When you book a trip with us you’ll notice that travel insurance is compulsory. Even when travelling to the safest places in the world, it is not recommended that you leave your home country without travel insurance, nor book a tour without having it sorted. A few travellers have enquired about this policy, so we thought we’d explain what it is and why you need it.
What is travel insurance?
Travel insurance is insurance that is intended to cover medical expenses, trip cancellation, lost luggage, flight accident and other losses incurred while travelling, either internationally or within one’s own country.
Why do you need it?
Every person has their own level of risk tolerance, but these days most countries won’t even let you cross their borders if you don’t have travel insurance in place.The need for it is two-fold:
If you go:
Depending on your travel insurance policy you will be covered for health care expenses, medical evacuation and repatriation and emergency dental care; as well as cover in case of theft/loss of belongings and cancellations/delays throughout your trip. Auto insurance covers you for any accidents or collisions that may happen as you travel abroad.
If you can’t go:
Travel insurance also covers you in the event that you cannot go on your holiday (e.g. a relative falls ill, you are injured before you leave, you lose your job), so you are able to recoup any costs you incurred in preparation for your trip (e.g. airfare, accommodation deposits, etc.).
What kind of travel insurance should you get?
Here are a few questions that will help you to determine what kind of travel insurance policy would be best for you:
1. What kind of travelling are you doing? If you are embarking on an action-packed holiday that will include a whole lot of active pursuits like skiing, rock climbing, snorkelling, etc. you should look at policies that provide plenty of cover for adventure activities.
2. What kind of gear are you taking? Are you travelling with a lot of expensive camera gear or sports equipment? Look out for a policy that makes allowances for plenty of belongings.
3. How much coverage do you want? Certain travel insurance companies (particularly in the USA) calculate their premiums according to the overall cost of your trip, while other insurers offer a tiered system that allows you to select the level of coverage you prefer – the higher the tier, the more comprehensive your coverage.
There are certain insurance companies that will require that you take out separate policies for medical, travel and cancellation coverage – we recommend that you opt for an insurer that offers an all-in-one option that takes the guesswork out of playing it safe.
Pro Tip! You may already have travel insurance in place without even knowing it! Check in with your medical insurer and credit card company to see whether your particular plan has any travel benefits associated with it before you get in touch with other third-party insurers.
Do you have any questions regarding travel insurance that was not covered here? Please get in touch so we can help you make sense of it all.
14 responses to “Travel Insurance 101: What it is & why you need it!”
Does our tour with expat explore already cover travel insurance?
Hello Dizon, travel insurance is not included in our travel packages. Purely because different travellers have different insurance needs. You can read more here: https://expatexplore.com/insurance/.
Were going to the Cambodia tour in March, how much insurace coverage will be required from us ? Thank you\
Hi Liberty
Thank you for your message.
A suitable insurance policy should provide adequate cover for medical expenses arising through illness or accident prior to or during the holiday, and loss of holiday monies through cancellation or curtailment of the holiday or other insurable reasons. Clients should ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities in their tour. When on tour, ensure you keep personal belongings on you at all times and that your suitcase/backpack has a lock on it, especially in tourist areas. It may be advisable to wear a money belt to store money, credit cards and passport.
We look forward to travelling with you.
Need a qoute for 30 days travel for 7 country tour
Hi there, please contact our customer service team at info@expatexplore.com so that our friendly customer service team can find the right tour for you! Happy travels!
I recently booked a tour (Waterford & Wexford) — booking id 1351045 departing 3 September. We need travel insurance, but my husband, although now fit, was in and out of hospital for most of last year with diabetes and cirrhosis. Advice please.
Hi Susan, we require that all of our passengers obtain travel insurance before embarking on a tour with us. We can advise you on insurance companies within your region, however, we do not provide travel insurance ourselves and it is the responsibility of our passengers to obtain said travel insurance. Should you have further questions, please contact info@expatexplore.com and we will do our best to advise you.
Hi,
We have “travel insurance” through our credit card that I purchased the trip with. I’m not certain about a couple of things: 1) how to show proof of coverage and 2) if it is adequate. We recently returned from Italy where my husband’s backpack was stolen 10 feet from us in a hotel lobby in Rome. It contained many personal items as well as his passport and an expensive camera. It seems though that theft is not covered. I will look at the company listed on this site, but do you have an amount that needs to be purchased? Thanks!
Hi Dina, so sorry you had to deal with losing important items. We recommend contacting your credit card company to find out if this is covered. Expat Explore is a tour operator and we do not offer travel insurance, we can only make recommendations. Please contact our partner World Nomads with any specific questions you may have regarding their travel insurance packages.
I need a copy of form 1P1
Also a copy of my insurance
Hi Sakineh, please contact our customer service team at info@expatexplore.com with the details of what you require from us. Thanks and happy travels!
If my wife and I have current Medical Insurance that allows us to travel out of Country with coverage, will having our Policy Numbers and Phone numbers be enough to satisfy your requirement for Travel Insurance? We purchased Airline Travel Insurance direct with the Airline for delays, cancelations, ect. Will this suffice with your requirement also?
Hi Richard, please upload the details of your Travel Insurance to your Important Passenger Information Form which will be sent to you via email. We will be in touch should we have any concerns.