The Best Travel Insurance: How To Find It

I’ll let you in on a little secret: the best travel insurance for you isn’t the same as the best travel insurance for me. Travel insurance plans and coverage vary as much as the travelers who buy them – and for good reason. Each trip is different and therefore needs a different kind of coverage.

Where To Search For The Best Travel Insurance

Of course, we would suggest you begin your search here at RoamRight. You can get a quote from any place on our website and compare travel insurance plans. Or, you can call 1-800-699-3845 to speak with a customer service representative.

If you want to take a broader look at travel insurance providers, we suggest looking at websites that compare multiple providers. Some of our favorites are Squaremouth, InsureMyTrip and TravelInsurance.com.

Identify What Type Of Travel Insurance You’ll Need

There are a few things to consider when looking for a travel insurance plan. The first starts with the type of coverage you need. Understand the answers to these two questions before proceeding:

• Can you afford to lose any travel investments you’ve made if you aren’t able to travel or if you have to cut your trip short? (If not, you’ll need trip cancellation coverage.)
• Will your primary health insurance cover you – and pay directly for that coverage – if you are out-of-network or out of the country? (Many will not. This includes Medicare and some plans under the Affordable Care Act. In this case, you’ll want travel health insurance.)

Look for plans that are either marked as trip cancellation plans, travel medical plans, or packaged plans. Packaged plans combine both trip cancellation and travel medical coverage.

Compare Coverage Benefits To Find The Best Travel Insurance For You

Once you identify the type of insurance you’ll need, you should compare coverage benefits based on your travel plans. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

The more remote your destination, the higher the medical coverage you should consider

If you are traveling to a destination that doesn’t have immediate access to healthcare, you’ll want to make sure you have a higher benefit limit for your medical and evacuation coverage. Simply put, if there’s a medical emergency, you’ll want quality care, and sometimes that can mean an expensive air ambulance ride.

(How expensive? One RoamRight traveler’s flight from Europe to the United States cost $70,000. Read his story here.)

If you think you’ll change your mind about traveling, consider Cancel For Any Reason coverage

Cancel for Any Reason coverage allows you to do just that – cancel your trip up to 48 hours before departure. The “any reason” covers everything beyond the standard trip cancellation triggers like accident and illness, revocation of military leave, terrorist attack in your destination, unforeseen weather events, etc. Read our Frequently Asked Questions for a full list of reasons covered by RoamRight’s travel insurance policies.

Please note: Cancel For Any Reason coverage is not available to New York residents.

Buy early if you have a pre-existing medical condition

If you buy certain RoamRight travel insurance policies within 21 days of making the initial payment for your trip, we’ll waive the pre-existing conditions clause of your policy. This gives you greater benefits for purchasing your insurance early.

If you are an active traveler and do adventurous activities, make sure you’re covered

Most travel insurance policies don’t cover activities like bungee jumping or sky diving. It’s important to check the policy before you buy. Even an activity like skiing or SCUBA diving may require a specialized plan depending on your state of residency. Read a complete list of activities and how they are covered by RoamRight policies.

Be aware of your baggage limits if you’re packing expensive equipment

If you’re traveling with expensive sporting equipment like skis or golf clubs, or packing an expensive camera, make sure your baggage benefits cover these costs.

Make Sure You’re Covered – Ask For Help

If you’ve read over all of the information and are just as confused as ever, simply ask for help! Every travel insurance provider should have a phone number to call or an address to email. You can call RoamRight anytime at 1-800-699-3845, or visit the homepage of our website and start an online chat. We’ll review your travel plans with you to find the most appropriate coverage for your trip.

Have you ever bought travel insurance? What do you look for in a travel insurance plan?

Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.