Don't Leave Home Without This One Thing

No it's not some item of clothing or beauty product. It is something way more important to your piece of mind and should be included on your "to do list" even before you make that final payment on your dream trip. It's travel insurance and of course people say "nothing bad will happen" to me while on vacation and I have health insurance. Well that maybe fine if you are travelling in the US, but even then I would recommend checking with your provider if you are covered out of state. I did a trip where we spend 17 days in Hawaii and visited 3 islands. While there I was able to see medical facilities on 2 islands, when dealing with a wonky gall bladder and swimmer's ear.

But if you are heading to out of the country or  going on a cruise, more than likely your health insurance isn't going to cover you if you get sick or hurt. Travel insurance will cover these costs, so you don't have to pay out of pocket. Policies also cover medical transportation, one of our employees at home office, had to have her father in law flown back on a special medical flight from Cancun to Houston. That special flight with nurses/doctors cost around $35,000. Yes a good policy will cover that also.

Do I have you convinced yet? What happens if you have to cancel a trip because you have a medical emergency before you go? And it has happened to me, scheduled to fly out and woke up not well. Cancelled my trip, started the claim procedure and went to the doctor. Had my check from the insurance company within a few weeks. Not stressing out that you lost your money goes a long way when you or a loved one are seriously ill. It also will cover you if a non travelling immediate family member has a major health crisis and you can't go.

Policies can be purchased through a travel supplier or a 3rd party company. At Cruise Planners, we have a partnership with Allianz Global Assistance. Our policy also covers travel delays and baggage that maybe lost, stolen, damaged or delayed at a higher rate than most supplier policies. Also included is if you have to cancel your trip for covered job related issues. 24 hour assistance and concierge service are provided.

So for peace of mind, always purchase travel insurance. That card in your travel documents may never be used and I hope it isn't, but trust me you will be glad you have it.