As the saying goes: “If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel.” And yet thousands of people travel every year while completely uninsured- meaning that if the worst happens to them overseas, they’re completely and utterly on their own.
Like it or not, things don’t always go as planned when you’re traveling. You’ll lose key belongings or get them stolen, probably end up with food poisoning at least once, miss flights and trains, and have that moment where you’re sure you’ve misplaced your passport.
Travel insurance will cover you in any of the above situations as well as much more. If someone gets sick or passes away at home, your travel insurance will pay for you to get home in an emergency, and if you get seriously sick or injured and need medical attention (from a hospital with first-world standards), they can point you in the right direction and make sure that you’re being treated effectively.
It’s common to hear the term “Self-insurance” which basically means that the traveler is choosing not to pay for travel insurance but instead accepting that they will need to pay any costs that occur. While this is all good and well if you have a bug bite that gets infected, you lose your mobile phone or you end up with a stomach parasite, if you get hit by a car, fall down a flight of stairs, get into a car accident or end up in intensive care, this could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. And many hospitals simply will not treat you, meaning your parents could be forced to pay for the bill, selling their house and losing everything.
Sure, this is the worst case scenario. but no one expects that they’ll get hurt, injured, or sent to prison overseas. While it always happens to other people, these people assumed that it wouldn’t happen to them either. Without travel insurance, you’re on your own for all of these situations.
If you’re hiking and get injured, your travel insurance will cover a medical evacuation, the best healthcare, and will get you home once you’re ok to travel. This can literally be a life-saver, and well worth the money spent on your policy.
So now that you know how necessary travel insurance is, how can you go about making sure you’re covered, so you and your family have peace of mind. Check out Compare the Market, which compares all of the top travel insurance companies in Australia, allowing you to make the best choice based on coverage and finances.
This tool is invaluable, and a great way for you to see exactly how cheap travel insurance can be, and the many options available. There really is an option and coverage level for every budget, so before you go traveling, be sure to look at your options.
