Travel Insurance: Is It Worth It?

Everyone hopes every vacation goes exactly as planned, but let’s face it, it often doesn’t. We never know what life will throw at us, and unexpected situations are likely to come up. Travel insurance is often overlooked, but it can provide great peace of mind and be a valuable safety net for the entire duration of your trip.

So, what exactly does travel insurance cover? 

Well, different plans may cover different things, but our recommendation is often the Allianz Journey Plan. This insurance covers unexpected situations like illness, severe weather, flight delays, or family emergencies that might disrupt your trip. We recently had a client whose luggage did not arrive when it was supposed to. Because they purchased travel insurance, they were given enough money to buy new clothes and other necessities. Their luggage eventually turned up, but they were still able to use the money they were given. This is one of the many benefits of travel insurance.

Now, what does it look like when some of these other situations arise?

Well, if your trip is delayed, eligible meals and accommodations may be covered. If you get sick or injured while traveling, emergency medical expenses and even emergency transportation can be covered. Depending on the situation, travel insurance may reimburse you for prepaid, non-refundable trip expenses. And if you need help while you’re away from home, you have access to a 24-hour assistance hotline that can help you navigate unexpected situations. This is especially helpful when you’re in a different time zone than your travel agent and need help while we’re sleeping!

You never know what will happen on your trip. While we hope everything will go perfectly, it’s not always in our control. Many years ago, my husband and I made the unfortunate decision not to get travel insurance for our honeymoon. I know, I know. Horrible mistake. But I wasn’t in the travel industry yet and didn’t understand the true benefit of having travel insurance. Well, on our honeymoon, my new husband developed iritis. For those of you who don’t know what that is (we didn’t either until he got it), it is inflammation in the iris of the eye. It is incredibly painful, causing horrible redness, light sensitivity, and blurry vision. It was described to us as something that brings grown men to tears. It was pretty awful, as you can imagine. Not a way anyone wants to celebrate their new marriage (we practiced in sickness and in health really quick). His pain continued to get worse, and once we landed back in the U.S., we immediately went to the ER. Had we had travel insurance, we could have received medical attention immediately and actually enjoyed our honeymoon together.

This is one of the reasons I will always recommend travel insurance. It might seem like an unnecessary expense until you run into a situation where you can see its value. We all want our vacations to go as planned, but you never truly know what will happen. Travel insurance will give you the peace of mind you need, and that is worth so much more than saving a few dollars in the moment!