Because of the rather hasty manner in which travel insurance is typically organised, it can be very easy for the eager traveller to just assume that the travel insurance coverage they take out will be more than enough to help them out financially should their travels lead them to a rather sticky situation. That’s not quite the case however, and while it may take a second or two to select “accept” on the travel insurance coverage offered by an institution such as your bank or your credit card issuer, it’s up to you to make sure that the travel insurance you’re subsequently paying for will offer adequate coverage for whatever financial emergency you may have to contend with while travelling.
Medical Treatment
Bear in mind that this could very well include incidents such as disability, death and something like repatriation, otherwise basic medical treatment should indeed form part of what your travel insurance covers. This can be from OTC medications you may need from a pharmacist as well as first-aid treatment, all the way up to emergency medical procedures which you may need to undergo. The main reason why travel insurance is indeed offered by credit card companies, travel agents and banks is because these entities often have the reach to get instant notification in the event of a payout-triggering event and they also enjoy access a very good network of the various service providers and other entities which may need to come to your assistance.
Legal Liability Cover
This is not often an explicit part of the typical travel insurance coverage offered, but in some instances it may be required. Legal liability cover would constitute something like being at fault if you get involved in something like a car accident abroad, in which case your travel insurance then covers elements such as the legal fees you’d be slapped with. Of course it helps if your travel insurance is dynamic in that some places you visit, like in Salt Lake for example, you can get a free consultation for the likes of personal injury and disability cases, from very competent legal practitioners in the likes of Christensen & Hymas. In this case you wouldn’t need for legal cover to be included in your travel insurance.
Either way, good travel insurance should at least have the option of legal liability cover as well as the coverage of legal fees.
Personal Possessions Loss
Personal possessions coverage as part of your travel insurance is pretty straight-forward in that it simply pays out to replace the loss of any personal items. Obviously only items of a certain value are covered and the more you want to cover, the higher the cost of the premium(s).
Cancellations
This would be cover offered for elements of your trip which are cancelled due to something like a storm or perhaps the airline/ hotel you already booked and paid at going out of business. Obviously this doesn’t happen too often, but you don’t want to be the one to make for a living example of what it’s like should any of this happen while you’re on your trip abroad.