Here is an informative article on how to choose travel insurance for a visit
to Spain. This article will help you choose the right travel policy to ensure
you have a hassle-free trip to Spain.
Don't forget your travel insurance before you take off for your holiday to Andalucia
in Spain. If not you are taking a risk that could cost you hundreds to thousands
of Euros or punds if the tour operator goes bankrupt, or if you need to shorten
your holiday due to sickness or injury so it's worth you being covered for these
eventualities.
Quick
Tip: The biggest myth would be that your normal health
insurance covers you when you are away, or that since many travellers
visit an area or region, access to medical care is easy or affordable.
Here's a quick guide to understanding what good travel insurance should
cover for your holiday to Andalucia, Spain.
1. Travel Curtailment If you or an immediate family member
becomes seriously ill or is injured during the vacation most traveller insurance
companies would reimburse you for the unused portion of the vacation.
2. Travel Cancellation You would be reimbursed if the
cruise line or tour operator goes out of business. It would also reimburse
you if you have to cancel the vacation due to sickness, a death in the family
or other natural calamity such as Hurricanes listed in the policy. Travel
cancellation is very different from a Cancellation Waiver that many travel
operators offer. Waivers are relatively inexpensive. They provide coverage
if you have to cancel the trip, but they have many restrictions. They must
be purchased when you book the trip and will usually not cover you immediately
before departure. Most importantly, waiver is not an insurance.
3. Personal liability Personal Liability is important
in case of legal liability, arising out of one's negligence in causing a
another person's injury (or death) and or another person's property damage.
Some traveller insurance companies even insure against the loss or theft
of golfing equipment and laptops. 3. Luggage/Baggage/Flight Delay This feature
comes along with a "Time" excess, meaning that the traveller insurance
companies only compensate when the delay exceeds a certain time frame. The
limit for loss of luggage/baggage/flight varies, usually with a cap for individual
items.
4. Emergency & Medical Assistance and Information Service
Look for those 24-hour services that offer information on visa requirements,
foreign exchange, weather forecasts and medical advice etc. Emergency evacuation
is very helpful indeed for inexperienced travellers or travellers with medical
conditions. These service centers may also offer emergency assistance in
the form of embassy, legal, interpreter and medical referrals. Most traveller
insurance policies would compensate a couple of hundred dollars for each
day of hospitalization up to the maximum limit indicated in their respective
packages. This is solely to compensate the traveller for the number of days
spent in a hospital overseas and should not be mistaken as hospital or medical
reimbursement, which takes care of the hospital and ward charges.
5. Accidental Death insurance Personal accident coverage,
which is to compensate the insured for permanent or temporary disablement
or death as a result of an accident.
Main Types of Travel Insurance
Annual Policy Most insurance companies offer traveller
insurance on annual basis as well as per trip basis. Annual policies cover
unlimited trips made by you during the entire year provided that each trip
does not exceed a certain number of days, usually 90 days. No declaration
is required. For frequent flyers, this type of travel insurance would be
most ideal in terms of cost and convenience. Family Travel Insurance Family
packages are also designed to cater for immediate families travelling together.
Definition of immediate families would include yourself, your spouse and
your children. Family travel insurances are usually priced at a lower premium
than if individual insurance policies were to be taken up for the whole family.
Special Features ALERT! Go for travel insurance policies come with higher
deductible as this can translate into lower premium. The worst case scenario
is you may end up having to bear the first 30 - 40 Euros (approx $40 or $50)
of every claim that you make. Deductible: (Also known as Excess). This is
the amount that the insured must pay before the travel insurance starts paying
for your claim. This may be an annual amount, an amount for the duration
of the policy, or an amount for each incident. Choose the latter. For those
of you who intend to engage in water or winter sports during your holiday,
it would be wise to take up your insurers who offer free coverage for such
activities. Some travel insurance companies may charge additional premiums
(fees) for this extension, so it is better to check this point before you
affect your cover.
Not surprisingly, bungee jumping is excluded from most policies. Watch
out for age limits imposed by some travel insurance companies, meaning that
persons exceeding a certain age are excluded from their coverage. But if
you belong to this elderly group, fret not. There are travel insurance companies
that do not impose any age limit and offer the same coverage at no additional
premium loading.
Motor Insurance in Spain A unique coverage that is being
offered in the travel insurance market is the "Car Rental Excess".
This feature takes care of the excess amount that the insured normally has
to bear (under the motor policy taken up at car rental companies) in the
event of damage to the rented vehicle while driving overseas. Premium Computation
(Fee of Travel Insurance also known as Premium) for "per-trip" policies,
the premium payable hinges considerably on the number of days of travel,
the country of destination and choice of plans. For example, if you are from
Europe, a holiday in USA warrants a much higher premium than a trip within
Europe for the same number of days. Some traveller insurance companies provide
the option of higher limits of coverage at of course, a higher premium (fee).
If price is of concern, it is advisable to keep on hand the premium schedule
from a few insurance companies for comparison before you activate your travel
insurance before each trip. Claim Procedure I consider this the most important
aspect of buying any insurance. All your claims need to be lodged within
a certain time frame. You would be required to complete and submit a claim
form, which can be obtained from the insurance company directly. In almost
all instances, your claims must be accompanied by relevant documents, such
as medical receipts for medical reimbursement or hospital cash; a police
report for loss of money or personal documents; an official letter from the
airline in cases of flight or luggage delay and loss of luggage if within
custody of the airline. In all cases, call up and inform your insurance company
immediately for necessary advice.
There you are... now with a basic knowledge of travel insurance, you are
equipped to choose the best travel insurance suited to your travel needs
and you are all set to fly!