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Travel Insurance Complete Guide

Written by Huma

Travel insurance can turn out to be a saving grace, as it covers your luggage cost, passport or other risks associated with traveling.

Dubai has been a favorite destination for tourists for many years. The reason for this is the attractions that the city offers along with the many spectacular sites.

Shopping malls, business centers, and amusement parks capture the attention of tourists. Another reason to choose this destination is that this city embraces modernity with cultural and natural heritage.

However, most people don’t focus much on the importance of Travel insurance while planning their trips. If you are planning a trip to Dubai, there are certain things regarding travel insurance that you should keep in mind.

Thus, we have presented a travel insurance guide so that you can have a complete idea of why is it necessary while planning any trip.

When you are traveling to some unfamiliar place, the chances of you getting hurt or injured are increased. While travel insurance doesn’t mean that you won’t meet an accident, it ensures that you get the required compensation.

This compensation comes handy to deal with many situations. The travelers can get sick while on the trip. The medical bills can amount to hundreds or thousands of dollars.

By getting travel insurance, you can easily get medical attention without worrying about the expenses.

Similarly, if you meet an accident, you will get the money that you lost in a form of compensation.

If by any chance you have to cut your trip short, the travel insurance will make sure that you get back the payment that you have already done.

Therefore, it is very important to include travel insurance in the planning of your next trip.

There are many aspects that are covered in travel insurance. These are:

Medical emergencies are one of the most critical situations that travelers have to worry about. Being in a strange land can further instill fear in the travelers that how will they get medical services.

Thus, travel insurance not only ensures that you get the best medical attention but also helps with the expenses that arise due to emergencies.

  1. Emergency Medical Services

You get immediate medical services if any medical emergency arises. Hence, you get treated without spending any cash because you have already purchased insurance.

2. Emergency Dental Expenses

Dental emergencies can result in increased expenses and can in return exceed your travel budget. Therefore,  to make sure that you won’t have to spend more money, it is important that you get travel insurance.

3. Medical Evacuation

If you are in a place where there is no medical facility nearby, travel insurance will make sure that you are literally evacuated. Travel insurance gets you out of the situation by taking you to the nearest facility.

4. Accidental Death

Travel insurance makes sure that you get compensation in the case of death. This compensation is paid to the traveling partners. Along with this, a service is provided that transfers the body to its home country.

5. Permanent Disablement

If any misfortune event happens in which permanent disability is caused, you will get compensation to make things easier for you during the trip.

6. Daily Hospital Cash Allowance

While on the trip, there are many times that you have to visit the hospital, not for major treatments but petty check-ups. These bills sometimes exceed the budget that you have allocated for the trip. Through travel insurance, you will get those expenses back as it covers all the medical expenses.

While traveling, one of the greatest fears is that your baggage will be lost. This can be lost due to your own self as you can leave it behind somewhere or due to theft. Either way, this loss of baggage can ruin the whole trip for you for many various reasons.

First, you have packed limited things and losing them means that you won’t have access to other things. Secondly, loss of baggage means that you will have to buy new things such as clothing, electronics, etc.

Thus, this can result in increased expenses. There are many things that are covered in your travel
insurance plan that make sure that the loss you incur is minimized to the least.

  1. Loss of Personal Documents

There are many important documents that you are carrying along in a trip. These documents include your passport, visa, etc. When you lose your baggage, there is a chance that you will lose these documents too.

As you are in a foreign land, you don’t know where to get these documents from. This is not only worrisome from the expenses point of view but also due to the fact that you won’t be able to enjoy your trip.

Travel insurance provides you the services that help you in getting the documents ready again and also compensates the expenses that will be incurred while getting a new passport or visa.

2. Loss of Baggage has been Checked-in

The baggage that you have packed for the trip contains all the necessary stuff that you need during the trip. This stuff includes clothes, shoes, medicine, electronics, etc. As you are away from home, you have access to just this stuff. If it gets lost, you can just open your wardrobe and get other things.

You will have to buy new stuff in order to continue the trip. Buying new stuff means that your expenses will increase.

As a budget allocated for a trip is limited, this can result in the cancellation of many activities that you had planned.

Hence, travel insurance makes sure that all the expenses that you have to incur are reimbursed to you so that your travel plans don’t get discontinued.

3. Delay in Receiving the Baggage

There are many instances where you might face some delays in getting your baggage. This causes inconvenience and an interruption in your travel plans. In order to save you from the inconvenience, travel insurance reimburses you for the expenses that are needed to buy the necessities. This helps you to continue with the plan while your baggage is recovered.

Therefore, travel insurance provides you an opportunity to continue your plan without
interruptions.

3. Coverage during Journey

There are many inconveniences that are faced by travelers other than medical or baggage related issues. These issues can cause disruptions in your plan that can result in frustration and loss of expenses. These expenses can add up to an amount that can put a dent in your travel budget.

Hence, with travel insurance, you can be relieved from such expenses as these will be covered by your insurance plan.

  1. Personal Liability

When you are on a trip, there are many things that can go wrong in a foreign land. Accidents happen and sometimes you are not even involved in them directly. As a third party, you become liable for any damages. This liability of you means that you will have to pay for the damages of other people.

This can be due to many reasons. Sometimes you accidentally break something in a hotel or public place or maybe you were at the wrong place at the wrong time. This can result in you paying the cost of damages. Travel insurance makes sure that you don’t have to pay for these damages out of your pockets.

You get compensation for all the expenses that you spend on such events.

2. Financial Assistance in case of Emergency

When you are in a foreign land, things so south very easily. Budget is limited and you try to complete
your plans while being in budget. People are waiting for travelers so that they can wrongfully get money from them. There are many people who are waiting to do fraud with travelers. Even if you are not with any companions on a trip, the travel insurance makes sure that in case you lose your money in an unfortunate event. There are many ways in which you can lose money.

Hence, You will be provided cash immediately if you have been in a robbery.

3. Allowance for the Distress in a Hijack Situation

If God forbid you were in a hijack situation during your trip, this event can be very stressful for you. There are many effects that this situation might have on you. Although travel insurance does not make any promises that such events will not arise, it will compensate you with the necessary allowance.

Thus, You will get the monetary compensation that will help you to continue your trip smoothly.

4. Delays in Flight

There is a chance that the flight which you are taking might be delayed. This can happen for a number of reasons. Weather is one of the most significant reasons for the delay in flights. Whatever the reason, this delay can ruin the mood that you had set for the trip. Travel insurance can’t stop the delay from happening but it gives you the expenses that you can use to enjoy the time. In order to pass the time, you can easily make purchases such a buying food or shopping.

Therefore, Travel insurance will reimburse all these expenses so that your travel plans can carry on without worry about the budget.

5. Hotel Accommodation

Sometimes things don’t go according to the plan. You planned the trip to be of 2 weeks and due to some medical emergency, you can’t come back just yet. It can result in trouble for you as you had only allocated the expenses for those 2 weeks. Extending your trip means you will behave to spend more money. Travel insurance makes sure that you don’t have to face any trouble in this regard as well. It covers the expenses that will be incurred in order to extend your stay. All the expenses will be paid until you recover from the medical situation.

As you can see, almost all the aspects are covered if you get travel insurance. This insurance means
that you will not have to worry about the expenses in case any accident or unfortunate event occurs.

Cases When Travel Insurance Is Not Viable

There are some situations in which travel insurance will not be liable. These situations are also mentioned in order to guide you about travel insurance.

  1. Illegal Consumption or Substance Use

If you have used an illegal substance that has resulted in an emergency, the travel insurance policy will not cover any expenses. Similarly, if you have consumed any drink that is banned, the policy will not be liable to pay any expenses.

2. Breach of Law

Travel insurance will assist you in all the medical elated emergencies accept the situation where the emergency was caused due to breach of law or war. If you are in a place where there is a war going on, travel insurance will not be liable to pay for the expenses of medical emergencies caused by war. Similarly, if you get shot while robbing someone or during a fight, travel insurance will not pay for the expenses.

3. Pre-existing Illnesses

Any disease or illness that you have contacted during the trip will be covered by the policy. However, if you have a medical condition that happened before going on the trip, the policy does not cover its expenses. Thus, you cannot expect travel insurance to pay for any illness or disease that was pre-existing.

4. Injury due to Adventure Sports

Another medical issue that the insurance doesn’t cover is the injury due to the adventure sports. For example, if you are going on hiking or skydiving where you know the risks, the travel insurance will not pay for the expenses.

5. Injury from Self-Harm

This is another medical emergency issue that the policy doesn’t cover. If you attempt suicide or inflict an injury upon yourself, you will not be able to get the expense for the treatment. These injuries are not covered by the policy as these are not caused by accident.

6. Cosmetic Treatments

If you are getting treatment for cosmetic purposes, insurance will not pay for the expenses. You should not expect the policy to pay for treatments such as obesity treatment, laser hair removal, plastic surgery, etc.

Final Thoughts

Be proactive in your insurance shopping and be sure this is what you need.

It’s better to get a travel insurance policy before your travel anywhere. Depending upon how frequent travelers you are, hence now it’s own you do you need a secure and worry-free environment for yourself and for others or not.


Originally published Dec 16, 2020 13:28:00 PM, updated May 16, 2021

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