insurance will cover the trip cancellation expenses as well. Due to unforeseen circumstances, you might want to cancel the trip and the loss is covered by the travel insurance. The other factors which are covered by the travel insurance include loss of baggage, and missing the flight. The travel insurance can be bought by an individual, family or a group. It is different from the Student travel insurance.

Features of student travel insurance plan 

As a student in a new country, you will go through great excitement. It is a great opportunity to learn new skills, specialized education and you will explore new places. There are many differences in food, climate, and culture. The Student Travel Insurance will help you overcome many challenges. A comprehensive insurance plan is a great companion to overcome various kinds of travel-related issues. 

• Student travel insurance supports and covers students when they go abroad 

• Offers emergency medical assistance 

• Loss of passport 

• Compensation for loss of baggage or baggage delay

• Covers medical expenses including the cost of evacuation/repatriation 

• Emergency dental treatment 

• Tuition fee payment (if the study is interrupted due to hospitalization)

• Reimbursement of tuition fee (if the student is compelled to discontinue studies due to illness or death of family member)

• Sponsoring of tickets 

• Stay with one family member when the student requires hospitalization for more than 7 days. 

• If the sponsor dies in the middle of the course, the remaining tuition fee will be paid by the insurance company 

Features of travel insurance 

A Travel Insurance plan will cover the following risks: 

• Medical expenses (including the cost of evacuation and repatriation)

• Emergency dental treatment 

• Trip cancellation or interruption 

• Loss of baggage and personal belongings 

• Flight insurance 

• Accidental death and dismemberment 

• Collision damage waiver 

• Cancellation of trip due to weather conditions or travel advisory 

• Sports coverage

• Hotline assistance on 24/7 basis

Differences 

Focus on the study – The student travel insurance will focus on all issues that will affect the student’s health, study and travel. Various factors are addressed in the insurance policy so that the student will be able to continue his studies without any issues. On the other hand, the travel insurance is concerned about the safe journey, accommodation and activities that are part of the journey. The travel insurance will deal with personal or official trip. 

Single or multi-trip – The travel insurance is offered as a single or multi-trip cover. If you are planning more than one destination, you can include all the destinations in the travel insurance plan. On the other hand, you can extend the travel plan beyond 30 days as per your needs. The student insurance will cover issues that are present in the homeland as well as abroad. The issues that interrupt the studies of the student will also be covered by the plan. The duration of the student travel insurance can be up to 2 years. 

Medical test – There is no requirement of medical tests before issuing travel insurance. If you are flying to some countries, you will want to go through the recommended medical tests and vaccinations. The pre-existing conditions are not covered by either travel insurance or student travel insurance. You can include pre-existing conditions by opting for an additional premium. 

Tips to buy the travel insurance 

• The travel insurance should cover the trip expenses. 

• You should understand the coverage and limits so that there will not be any confusion at a later stage. 

• Costly items such as jewelry and laptops can be covered by going for additional riders 

• The claim filing procedure should be simple and you should have access to the toll-free number 

Tips to buy the student travel insurance 

• The insurance plan should cover the break in studies due to various reasons including the death of sponsor, death of close family member 

• It should cover the personal liabilities. The loss of expensive items will be recovered with the insurance premium 

• When you fall sick, you should have access to medical treatment. The insurance company should help you file the claim very easily so that you will get financial assistance to continue your studies without any issues. 

Conclusion 

Travel insurance deals with all the travel-related issues. If you are travelling aboard as a student to study a course, you will want to buy a student travel insurance as it will cover all kinds of risks associated with your studies. A leisure or business traveler should buy travel insurance to cover unwanted surprises during the trip. There will be great peace of mind when your risks are covered by a proper insurance plan.

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