Benefits of Travel Insurance for a Domestic Vacation

Travel insurance is often purchased for trips abroad, but many vacationers do not see the point in spending the money on a policy when they are staying in the United States. While travel in the United States might be safer and easier than travel in a foreign country, there are still things that could go wrong. When these things happen, travel insurance can ensure that the problem is solved as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you might be forced to spend money out of pocket and cancel the rest of your vacation. Here are the top benefits of buying travel insurance, even if you are traveling domestically:

Benefit #1: You can get medical treatment no matter where you travel.

Even if you already have health insurance, you might find yourself deep in debt if you get sick or injured while on vacation. Unfortunately, more health insurance policies restrict the network of doctors you can see, and those doctors typically all live in an area near you home. So, if you go on vacation to Miami, but you live in California, all of the doctors you are “allowed” to see under your policy live thousands of miles away. Of course, you can legally see whomever you want, and emergency care is usually covered no matter where you are in the United States, but if you get help from a doctor not in your network, you might have to pay for it yourself.

While the medical benefits of a travel insurance policy are important, keep in mind that not everything is covered with every policy. For example, many travel insurance policies do not cover injuries due to extreme sports or other high-risk activities like scuba diving or touring through a war zone. In most cases, pre-existing conditions and pregnancy are also not covered. Read your policy carefully.

Benefit #2: You’ll get your money back if your trip is cancelled.

Not every vacation goes off without a hitch. A vacation can be cancelled for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, if it is the tour company’s fault (for example, they did not have enough people sign up for the trip), they will give you a full refund of your money, but in other cases, you may be out of luck. For example, if you miss your vacation because your flight was cancelled, you might be able to get your money back from the airport for the flights, but you may still have to pay for the hotel room and other activities that you scheduled, even though you did not go.

Make sure, once again, that you read you policy carefully. You might be covered if someone else cancelled your vacation, but you might forfeit your money if you simply decide not to go on the trip. It depends on your policy.

Benefit #3: If your luggage is delayed, lost, stolen, or damaged, you’ll have money to replace it quickly.

You might not think that it’s a big deal if your luggage gets put on the wrong plane and sent a day late. It’s just one day, right? Well, yes, but you should still consider packing a carry-on bag with all the necessities you will need should your luggage be lost. Be sure to pack items like a set of clothing and all your necessary toiletries, unless you don't mind paying the inflated airport prices. However, we all can forget things sometimes so it's always wise to check your travel insurance plan to see if you get an allowance to purchase such necessities should you lose your luggage and find that you didn't pack anything in your carry-on. Make sure to document it if you carry with you any expensive jewelry, cameras, or other items so that these items can be replaced. Better yet, don’t carry these items at all, and always make sure that you understand the exclusions. Sometimes there are limits as to what your insurance company will replace.

Benefit #4: They’ll help you make plans if you have problems.

One of the biggest benefits to an insurance policy while you travel is that you won’t get bogged down trying to figure out what to do. Look for a company with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week concierge service. You don’t have to be out of the country to panic because you aren’t sure how to fix a problem. If you miss a connecting flight, you insurance company can help to get you on another flight. If you lose your ID, your insurance company can help you get a new one. When you travel, it can be difficult to know who to call or where to go, and time is often of the essence. Your travel insurance representative will take care of things for you, letting you get back to enjoying your vacation.

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