Six Excuses We Make To Avoid Purchasing Travel Insurance

SIX EXCUSES WE MAKE TO AVOID PURCHASING TRAVEL INSURANCE

 

Metaphorically speaking, “Life is a journey in which we are all travelers”. Travelling in the 21^st century is not as risky and arduous as it used to be in the past. Nevertheless, risks associated with travel have not been done away with completely. Be it an irritating train delay; frustrating flight cancellation; dreaded loss of baggage in transit or a tragic bus accident.

Yet, despite such risks people often tend to overlook the very remedy created to protect them against such unforeseen events i.e. the Travel Insurance. In this blog, we list some common excuses that people make to avoid buying travel insurance.

1. TRIP IS SO WELL PLANNED, NOTHING CAN GO WRONG

According to Murphy’s Law, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, at a wrong time. People who meticulously plan their trip believe that everything else will go accordingly. They are so consumed by the thoroughness of their plan that they overlook the role of external factors.

It takes one wrong turn for a bus to fall into a deep gorge, one slight technical glitz for a suitcase headed for JFK to reach Heathrow and one careless oversight by maintenance staff to cause a plane crash. In these kinds of unforeseen situations, a travel insurance plan can be a tension-reducing and money-saving factor.

2. ALREADY SPENT WAY TOO MUCH

The most common excuse that people make to avoid buying travel insurance during International journeys is the high cost of airplane tickets. That is why travelers choose to save few extra rupees by not clicking the tick box for travel insurance when booking air tickets online.

Some of those insurance plans include refund in case of flight cancellation or compensation for baggage loss or medical expenses in case of an accident. However, it is only when one of the above mentioned situation arises that one realizes the importance of travel insurance.

3. NEVER FACED A PROBLEM IN THE PAST

According to SITA, 5 bags per every thousand passengers went astray in the year 2016. This number might look quite impressive at first sight. However, when adjusted against 3.8 billion people who took flight that year, the number of mishandled bags comes out to be a staggering 19 million.

Those who never experienced baggage loss in the past may not be able to imagine the kind of frustration and helplessness that creeps in when the bag doesn’t show up in the conveyor belt. The trouble multiplies exponentially if one is traveling to a foreign land with limited cash or bank balance. Now, one has to spend money on buying them all over again.

4. CLAIMING INSURANCE MONEY IS A HEADACHE

There is a misconception among many people that settling a travel insurance claim is a headache. Social media and consumer protection board websites are filled with posts of disgruntled clients rejected by their respective insurers which leads people to not buy travel insurance. However, reality is quite the opposite of what is generally perceived.

First of all, travel insurance like any other contract is bound by terms and conditions. These terms and conditions specify what is covered and what is not. If insurance claims meet the said terms and conditions insurance companies are bound by law to honor the contract. Also, consumers can do a thorough research of claim settlement ratios of the Insurance companies before picking or choosing to buy one.

5. I AM HEALTHY AND DON’T NEED MEDICAL COVERAGE WHEN TRAVELING

Medical expense is a fundamental component of any travel insurance plan. People think that being healthy means not suffering from serious ailment. They feel that money gets wasted if one doesn’t fall sick during travel. Since we, Student Cover, are in the business of insuring our clients during travel, we know that medical emergencies during travel are quite common.

According to health and lifestyle website – Docs Opinion, 44,000 in-flight medical emergencies occurred in commercial flights all over the world in year 2013 itself. Some common in-flight medical emergencies are seizures, allergic reactions, abdominal pain, cardiac arrest and infectious diseases. So, it is evident that travelers need of medical coverage during their travel!

6. ALREADY HAVE HEALTH & PROPERTY INSURANCE, NO NEED FOR EXTRA INSURANCE

The last and probably the most ridiculous argument that people often make against travel insurance is that they are already insured through other insurance plans. Well, if that was good enough, no sane person would have come up with the idea of travel insurance.

Health or property insurance is meant to insure people or property when they are home and not when they are traveling. So, property insurance against theft may not be useful if your jewelry gets lost with the bag in an airport. Similarly, local insurance companies can’t compensate for medical expenses incurred abroad while traveling.

The above-mentioned examples show why the travel-cum-medical plans are so important. Travelers, especially students going abroad for higher studies must travel only after they have purchased a suitable travel insurance plan. Student Cover provides cost-effective Travel Insurance plans which are accepted all over the world.