By Eve Kakai, Underwriter GA Insurance Uganda
When something disrupts your trip, the last thing you want to worry about is how to afford to get things back on track. Even the best-laid travel plans can go awry, as anyone who’s done their fair share of travel can attest to. When something happens to disrupt your trip, the last thing you want to worry about is how to afford to get things back on track.
Travel insurance can save the day — and save you thousands of dollars — in these situations. From lost luggage to additional lodging and food costs, it covers a host of setbacks that could occur when you travel. Yet many travelers forgo it, thinking they don’t need it or it’s not worth the cost. To learn why this could be a bad idea, Kakai Eve, Underwriter at GA Insurance Uganda elaborates more on why you need Travel Insurance.
Here are three reasons why one needs travel insurance
Anything could happen
There’s a lot you can’t control when you travel. From illness and injury to flight delays and cancellations, any number of things could derail your trip, costing you money you’ve already spent and potentially leading to new expenses.
“There are many factors that can disrupt travel, from extreme weather and worker strikes to illness, political instability and unforeseen family emergencies. People are accustomed to not getting travel insurance because historically they haven’t needed it. Their own experiences have taught them over the years that insurance is a waste of money. If something went wrong, companies usually stepped up and made it right for the customer. These days, it’s a whole different story. Infrequent travelers might not realize the chaos of the airline industry these days.” says Eve.
It can save you thousands of dollars
Whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally, a trip can be expensive. If something interrupts your plans, you stand to lose a lot of money.
“I often receive pleas for help from clients who have been blindsided by the loss of thousands of dollars invested in dream vacations that they failed to protect by purchasing travel insurance,” says Eve.
Flight delays alone happen more frequently than you could imagine, and they’ve cost passengers dearly. When you’ve sunk a good deal of money into a trip, you owe it to yourself to safeguard that money from losses.
“COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of being prepared for unexpected events that may disrupt travel plans, and it’s vital to have a plan in place to deal with these situations,” says Eve.
Find out how much travel insurance coverage you could get now.https://www.gainsuranceltd.com/ug/insurance/travel/
Your health insurance may not cover you abroad
Don’t assume your health insurance policy will protect you if you get sick or injured in a foreign country. That’s a common travel insurance myth. Many policies don’t cover medical expenses incurred abroad, and those that do consider these costs out-of-network, making them prohibitively expensive. Eve shares a story from one client;
“I had one client (who fortunately purchased travel insurance!) who was on a safari in Zambia and fell from a height of about 8 feet and seriously injured her back. The hospital in Zambia was NOT satisfactory.
The insurance paid for her $10K private chartered air ambulance flight to fly her from Livingstone to Johannesburg, where there was a top-notch hospital that treated her for several weeks and then flew her business class back to her home country.
Travel Insurance covered all her medical bills and other accommodations in Johannesburg for her husband.
The bottom line
If you’ve been wavering over whether or not to buy travel insurance, the consensus among many experts is: Do it. You never know what could happen, and when it comes to your money, better safe than sorry is often a wise policy.
