What disasters could impact your travel plans or holiday? Is thinking about such things ‘catastrophising’, or is there too much that can go wrong to overlook the risk protection offered by a travel insurance policy? To coincide with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Europesure Travel Insurance considers 13 things that could upset your vacation.
1. Natural disasters
Hurricanes, tsunamis, widescale flooding and earthquakes can all impact your holiday. Your accommodation may be significantly affected resulting in holiday cancellation, or a cost-ridden accommodation switch. If already in destination, evacuation might be required, as weather disasters curtail your stay. Having travel insurance for associated financial losses is key. You can also help reduce climate change-induced natural disasters, by travelling more sustainably.
2. Injury and illness
You do not have a crystal ball. Even if you feel fit and healthy, you could slip, trip, be involved in a road accident, or pick up a virus. You could find your health impacted by altitude, air quality, or local food. You could perhaps suffer a jellyfish sting, or heatstroke. Do not take the risk of travelling without insurance and then having to pick up what could be substantial medical treatment costs yourself. When this could include five-figure sums involved with an air ambulance repatriation, it’s reckless not to purchase a travel insurance policy.
3. Baggage
Baggage goes missing continually, which is an inconvenience if it just delayed, but requires significant outlay if you have to replace all items in a suitcase that never shows. Make sure you protect the value of your luggage and its contents, by buying a travel insurance policy.
4. Passport loss
Losing your passport whilst abroad can be fairly traumatic. You can literally be stranded and unable to get home and also floundering, on your own, unless you can call on the assistance of a travel insurer to help steer you through the process you need to follow.
5. Pre-trip cancellation
If you do not take out travel insurance at the time of booking your holiday or business trip, you are exposing yourself to the financial loss that accompanies holiday cancellation. What if you become too sick to travel? What if a relative fell ill and you did not want to leave them? What if you were called up for jury service? By covering all bases with a travel insurance policy, you can cover these eventualities, and more, at least recouping the cost of your cancelled holiday, so you can travel at another time, when the situation is better.
6. Theft
Many holiday locations are deemed safe. Many also come with a note of caution with regard to theft. That could be of your bag, your wallet, your phone, or another valuable. Pickpocketing and bag-snatching are relatively common crimes worldwide. Do not become a victim twice over, by both losing your valuables and then being unable to replace them. Don’t have to do so at your own financial loss, because you did not have travel insurance in place.
7. Missed flight
Car breakdowns, adverse weather and the sickness of a fellow passenger can all lead to missing flights. Your alternative is then to try to book another flight, with more financial outlay, or to not travel at all. With a travel insurance policy in place, missed flight costs could be covered.
8. No snow
What if you get to your swanky ski resort and find there is no snow? Or maybe there’s been an avalanche, making skiing or snowboarding impossible. If you have no wintersports travel insurance, you are in a bit of a mess, with no alternative but to sit it out and just admire the view, with no compensation in the offing.
9. None of the gear
If you are heading off on a sporting holiday, you may be very reliant on the simultaneous arrival of your sports equipment and on it being reunited with you in a useable condition. If it is lost, delayed, damaged, or stolen, you are rather up the creek without a paddle, if you have no travel insurance. Sports dreams could go up in smoke unless you splash the cash to purchase alternative equipment at your destination. It could be another big wallet hit.
10. Causing damage or injury
You could damage someone else’s property or cause them an injury, particularly whilst engaging in a sports activity overseas. Could you cover the cost of a personal injury claim yourself, or even a large bill for property damage? That could be what you have to face up to, if you can’t call on a travel insurance policy that offers personal liability protection.
11. Mugging or spiking
Injury or health issues could result from a mugging or spiking of your drink or food. Either way, you could suffer a double whammy – an injury or need for health treatment, as well as loss of your valuables. A travel insurance policy can help you with both of these cost centres.
12. Sporting injury
Taking part in an adventure activity, or even milder form of sport, elevates your travel risk. You could suffer a broken limb, concussion or head injury, or a health impact requiring surgery. Ensure your chosen activity is covered by your travel insurance before participating in it but, if it is, your medical treatment costs should be picked up by your insurance.
13. Kidnap
In some parts of the world, kidnap is a very real risk, with ransom demands being lucrative business. Popular locations such as Mexico, Madagascar and Malaysia are just some in which kidnapping is prevalent in certain regions. Did you realise kidnap and hijack are risks that travel insurance covers? Just one more reason to pop a policy in your suitcase.
All of these risks are very real and possible. You can be very lucky and return unscathed by negative circumstances time after time, but you cannot be 100 per cent certain of that. The potential losses far outweigh the outlay you would need to make on either a single trip or annual travel insurance policy. Add in all extras, such as a team liaising with foreign doctors in their language, access to experts in getting you home if necessary, and people who can offer advice in crisis scenarios and travel insurance is worth its weight in gold.
Choose the right level of single trip or annual travel insurance cover for you, removing elements not needed and potentially selecting add-ons required, with Europesure. We can help you tailor your policy to your individual requirements and protect you regardless of whether you live in the UK, EU, EEA, Monaco or Gibraltar and are a local resident or an expat needing travel insurance in English.
