Just like you cannot forget your passport when travelling overseas, similarly, travel insurance is also an essential part of your travel planning when leaving Australia. Holidays do not always go as planned and many times you find yourself in an unfortunate situation thinking that things would have been different if you have planned earlier.
In all such unfortunate situations, the only thing that can help you is a travel insurance. A travel insurance provides coverage for situations like trip delays, trip cancellations, lost luggage and most importantly medical emergencies. Regardless of how helpful the government of Australia is, they will not pay your medical bills in case of an emergency overseas. In some cases, the bills may reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Having a travel insurance will save you from a financial crisis paying your medical bills.
Add to this the fact that countries like the United States, Finland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, United Kingdom, etc will not let you in if you do not have a valid travel insurance. Which means travel insurance is also as mandatory a travel document as a visa.
Now that we have established the importance of having a travel insurance, it is also important to understand that not all travel insurance are the same. There are many different types of travel insurance policies each with a different scope of coverage. Most countries mandate a basic travel insurance for visa processing.
However, if you are looking for an all-round coverage, you must buy a comprehensive travel insurance.
What is a Comprehensive Travel Insurance?
A comprehensive travel insurance is the highest level of travel insurance that provides you with the protection of maximum depth. It typically provides coverage for trip cancellation, medical emergencies, lost or damaged luggage, personal liability, and family emergencies. This insurance also pays for evacuation needed due to natural disasters along with additional cover for travel delays, and alternative transport expenses. Some policies also pay for air ambulance or medical evacuations. Rightly, this type of policy is known as the daddy of all travel insurance policy.
It is not the cheapest option available but then by paying more you are buying additional coverage for better safety. If an infant or a senior citizen is travelling with you, it is always advised to go for a comprehensive travel insurance policy.
Compare Before You Buy
Even when you have made your mind to buy a comprehensive travel insurance policy, it is not advised to select the first policy you come across. You should always compare the policies by different companies to find out which one is giving you the best value for your money. There are many different comparison websites that let you compare the travel insurance policies offered by top providers. You can even set filters based on your requirement and select the policy that best suits your need.
