Your departure date is approaching, your reservations are complete and your suitcases are ready. Now, to leave with confidence, you are probably asking yourself the question:
is it a good idea to travel without insurance?
Having an accident, losing your luggage, getting sick or even being repatriated, anything can happen while traveling! Travel insurance and its guarantees are intended to protect the traveler at the time of his departure and throughout his trip. It provides coverage tailored to the length of stay as well as the destination and protects the traveler if needed. Above all, travel insurance allows you to enjoy your vacation in peace.
Why take out travel insurance?
If I cancel my trip ...
Broken leg, invitation to a resit exam, death of a close family member or even redundancy ... all these unforeseen events can push you to cancel your trip at the last minute. And, without travel cancellation insurance, you will have to pay for part or all of your stay. To avoid this and deal with this kind of situation, you can take out cancellation insurance before your departure.
In general, cancellation insurance reimburses the costs incurred for your trip, less the amount already reimbursed by the trip organizer (airline, travel booking site, travel agency, etc.) and sometimes a deductible.
Cancellation insurance is often inexpensive (the amount is a small percentage of the cost of your trip). Don't hesitate to subscribe, especially if the price of your trip is high.
If I lose my luggage or it is stolen ...
Some unexpected events may also take place during your trip. Fortunately, this does not happen every day, but, for example, the airline company can lose your luggage at the airport… So remember to cover your personal effects so as not to have to regret it and having to buy back your belongings at real costs.
Namely, compensation in the event of theft or loss of baggage may be capped by your insurance. Find out about the limit and check the coverages before purchasing your travel insurance. It is important to specify that all guarantees are not the same according to the contracts.
If I fall ill or have a minor accident ...
A cold or the flu? You won't die from it but it can really ruin your trip, especially if the situation gets worse. This is also the case for small accidents that can take place once there. When self-medication is no longer enough, you have to resolve to consult a doctor and put your hand in the wallet to treat yourself properly. Between the consultation with the doctor and the passage to the pharmacy the bill can quickly climb.
If you are traveling in Europe and you have the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) , it is possible - but not always - to obtain a refund. Note that this reimbursement will be in accordance with the Social Security reimbursement scale of your country of origin.
Outside the European Union, it is also possible that all care remains at your expense. Without insurance, expect to pay for all of your care out of pocket. Indeed, medicine in the world has disparate costs
Here are some examples of the prices of a consultation with a general practitioner around the world:
- between 100 and 150 dollars in the United States
- between 80 and 100 Australian dollars in Australia
- 5,000 yen (around 38 euros) in Japan
The cost of a consultation of this type is still limited and will not break the bank, but can be covered by good travel insurance. This will allow you to spend your travel budget on items other than your medical expenses!
If I have a serious illness or accident and have to be hospitalized and / or repatriated ...
If you have to be hospitalized, travel insurance will cover you and prevent you from going broke in medical bills. You should know that even in countries with a lower standard of living than that of your country of origin (as in South-East Asia), access to quality care can be very expensive. You will often pay a higher price than in Europe! In countries in North America, the bill can go up, especially if you have to have surgery or stay in hospital for several days. In the United States, a simple ankle sprain can cost you several thousand dollars!
Here are some examples of prices for an emergency room or several days of hospitalization in different countries:
- Canada : Ski accident on Mont Tremblant € 5,500
- Thailand : Monkey bite in Kho Phi Phi Ley 200 €
- New Zealand : Hospitalization following an accident in Auckland € 9,200
- Indonesia : 6 days of hospitalization in Jakarta for suspected dengue fever € 2,000
- Australia : Motorcycle accident in Perth with multiple fractures € 130,000
Regarding repatriation insurance ensures you to be brought back to your country of origin if necessary. Without travel insurance, you or your loved ones will have to pay for your repatriation whatever the reason: accident, illness or death. In the event of medical repatriation, prices can quickly soar: an economy class flight taken overnight or repatriation in a medical plane can cost you up to € 30,000!
If I cause damage and I engage my “private life” civil liability
When you take out travel insurance, it is mainly to cover medical costs abroad. We often forget an important guarantee: “private life” civil liability. It is the one that covers you if you cause bodily harm and / or property damage to others unintentionally. In several cases, your civil liability may be engaged, for example:
You are in Canada on a bicycle, there are people on the road and you accidentally collide with another cyclist. He falls with his phone in his hand; gets injured and his phone breaks.
You cause material and bodily damage: your civil liability is engaged and you must reimburse him for expenses, this is when your “private life” civil liability insurance comes into play.
My bank card as travel insurance?
Many travelers think that their credit card covers them abroad, regardless of the country or the situation they face. Please note, we advise you to check the conditions of your contract. If like many people you don't want to read the short lines, call your bank directly.
If you purchased your trip with a credit card, it is possible that travel insurance is automatically included. However, in the majority of cases this "free" travel insurance is much less effective than the travel insurance offered by specialists and the guarantees are often limited.
Before taking out travel insurance, we advise you to take note of the guarantees included in the insurance to which you have already taken out voluntarily or automatically, whether it is that of your bank or other. This will avoid duplicates and adjust your travel insurance according to your needs.
Traveling with insurance
is sometimes compulsory!
In Europe and beyond its borders, some countries require, among other things, valid travel insurance for the visa application, as well as a valid passport to obtain the right to enter their territory. If you are going to Cuba, China, Algeria or Russia, take your precautions because travel insurance is compulsory .
For students going abroad, the host country may also require travel insurance. For people who go abroad under the Working Holiday Program , travel insurance is generally compulsory, for example: WHV Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, etc.
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