Getting travel insurance

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." - Martin Buber

During my travels, I met some travelers that opted not to travel with insurance. I also met an equal number that were forced to use their insurance for some reason or another. Thankfully most of the injuries were minor, but some could have been trip-ending or even life threatening.

For the value, travel insurance is cheap, and covers you for all kinds of nasty things you can run into on the road. Unless you plan to sit in the TV room at the hostel for your entire trip, GET INSURED!

Some things to think about:

It could cost $100K to evacuate you back to your home country if you are seriously injured.

Once you are brought home, your travel insurance stops and all treatment will go onto your health insurance. If you do not have cheap health insurance at home (ie..you quit your job for this trip), then consider at least getting a free quote on a high deductible policy for emergencies from eHealthInsurance.com.

More people get hurt in simple bus accidents than in extreme sports like rock climbing.

Many policies cover your backpack if it is lost or stolen, as well as things like you IPOD and camera.

Many policies cover your trip in the event that you have to cancel for some reason.

Unlike at home, where much time is spent indoors or at work, while traveling you will be more active and more exposed to the chance for minor injuries.

You may want to use the coverage for small, unexpected things you pick up while traveling - like this parasite that infected my travel mate's bare foot in Laos.

My credit card provides some free trip insurance

Good luck using it ! More importantly, most do not cover emergency evacuation which is the number one reason you should get travel insurance. If you are unlucky enough to get malaria (it happens) or are in a local vehicle accident, do you want to spend months recovering in a 3rd world hospital away from your family with sub-standard treatment?

What is involved with getting travel insurance?

Fortunately, getting insurance for your trip is much easier and cheaper than getting health insurance. You can receive a quote and policy within minutes directly online. You do not have to visit another doctor or speak to anyone on the phone.

Before you buy

Make sure the company provides coverage for any adventures you think you want to do, like white water rafting, rock climbing, and trekking. If you are going to Nepal, check to see that there are no altitude restrictions in the policy. World Nomads, one of the leading insurers, has a useful adventure tool telling what they do and do not cover.

It is very nice to get a policy that allows you to extend coverage instantly online in case you decide to stay longer.

How do I get insurance for my trip?

World Nomads is the best choice for backpackers and adventure travelers. They also have blogs, language podcasts, and other bonus goodies not expected!

If you are heading to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, or Vietnam) then check out this page which has quotes and language guides / podcasts for the long flight over.

InsureMyTrip.com is a great way to get an instant quote (free, of course) and coverage options from 18 different companies.

courtesy of InsureMyTrip.com


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Step 7 - Preparing to leave home