Protect yourself against astronomical medical costs and guarantee the best treatment in any worst-case scenario.
We’ve all been there. Daydreaming about a highly-anticipated overseas trip we cannot wait to find ourselves on. Looking at the brochures for the millionth time and imagining how that first dip in the pool will feel after a long, hot day spent travelling. And that’s part of the fun of travel; anticipation plays its part in the overall picture and helps us get through the sluggish days necessary to reach the magic date and fly away finally.
Yes, travel is fun, enticing, exciting, and all manner of other life-affirming properties. It gives us something to look forward to and spend our hard-earned money buying items for. Strange, then, that only four in every ten Australians make the one provision that guarantees their complete protection if things go wrong and the dream trip becomes a nightmare. We’re talking, of course, about travel insurance.
Why do I need travel insurance
There are many advantages of taking out a comprehensive travel insurance policy, and only one that matters to any meaningful degree. Lost luggage is tremendously irritating and can surely spoil the first few days of your trip. Cancelled flights and events can be immensely frustrating and cause much wailing and gnashing of teeth. But only one element of a travel insurance policy can be the difference between making it home in one piece or stranded in a low-end foreign hospital because the premium service costs more than a sports car.
That element is medical coverage
You can gamble with your belongings and forego the material coverage travel insurance provides to lessen the blow of losing your precious belongings, but the same cannot be said for your health. You get one chance to get that right, and the consequences of making the wrong decision can be dire.
Overseas medical fees
If you require medical treatment overseas, you will want to get the best money can buy. Depending on your destination, there can be a marked difference in quality between local and international medical facilities. That’s fine if you’re dealing with nothing more than a spot of Bali road rash or a dodgy stomach after an adventurous round of street food, but that’s about it. Any serious ailments or emergency treatments must be performed at the most advanced facilities possible, and without comprehensive travel insurance, that can be a life-changing development.
Nightmare tales of parents spending their life savings to provide medical care for their offspring languishing in an overseas hospital are, sadly, not exaggerated. There has even been a rise in crowd-funding requests when people turn to the online community for help because they cannot afford their medical bills. All this can be avoided with a relatively inexpensive travel insurance policy, and there is no excuse not to purchase one and take all this misery out of the equation.
Other beneficial elements of travel insurance
Bonus elements of most travel insurance policies include reimbursement in case of:
- Cancelled/interrupted trip
- Emergency evacuation
- Lost/damaged baggage
- Delayed flights and associated costs
All are nice to have, and none are essential. Protect yourself against astronomical medical costs and guarantee the best treatment in any worst-case scenario.
