Traveling without international travel insurance? It would really depend on your destination. You won’t need international travel insurance if you’re going to place where everything you own would be safe if left alone on a seat, or the safety measures are as high as that in your home country. However, in most cases, international travel means unusual food and strange customs. Thus, to answer the question, it’s most likely you will need a international travel cancellation insurance plan.
Just the other day, there was a story about an airport porter who found a bag with personal documents, US dollars worth over $1,000, and some jewelry. You would think that he would take off with the bag. He didn’t. He did admit to thinking more than twice about bringing it in as a lost item. Most people would not even think twice. They would take that bag and run off.
Imagine if you were one of those who lost something valuable and never got it back. Your case would have a 5% recovery rate, so this means possibly going back home ahead of schedule.
There’s also a one in a thousand chance of a flight being cancelled because of bad weather or a terrorist threat. The results is that you not only miss your flight and business appointment, you also don’t get a refund. You might even end up checked into a sleazy hotel sharing a room with a stranger.
Incidents like these are not something you actively seek to happen. They just do through no fault of yours. And it can happen to anyone. Just ask any airport or terminal employee. They will have hundreds of stories like these to talk about.
However, being able to travel means having the funds to spend, so allocating a small portion to international travel insurance is not a lot to ask. If you plan properly, it won’t even make a dent on your travel budget. Compare this to the chances of high medical costs from something you never thought would happen. It could even boil down to borrowing from loan sharks to pay for your medical bills.
Loan sharks are no joke to deal with. They charge exorbitant rates. It would be like grabbing onto to a sharp knife while falling. But you do it because at that point you have no choice. Now, at this point when you’re planning your trip, the choice is there to make.
All your plans for a lovely vacation overseas will be devastatingly demolished. And this is why the international travel insurance is so important.
Dan Miller frequently writes about travel insurance international