Get these 1 important documents made before travelling: From medical emergency to flight cancellation, travel insurance will be a shield in every crisis.

As soon as the holiday season arrives, people start making travel plans months in advance. Flight tickets are booked, luxury resorts are reserved and lists of favorite places are prepared. But amidst all this preparation, more than 80 percent of Indian travelers ignore one of the most important documents, and that is travel insurance. Most of the people consider it to be just an extra and unnecessary expense of ₹200 to ₹1500 seen at the time of ticket booking and untick the checkbox.

According to travel and financial experts, a small incident in an unknown city or foreign land, hundreds or thousands of kilometers away from home, can cost you your entire savings. Just as motor insurance is necessary for driving and health insurance is necessary for health, similarly travel insurance is the first requirement for a safe and stress-free journey.

Unexpected incidents during travel never come without warning. A valid travel insurance policy protects you from being left out of pocket in such circumstances:

• 1. Emergency Medical Expenses and Hospitalization:

  
  

  Medical emergencies like food poisoning, altitude sickness in hilly areas, fracture or heart attack can happen at any time during travelling. In America, Europe or Gulf countries, even normal OPD and emergency room expenses run into lakhs of rupees. Travel insurance covers the entire cost of cashless hospitalization, doctor’s fees, ambulance and even medical evacuation if necessary.

• 2. Flight Cancellation and Trip Interruption:

  
  

  Non-refundable flights and hotels result in huge financial losses if you have to cancel your trip due to bad weather, strike, airline technical glitch or sudden illness of someone in the family. Travel insurance policy fully compensates you for the expenses incurred in case of trip cancellation or interruption of the trip.

• 3. Baggage Loss/Delay:

  
  

  It is a very common problem for suitcases to get misplaced or completely lost during connecting flights at the airport. If your luggage is delayed by 12 to 24 hours, the insurance company provides compensation to purchase necessary clothes and toiletries. In case the goods are lost permanently, the full claim is based on the value of the goods.

• 4. Theft of passport and important documents:

  
  

  Losing your passport while traveling abroad is no less than a nightmare. If you have travel insurance, the company bears the entire embassy expenses and logistics of getting a new duplicate passport or emergency travel certificate made on foreign soil.

• 5. Third Party Liability (Personal Liability):

  
  

  The personal liability clause of travel insurance protects you from legal suits and damages if you cause bodily injury or unintentional damage to someone else’s property while abroad (like a rented car crashing into someone’s wall).

Most people think that insurance is needed only while going abroad (International Trip) because it is mandatory for Schengen visa or America. But according to experts, it is equally important for domestic travel within India:

• Less expenses in domestic travel: Insurance for a 4-5 day trip within India costs just ₹150 to ₹300.

• Train and Flight Accident Cover: When booking IRCTC tickets, you get accident cover up to ₹ 10 lakh for just a few rupees.

• Risks of Adventure Sports: If you are going to do adventure activities like river rafting, paragliding, scuba diving or trekking in Manali, Ladakh, Rishikesh or Goa, normal health insurance often does not cover adventure sports injuries. For this, taking travel insurance with special adventure cover proves to be life saving.

It is very important to read the policy terms carefully before hitting the ‘buy’ button after seeing the cheapest plan:

• Pre-Existing Disease (PED) Clause: If you already have diabetes, blood pressure or asthma, check whether complications related to it will be covered in case of an emergency.

• Deductible amount: Many policies require the first $50 or $100 to be paid out of pocket when making a claim. Always choose a plan with a low deductible.

• Cashless Hospital Network: Make sure that the insurance company has a large hospital network and 24×7 international helpline support active in the country or city you are visiting.

Next time you pack for a holiday, never forget to download a copy of your travel insurance along with hotel and flight tickets to your phone and keep it in your purse.