If you’ve found yourself here, it’s safe to say; you are likely a diligent person who cares to plan ahead and probably prioritizes preparedness.
In short, from our experience, travel insurance IS worth it, and we will never travel without it!
Whether planning a short trip abroad or preparing for a year-long backpacking trip around the world, travel insurance is something you should seriously consider.
As you’re trying to determine whether travel insurance is worth it for you… ask yourself,
“can I afford NOT to have travel insurance if the unexpected were to happen while traveling abroad?”
It is much easier to pay your way out of a problem knowing your insurance has you covered.
Purchasing travel insurance protects you and your investment while you travel.
3 Examples Where Having Travel Insurance Was Worth It
The Vienna Dissolution
A few years back, Jessica and I were on a fast-paced 14-day Europe trip with our family. Vienna was our first destination. On our way there, we had a connecting flight at Heathrow Airport in England. As our wheels touched down, we noticed a plume of black smoke a little too close to the airport for comfort.
We exited the plane and entered a terminal in utter chaos. The smoke we spotted was coming from one of the runways. A plane had caught fire. Little was known about the details of what was going on, soon all inbound flights were re-routed, and outbound flights were canceled.
Eventually, news came through that helped quell the nervous tension in the terminal. No passengers were injured in the fire, and there were no ongoing safety concerns for other passengers at the airport. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Now, how were we going to get to Vienna.? The clock was ticking. In eight hours, we had tickets to see The Magic Flute at the Vienna Opera House. A real bucket list item! Little did we know that very same evening one of the most popular gala’s in Austria was also taking place in Vienna. No matter how creative we got or how hard we tried, there was no getting to Austria that day. It was a massive disappointment for all of us.
This single event completely derailed our travel plans and forced us to rearrange the whole first week of our trip. We ended up staying in London a couple of nights and never even made it to Vienna.
The only light in the darkness was that we had travel insurance. We ended up recouping nearly 100% of the costs incurred due to the interruption, as well as the money already paid out for our plans in Vienna.
Travel Insurance was definitely worth it!
A Case of Typhus Fever
While backpacking through Southeast Asia, Jessica and I had a brush with a rare (only 20,000 cases per year), and potentially fatal disease – Typhus.
After prolonged travel with your partner, you become very conscious of the small changes in their behavior and physical well being. We were in the Taman Negara Rainforest (Malaysia) when I first noticed something wasn’t quite right with Jessica. At that time, we were a days boat ride upriver, into the jungle, and as far as I could tell, there was no immediate access to modern medicine.
Fortunately, our next stop was Kuala Lumpur. On our way into the city, I found the nearest clinic, to where we were staying, and we made plans to visit it as soon as possible.
At the clinic, the doctor did not raise much alarm to the concerns and symptoms we expressed. I was afraid Jessica had contracted Malaria, but the doctor thought it unlikely. He decided to take blood samples from her and run a broad travel panel to see what turned up.
The next day we returned for her results and met with the same doctor. This time he seemed much more concerned.
Jessica’s blood tested positive for a fatal bacterial infection – Typhus Fever (commonly known in the U.S. as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever). We were fortunate to have recognized something was wrong and to have acted on that suspicion. Left untreated, Jessica may not be here today; a horrifying thought!!!
For treatment, Jessica received a hefty dose of antibiotics, and the doctor recommended she get some rest for the next few days.
Because we had travel insurance, the costs we incurred for medical consultation, testing, and medication were all covered. Also, the costs we incurred by staying in Kuala Lumpur longer than planned were covered as well.
I consider ourselves very lucky in this situation because it could’ve been much worse! If we ignored her symptoms and carried on with our travel plans, she may have needed emergency medical attention or worse yet an emergency evacuation! And, we would have done it without thinking of the cost!
In this case, travel insurance was ABSOLUTELY worth it!
The Case of the Disappearing Camera
While in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jessica and I experienced a most unusual happening. Our new camera had seemed to sprout legs and walk off on us.
After a dismal morning visit, of the Genocide Museum, Jessica and I found a pleasant-looking street side cafe to sit and have lunch. Our table was right along the sidewalk, which afforded us with some lovely people watching.
We spent some time deciphering the menu and ended up ordering Khmer curry and a green mango salad. After ordering, we decided to have a look at some of the pictures taken earlier in the day. At that moment, we realized our camera was no longer on the table and was not in either of our bags.
I quickly realized we had made the mistake of leaving the camera out on the table while distracted looking at the menu. At some point, while we were not paying attention, our little camera grew legs, hopped off the table and, likely, into the pocket of someone walking by on the street.
While those photos are lost forever, fortunately, we did have travel insurance, and the loss of our camera was covered.
Having travel insurance was worth it that time too.
So, Why Is Travel Insurance So Important?
Murphy’s Law – “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong!”
In the above examples, there was no way we could have predicted or avoided those problems. The only way to be prepared and protect ourselves was to have travel insurance.
In general, there are three predominant situations where you’ll use your travel insurance.
- Medical/Health Reasons
- Theft, Loss of Property, and/or Scams
- Trip Interruption or Cancellation
Uncannily we’ve encountered all three of these while traveling. In each case, it paid to have travel insurance.
Where to buy Travel Insurance?
There are many options out there; World Nomads, Allianz Travel, AIG Travel Guard, and Travelex Insurance, to name a few.
Since we started traveling, there is only we use and continually recommend to family, friends, and all travelers alike – World Nomads Travel Insurance.
Why We Chose World Nomads
For us, emergency medical was one of the most critical factors when evaluating which travel insurance to buy. Jessica has asthma and a couple other ongoing medical conditions that made this a high priority for us!
With World Nomads Travel Insurance, we were able to get…
- overseas emergency medical and dental expenses covered up to $100,000 (USD),
- and emergency medical evacuations covered up to $500,000 (USD).
This coverage was more than enough to provide us with peace of mind while traveling overseas.
Coverage for Adventure Activities
Often in our travels, we inevitably end up partaking in some high adrenaline and, some would say, high-risk activities. These activities have included: scuba diving, mountain climbing, caving, ballooning, and even bungee jumping!
World Nomads Travel Insurance provides coverage for 200 adventure activities that span a wide range of sports.
When we climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, it was very comforting to know should an emergency occur we would be covered.
Other Benefits of Choosing World Nomads Travel Insurance
- Purchase your policy online at any time; even while currently traveling.
- You can extend your policy while traveling if your return date changes.
- Customers can file claims online.
- 24/7 customer service by phone or email.
- Access to World Nomads library of travel resources.
Interested to learn more? Have a look HERE.
In the end, the choice is yours.
Realistically, it is a pretty small price to pay for your financial security while traveling overseas.
I can say, with confidence, you would regret NOT having travel insurance much more than you would having it and not using it.
