Understanding Your Policy - What Does Your Travel Insurance Cover?

Undoubtedly, the cyber age has greatly enhanced, simplified, and streamlined the travel experience.
A surfeit of information available online, satellite weather imaging, up-to-the-minute news reports, real-time communication (whether using text, sound, or video, among others) enables travellers to prepare and plan the trip of their dreams.
Today's modern adventurer can make the most of their opportunities, with minimal risk and maximum potential for enjoyment.
However, even in the age of supercomputers, there are just some just things that remain unpredictable and seemingly unavoidable: delayed flights, lost luggage, sudden changes in weather, and misplaced reservations, among others, remain common.
Fortunately, the availability a good insurance policy - whether you opt for personal, group, annual, or single trip travel insurance - can turn these previously major issues into minor inconveniences.
Such a policy can, for example, protect the traveller against financial loss in the case of trip cancellations, delayed flights, and lost luggage and property, as well as provide assistance in the case of medical or family emergencies.
Unfortunately, however, too often travellers treat that simple single trip travel insurance policy as a magical pill that they think will protect them from any and all problems they encounter.
In such cases, they may erroneously believe themselves protected against items not covered by their policy, possibly due to simply incomplete information or misunderstanding.
Even when they are covered for common items such as cancellations or emergency medical treatment, they may not be aware of the extent of the coverage.
Therefore, having a reputable provider is crucial when purchasing a policy.
Not only should the provider explain the details of the coverage fully, they should be available at all times (e.
g.
, provide a 24-hour hotline) to answer questions.
Below, we provide a few examples of what is or what is not covered by the average policy.
Flying Covered: Flight delays and flight cancellations.
Not covered: Missing your flight because you were stuck in traffic.
Remember, a simple single trip travel insurance policy will not cover missed flights due to mistakes by the traveller, such as not checking the flight schedules (including the right terminal, etc.
), forgetting their tickets, or not bringing along the proper documents such as passports and necessary visas.
Always make sure your paperwork for entry into your destination country is in order.
Driving Covered: In case of accidents, property (i.
e.
, car rental) damage and injury liability.
Not covered: Driving without a proper license or breaking the driving laws.
If your single trip travel insurance covers you for driving in your destination country, remember that this does not automatically mean that you are legally allowed to drive in that country.
Double-check if your destination country accepts your country's license, requires an International Driving Permit, or whether they have some other requirement before you are allowed to drive on their soil.
A driving license is only the first step.
Familiarise yourself with the driving and traffic laws of your destination country (such as which side of the road they drive on!) and make sure you obey them.