If you are anything like me, you love to travel. But do you know how to pick the best travel insurance? I’ll share my experiences with individual travel insurance plans and why I purchased an annual plan for my entire family.
Do You Need Travel Insurance?
In 2019 my husband and I traveled to Cancun, Mexico. I ended up in the hospital with cellulitis of the skin. The only good thing that came out of that trip to Mexico was my that I had purchased travel insurance from Allianz Travel Insurance. All of my medical expenses were covered, including the multiple taxi rides from the hotel to the hospital and to the airport.
I’ll spare you the details of my hospital stay. The good news from this vacation gone wrong, is that my individual travel insurance policy paid for itself and then some.
No one plans on getting sick or injured on vacation, but if you do have a problem and need medical attention, it is important to have the best travel insurance. The first step in how to select the best travel plan is to get a free quote.
There are many companies that offer insurance. I used Allianz Travel Insurance because several friends in my business had insurance with this company and had personally recommended them. Additionally, Allianz is the largest travel insurance company in the world. While size doesn’t always matter, in this case, the company has many years of experience in the industry. They also offer many different policies including annual and family plans.
What Allianz Travel Insurance Offers
I am not a travel insurance expert, nor do I sell plans. Initially, when I purchased my insurance, I bought an individual policy. I’m sure you’ve seen the option to purchase travel insurance when you book your airline reservation, cruise vacation or once-in-a-lifetime bucket list vacation. My recommendation is to purchase the annual plan if you travel often either internationally or domestically.
If you have three trips planned in one year, (international or domestic travel) it makes sense to purchase the annual policy. Not only is cost a factor in this decision, the ease of a once-a-year policy means you can check that “to do” item off your travel list. Allianz sends me a reminder e-mail before my policy is about to expire so that I have continuous coverage.
If you are single, the individual insurance policy obviously makes sense. If you typically travel with your entire family (living in the same household) then the All Trips Premier plan is a good idea. Keep in mind that your insurance does not kick in until you are 100 miles from your residence.
This year I switched to the family travel plan. Now each family member is covered should anyone need coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical or emergency medical transportation. Additionally, our insurance covers baggage loss or damage, baggage delay, travel delay and rental car damage. Travel accident coverage and 24 hour hotline assistance are also important to me.
The 24 hour hotline assistance really came in handy when I was admitted to the hospital in a foreign country and I was stressing about my medical insurance and what was covered. Even the international phone call to Allianz was free.
Which Policy is Best for You
Only you can determine which travel insurance policy is best for you. The pre-existing medical condition coverage was important to me, as I have two hip replacements. You’ll need to check with your insurance carrier to see what is, and is not, included in your policy, as all companies are different. Also, your age will factor into the insurance equation. There are basic policies to premium policies, designed to fit every budget.
I hope this post serves as a starting point on how to pick the best travel insurance.
How to pick the best travel insurance article and all photography by Nancy D. Brown.
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I earn a commission on any insurance you may book through my custom links.