Travel Insurance
Introduction
Planning a trip is always exciting. It's a chance to explore new worlds, interact with people of different cultures and try out new experiences. One rarely associates travel with any kind of negative experience.
Yet, it is always better to be well-prepared for unexpected events such as lost baggage and passport, flight delays, personal accidents, or even a hospital stay in an unknown place. A reliable travel insurance plan covers all of these and more.
Types of travel insurance solutions
Like any other insurance, you'll find that there are several travel insurance plans available in the market. Here is a quick glance to help you decide the kind of travel plan you need.
Overseas Travel
So, you are planning a trip to a foreign country. An overseas travel insurance always comes in handy against contingencies, when you are travelling abroad. Such a policy covers unexpected medical and non-medical expenses such as hospitalization or baggage loss or delay.
Options
Overseas travel insurance policies offer flexible options for a single trip, annual multi-trips, and for family plans.
Coverage features
An overseas travel insurance plan generally covers the following:
- Emergency medical expenses, including medical costs incurred due to illness or an accident or during times of prescribed emergency evacuation. The policy covers outpatient, in-patient, medical aid, therapies, and diagnostic tests.
- Emergency dental expenses, including acute anesthetic treatment of natural teeth.
- Hospital cash, which includes a daily allowance in the event of hospitalization either due to sickness or an accident.
- Personal accident, covering a compensation paid in case of death or permanent total disability caused by an accident.
- Accidental death/ permanent total disability - common carrier, which includes the payment of the insured sum on injuries sustained due to an accident or when the injury results in death or permanent total disability. Such an accident should have occurred during the journey while travelling in a common carrier such as a train, bus, or aircraft.
- Flight delay, which includes a compensation if the aircraft is delayed for more than 12 hours beyond the original scheduled departure time.
- Trip cancellation, including a compensation for the loss of personal accommodation or travel charges following the necessary and unavoidable cancellation of the trip due to death, serious injury, or sudden sickness of the insured person or family member.
- Loss of passport, includes expenses incurred in obtaining a new passport.
- Loss/ delay of checked baggage, includes a compensation for the permanent loss of checked-in baggage. In case of a delay of more than 12 hours in obtaining checked-in baggage, the plan includes a compensation for reasonable expenses incurred for the purchase of toiletries, clothing, and medication.
- Financial emergency assistance, which includes a fixed sum, paid as emergency assistance in case of a financial emergency due to theft of travel funds.
(Please note that these are just illustrative pointers. You must refer the specific policy for an exhaustive list.)
What is not covered?
Overseas travel plans may not cover the following instances:
- Hazardous sports such as parachuting, hang gliding, bungee jumping, etc;
- Civil war;
- Terrorism;
- Self-inflicted injury or suicide;
- Treatment of nervous or mental problems;
- Injuries sustained under the influence of liquor, drugs, or narcotics.
(Please note that these are just illustrative pointers. You must refer the specific policy for an exhaustive list.)
Claim process
To claim your overseas travel insurance, you need to fill in the relevant claim form and attach documents according to the claim type. For example, an accident injury claim require documents such as a police report (if the accident is reported to the police), medical papers, reports, X-rays, and the attending physician's statement.
To claim insurance for baggage loss, you need to submit the airline tickets, any available receipts for the lost baggage, correspondence with the airline, and a letter from the airline confirming the reason for delay, along with your claim form.
Student travel
Studying abroad can be an exciting and unnerving experience all at once. You are on your own, perhaps for the first time. In such a situation, it makes good sense to protect yourself before you set out. An overseas student travel insurance plan provides medical and non-medical insurance coverage to make your stay abroad a pleasant experience.
Options
Comprehensive policies cover expenses such as loss of checked in baggage, accidents, study interruption, sponsor protection, etc. in addition to medical expenses. You can also opt for policies which provide added coverage to fulfill the various criteria of universities abroad.
Coverage features
A student travel insurance plan generally covers:
- Medical expenses, including in-patient and out-patient hospitalisation and a daily allowance in case of hospitalisation. It also covers dental expenses for acute anaesthetic dental treatment caused by injury.
- Personal accident, with compensation for death or permanent disability.
- Accidental death/ permanent total disability - common carrier, with compensation for death or permanent disability due to an accident on any flight, ship or other common carrier.
- Personal possession contingencies, such as loss of personal possessions passport and checked-in baggage.
- Study interruption, which involves reimbursement of the current course semester fee, if education abroad is interrupted on account of a medical condition.
(Please note that these are just illustrative pointers. You must refer the specific policy for an exhaustive list.)
What is not covered?
Student travel plans may not cover the following instances:
- Dangerous sports such as parachuting, hang gliding, bungee jumping, etc;
- Civil war;
- Terrorism;
- Self-inflicted injury or suicide;
- Pre-existing ailments and complications arising out of them;
- Injuries sustained under the influence of liquor, drugs, or narcotics.
(Please note that these are just illustrative pointers. You must refer the specific policy for an exhaustive list.)
Claim process
To claim your student travel insurance, you need to fill in the relevant claim form and attach documents according to the claim type. For example, for health cover, you need to submit the original copy of the doctor's statement mentioning the ailment and prescribed treatment, original hospital bills and receipts.
To claim a lost passport, you have to forward receipts for obtaining a duplicate passport, a certificate issued by the Indian embassy in the country, etc. along with the duly filled claim form.
Domestic Travel
India is your home country and no doubt you can always manage in an emergency. Nevertheless, it is still wise to protect yourself and be completely at peace while away from home. After all, what do you if you fall ill in a strange city or if your flight is delayed or baggage lost. All of these and more are covered by a domestic travel insurance policy.
Coverage features
Domestic travel insurance generally covers:
- Lost ticket reimbursement, if you misplace your ticket due to which you cannot continue the journey;
- Missed departure, in the event of missing the departure of your booked journey;
- Emergency medical evacuation, in case of a medical emergency;
- Accommodation charges, caused due to a delay in air/ rail services;
- Accidental death/ permanent total disability - common carrier, with compensation for death or permanent disability due to an accident on any flight, ship or other common carrier;
- Accident medical expenses, with compensation paid in case of hospitalisation caused due to an accident.
(Please note that these are just illustrative pointers. You must refer the specific policy for an exhaustive list.)
What is not covered?
Claim process
To claim your domestic travel insurance, you need to fill in the relevant claim form and attach supporting documents, which vary according to the claim type. The documents will include the ticket, copy of the policy, receipts of medical bills or a confirmation from the carrier on trip delays, etc.