Vacations used to be for those who had the time and money to get away from home for a few days every year, and those people always went to the same destination for their trips. Nowadays, people are traveling more than they are not, and it is never to the same places, as everyone wants to conquer their bucket lists of must-see destinations.
With all this extensive travel, everyone needs to consider purchasing travel insurance for each trip that they take. Some people feel that this insurance is not necessary, however, since no one knows what the future holds, it is definitely better to have than not.
Here are 4 reasons everyone needs to purchase travel insurance for their vacations:
- Accidents and Illnesses
Accidents can happen at any time, even on vacation, and travel insurance will allow everyone to get the care that they need and deserve. Emergency care is expensive, and regular medical insurance may not cover it all, especially overseas, which is why travel insurance can come in handy.
- Lost Money
There may be a time when people cannot take a vacation that they planned and the only way to not lose the money paid out for the trip is to have travel insurance. The reasons that are covered are different with each travel insurance company, so everyone will want to check those out prior to purchasing their insurance. Everyone will want to make sure that they purchase a plan that covers flight delays, so that they are reimbursed if their flight is delayed and their vacation doesn’t begin as planned or at all.
- Missing Luggage
Travel insurance will allow people to recover the costs of new purchases if their luggage is lost or the costs of replacing everything if that same luggage is never found.
- Assistance
Everyone that has travel insurance will find that help is always just a phone call away, no matter where they are spending their vacation.
While travel insurance is a great option for everyone, there is an issue when it comes to senior travelers, because some policies will not cover people over a certain age or those with pre-existing medical conditions. Senior travelers will need to search for policies that will offer them coverage and then make sure that they purchase a plan that will cover pre-existing medical conditions, medical emergencies, and medical evacuations.
Here are a few travel insurance companies that every senior traveler should consider:
Travel Guard Travel Insurance
Travelers are allowed to create their own plan, according to their individual needs, including pre-existing plans and medical plans. There are also three plans that are ready to purchase, and they are the Essential Expanded, Protect Assist, and Cruise, Tour, and Travel. They will all cover trip cancellation, emergency travel assistance, trip delays, and trip interruptions. As long as the pre-requisites are met when filling out the pre-existing medical condition waivers, any medical emergency covering those conditions will be approved and paid for. The amount that is covered for medical expenses varies according to the plan that travelers choose, as is the amount for trip delays, missed flight connections, emergency evacuations, and accidental deaths.
Travelsafe Travel Insurance
Travelsafe has three different levels of plans including Basic, Classic, and Classic Plus, however, it seems that only Classic and Basic are the ones that are available to seniors. The amount that is covered varies according to the plan that is chosen, but they both do cover missed connections, trip delays, trip cancellation for certain reasons, and baggage delays and loss. There is an additional cost to include trip cancellation for any reason on the Classic plan and that option is not available on the Basic plan.
These plans offer both medical and dental emergency expenses, as well as emergency evacuations and accidental death coverage. The Classic plan also includes benefits for non-medical emergency evacuations, which can be helpful in certain situations.
Allianz Travel Insurance
Allianz Travel Insurance has multiple travel insurance plans available, but seniors will be able to choose from the Basic, Prime, and Premier. They each cover trip cancellation, trip interruption, missed connections, and baggage loss and damage. The amount of coverage for medical emergencies as well as emergency transport varies according to the plan that is purchased.
Anyone with pre-existing conditions will want to ensure that they have that added to their plan and that they fill out the waiver in a timely manner. If they fail to do either of those things, they will find themselves without coverage during their travels.
Cover More Travel Insurance
Cover More will cover seniors up to the age of 99, so no one will need to sit at home as they dream about traveling the world. They have numerous plans available that cover everything from baggage delays and loss, missed connections, trip cancellations and delays, trip interruptions, medical expenses, and emergency evacuations.
It is important to note that their plans do not cover everything, but seniors and other travelers can add a variety of extra coverage options to ensure that they have everything that they need. Seniors will want to make sure that they opt for the pre-existing medical condition coverage and fill out the waiver during the required time frame, so that they have medical coverage when they are away from home. Failing to do either will mean hefty medical bills or denial of treatment while on vacation.
Most insurance policies will have a free look period, which allows people to completely review the policy after purchasing it. Anyone that changes their mind or realizes that their policy does not have everything that they need will be able to cancel the policy and receive all their money back during that free look period. No one should purchase a policy that does not have this grace period, unless they are absolutely sure that they are making the right choice with their travel insurance policy.
Everyone needs travel insurance, including seniors, and while they can have a difficult time finding a plan that fits their needs, it is available from certain travel insurance companies. Every senior traveler will want to do their research, so that they do not need to skip vacations due to the risk of losing everything.