When you’ve spent so much money on your dream holiday already, travel insurance can seem like an extra and unnecessary expense. The reality is, anything can happen to you while you’re away, such as falling ill, losing your luggage or even being the victim of a crime. Dealing with the situation can be expensive and could ruin your trip altogether. Travel insurance will soften the financial blow should something go wrong.
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
John Lennon
From getting the flu to injuries and serious accidents where you may need to spend time in a hospital or flown back home, the medical coverage portion of your travel insurance policy will protect you against emergency medical expenses, and cover medical evacuation and repatriation back to South Africa.
If you need to cancel your trip before you leave, specific non-refundable items can quickly add up and leave you out of pocket. Travel insurance at least ensures that you will be able to claim for the non-refundable unused portion of your travel costs, such as the cost of accommodation, tour packages and plane and cruise tickets.
One delayed flight can have a knock-on effect and cause you to miss your connecting flights, which could mean you need to change your accommodation bookings. Travel insurance will cover you by paying for those essential out of pocket expenses.
Remember when that volcano in Iceland grounded all flights in England? If your flight is cancelled while you are abroad, your travel insurance policy (depending on the coverage you take out) will soften the blow of buying a new return ticket or staying in a comfortable hotel.
Arriving at your destination without your luggage can ruin your holiday. Travel insurance covers you for such eventualities, meaning you can head out and buy new items in your destination, allowing you to continue with your holiday with minimal fuss.
Crime is a reality in every country around the world, and tourists, as they’re often distracted and not familiar with their surroundings, can be easy targets for theft. Should you have something stolen from you, such as your wallet, camera or cash, travel insurance will reimburse you up to the limits of your policy. Remember that you’ll need to report the incident to the police and get a case number so that you can make a valid claim.
If you lose your passport while you’re overseas, replacing it in a foreign country can be a logistical nightmare. With coverage for lost passports, you’ll have help expediting the process of replacing and paying for a new passport.
There’s nothing like the peace of mind of knowing that you are heading overseas and are covered for nearly every eventuality. Don’t be another statistic; ensure you purchase travel insurance and familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of the policy as well what is required to support your claim in the event you need to claim.
At Pentravel, we take travel insurance seriously, and will assist you in taking out a policy. Ask us about travel insurance for your next trip.
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