What does travel insurance cover?

Discovering new places and experiencing fresh adventures are both exciting aspects to travel. Feeling free to travel where you want at any time you choose is great, but have you thought about the protection you may need?

Getting prepared for your holiday or trip abroad is key to starting your journey stress free. Many people make sure they have travel insurance in place before they travel. In fact, research shows that  40% of travellers get travel insurance around the time they book a trip.

No one expects something to go wrong on a holiday or trip of a lifetime, but if you don’t take out travel insurance, you may be putting yourself at risk. Becoming unexpectedly ill while you’re away could mean a hospital stay or medical expenses. These alone could be very expensive without travel insurance.

If you’re not sure what travel insurance covers, discover more as we take you through travel insurance essentials and what to expect from your travel insurance cover.

Contents

●   What is travel insurance?

●   What does travel insurance cover?

●   5 typical travel insurance exclusions.

●   Travel confidently with GasanMamo travel insurance.

What is travel insurance?

Travel insurance is a contract you take out with an appropriate insurance provider. This contract provides financial protection if something unexpected happens while you’re away.

There  are  a  variety  of  areas  that  travel  insurance  is likely to cover, such as lost baggage, cost of emergency medical treatment or even the loss of your passport.

Many people find that travel insurance provides a valuable financial safety net while travelling or adventuring in other countries. Having this protection creates a reassuring sense of security and if anything untoward occurs in an unfamiliar setting, you can get some advice and eventually financial indemnity. 

What does travel insurance cover?

Every travel insurance policy will vary in some way, with travel insurance providers creating plans that suit customers best. It may be that you’re looking for coverage around  medical  expenses,  or  that  you  want  reassurance  of  support  if  baggage is lost.

Here are some of the common sections that many travel insurance policies cover:

●   Loss of baggage and money

●   Trip cancellation

●   Emergency medical expenses

●   Delayed or missed flights

●   Loss of passport

As  with  many  insurance  premiums,  you  can  sometimes choose additional  elements  to enhance your travel insurance cover, such as additional personal accident cover or winter sports cover. 

5 typical travel insurance exclusions

Knowing what your travel insurance doesn’t cover can be really helpful when you’re experiencing  an  unexpected  travel  or  health  event  during  your  trip.  Each  travel insurance policy will have specific aspects they won’t cover, so it’s important to read the fine print and terms of your policy to know what your policy encompasses.

The following five points are common exclusions you’re likely to find with many travel insurance policies:

1. Pre-existing medical conditions

Typically, standard travel insurance policies won’t cover medical emergencies relating to medical conditions that you had before the trip began. You might be able to declare and pay for these in advance.

Complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth are also usually not covered, but sometimes you can request additional coverage and pay for this.

2. High-risk activities

Risky activities such as bungee jumping or scuba diving generally need a specialist insurance policy and are not usually offered in the local market. 

3. Illegal activities

Most policies won’t cover any incident that results from illegal activities.

4. Travelling against advice

If the government has advised against travelling to a particular country or region, it might be difficult to issue travel insurance for a trip to this area.

5. Alcohol or drug use

Claims relating to accidents or incidents that happened due to alcohol or drug use are generally not covered in standard travel insurance policies.

Travel confidently with GasanMamo travel insurance

When you book that exciting trip or the family holiday you’ve been waiting all year for, there’s nothing you need less than a lot of stress about the risks involved in travelling. That’s why taking out a travel insurance policy before you travel is essential.

It is usually advisable to buy a travel insurance policy as soon as you pay any holiday deposits so that you know that whatever happens, you’ll be looked after.

Take a look at our competitive, comprehensive benefits and attractive optional extensions on our travel insurance page.

GasanMamo Insurance is authorised under the Insurance Business Act and regulated by the MFSA.