Travelling is one activity that every individual must undertake at one time or the other; it does not matter what the purpose of travel is, or whether the travel is local or international. A lot of people actually look forward to travelling to other parts of the world for various reasons and purposes, including but not limited to business, tourism, vacation, pilgrimage, education and for medical attention.
The euphoria to travel outside of one’s domain usually comes with a lot of preparations, and more often than not, a great deal of resources are deployed to ensure that the travel is actually takes place; and these include acquisition of an international passport, medical tests (where applicable), expensive visa processing fees, flight booking and hotel reservation.
A lot of people will do anything and everything just to actualise their international travel ambition. And to be very candid here, international travel is actually fun and something to look forward to. Travelling, especially international travels, is a form of education for the travellers as they have an opportunity to see new environments, meet new people, and learn how things are done elsewhere.
International travel affords the traveller a lot of opportunities irrespective of their original purpose of travel. These include business opportunities, educational opportunities, employment opportunities and even marital opportunities. Unfortunately, however, it is only these and many other opportunities that these (would-be) travellers see. They seem to be ignorant or care less about risks that are embedded in international travels, so they don’t take any steps towards mitigating such risks.
At this juncture, you may be tempted to ask the question: “What are those risks that are associated with international travels?” Very good question. Just read on, as most of those risks are discussed in the following paragraphs.
Risks Associated with International Travels
As interesting, fun, enjoyable, profitable and educative as international travels may be, they also come with their own downsides – the risks – just as every other thing in life. And very fortunately for travellers, most of these risks can be transferred to professional travel insurance providers, by way of buying a travel insurance – also referred to as “travel health insurance” or “travel medical insurance”.
These international travel risks are many and varied, and they include, but not limited to:
- Sudden illness in the country of destination requiring urgent medical attention and/or hospitalization.
- Involvement in an accident leading to bodily injuries, temporary or permanent disability, or death
- Loss of checked-in baggage
- Loss of valuable items such as international passport, drivers’ licence, national identity card, etc.
- Personal liabilities abroad
- Emergency dental cases
- Hijacking
- Arrest by law enforcement agencies requiring bail and legal defence
Another question that may be asked at this juncture is: “Do travel insurance policies cover all the above-mentioned risks?” And the answer is a big YES, and so much more.
Using Your Travel Insurance
After you have bought your travel insurance policy, whether it is self-purchased using the provider’s online portal, at a travel agency or through a local insurance company, you should make sure that you do not forget to take the document with you while travelling. This is so important because you may be required to produce that document by relevant bodies.
You should take particular note of your policy number (if possible copy the number somewhere else) as it will be required by the service providers to property identify you when you call them for assistance.
Another thing you should take note of on your travel insurance certificate or policy document is the Assistance Company’s telephone numbers that you need to call when you need help. These numbers are always conspicuously written on the travel insurance document – so take note of them.
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Attribution: http://EzineArticles.com/9857281