Go Away Alex Travel Design

Yes. K bye!

Just kidding. This is a major question I get from friends and clients. Do I need it though? Well, I can’t predict the future, and that’s the point. And while I sorta believe that insurance companies are kind of all a scam… I have actually used travel insurance on a few occasions. And it does feel nice to be protected. It eases my anxiety just a tiny bit.

Here’s what you should consider:

Medical

Do you have regular medical issues? Are you going to be doing wild adventures or nature things that could lead to injury? You should have insurance if you are doing any jungle trekking, sky diving, zip lining, and things like that. And if medical issues are common, you should absolutely have some type of travel insurance that covers medical.

Repatriation

This is one that we don’t like to discuss, but in the event that you DIE overseas or in another country, it does cost A LOT of money for your family to bring your remains back home. If you want to ease that burden, definitely make sure you have this included in the medical portion of your travel insurance. It usually is. Because it’s very unlikely.

Damaged Belongings

This is where I’ve actually used travel insurance a couple times. I’ve gotten water damage to several of my devices in jungles and mountains away from home. And as long as you have the receipts (or some kind of original proof of payment) and someone to vouch that your device did indeed get ruined by water damage, you should be able to get reimbursement. Make sure that your coverage exceeds the cost of the device though. My $500 coverage for my $2000 camera won’t get me very far.

Baggage Delay

This is often included with a good credit card, so check on that before you purchase more. When your baggage gets lost and you need to buy new belongings to get you by…someone should pay for that.

Does your credit card cover what you need?

Before you get an extra travel insurance, make sure your credit card doesn’t cover everything that you need. If you’re just looking for insurance in case your flight is canceled or delayed, your credit card will likely cover that without any extra cost to you.

Canceled or Delayed Flights

This is a pretty major concern. There are a lot of tactics for getting your money back for canceled or delayed flights. If you are diligent and like to explore the legalities of it, you can look into the passenger rights or the airline’s t&cs. Most airlines will take care of the cost if they cancel a flight on you, and there are some awesome programs like Airhelp that help you get compensated for such events (but not always on US airlines). But if you just want to know that the insurance will take care of it, it might be worth that extra up front cost. You’ll still have to submit all the documents, but it would be easier than reading the T&Cs and getting into battle with the airline’s X page or whatever.

Peace of Mind

I nearly always get travel insurance, even if it’s just the $40 coverage for my one week of travel. It just gives me a little bit more peace of mind so I can truly relax on the trip. If your trip is more expensive, you’ll likely pay more for the insurance, but it still may be worth it. If you need help figuring out which companies are good and what you need coverage for, shoot me a dm. It’s not my expertise, but I’d be happy to help you through it.