Do You really need travel insurance? Is it worth it?
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My teen just returned from her first solo travel trip. An international trip. A trip, as in, without her mom + sibling entourage. international trip. Before she went, I purchased travel insurance for her, just as I now do for all of my big travels with my children.
Why buy travel insurance for a teen, who obviously doesn’t need it for reasons such as rental car coverage? And why buy it for myself and my kids?
Let me tell you….
Once upon a time, when my babies were well, legit babies and not the big kids they are today, there was a time when I went on a lengthy international trip and sometime toward the end of the trip I got homesick. Really homesick. I looked into changing my travel dates to return home sooner and discovered that making the changes would cost me nearly $6,000.
That’s when it hit me. Traveling with a brood as large as mine, should anything happen to one of them, to me, to my husband back at home (he’s often not traveling with us) or to a close family member and I needed to get home, the cost of making an urgent flight change alone could seriously impact my finances. As my parents age, I see the need for travel insurance as even more important.
A Worthwhile Travel Expense
Yes, travel insurance is an additional expense. It’s big, but in the grand scheme of life and travel, it’s not typically that big.
For my teen’s trip, which involved running mountains, the added expense of $78 for trip insurance which included coverage for extrication and the cost of covering travel for someone to be by her side in the event of an emergency, was well worth my piece of mind.
For my husband’s international running adventures, spending not too much more than $100 for a typical trip, also gives me and our family piece of mind, just in case.
You can find travel insurance comparison tools online that will show you competitive travel quotes. Over the years, I’ve purchased travel insurance through a few different companies, but now my family consistently and happily relies on World Nomads.
Why World Nomads Travel Insurance?
First off, when I want to buy something travel related I research it to death. My family knows I LOVE to research and they know how much I love sifting through reviews, documentation, and information.
I’ve done a lot of research on travel insurance over the years, and while I’ve thankfully never *needed* travel insurance to make a claim, fingers crossed, knock on wood, other like-minded, wanderlust, adventure seeking travelers like myself and my family have reported, reviewed, and blogged about positive experiences with World Nomads.
I like what World Nomads covers and its very clear list of covered/excluded activities, so you know before you hit the road whether your activity will be A-okay. Since my family does a lot of running-related adventures and races, this is really useful.
I appreciate that World Nomads seems to get its travelers…a range of traveler types from resort goers to glampers to mountain adventure seeking adventurers–and individuals to large families. World Nomads also offers policies for short travel itineraries to long, slow, nomadic travel. And slow travel is my thing.
If you’re looking for “coverage for the unexpected,” it’s definitely worth checking out World Nomads for your travel insurance.
Check Your Credit Card Benefits
When you’re planning your trip, contact your credit card company and find out whether your card offers you any travel protections. While your credit card is unlikely a substitute for dedicated travel insurance, it may offer certain travel protections.
For example, it may offer rental car, travel delay, and/or lost luggage coverage. It’s certainly worth looking into. Alternatively, it is sometimes worth making the switch to a credit card that does offer travel benefits. At the very least, you can get a better idea of what you ultimately need in a travel insurance policy.
Happy Adventures! Happy Wandering!
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