What should travel insurance include?
Travel insurance always includes Medical and Non-Medical benefit coverages. There are varying sum insureds for each benefit depending on the insurance plan most suited to the traveller’s requirement. The traveller should ensure:
- They have adequate Accident & Sickness (A&S) Expense coverage. For example if the traveller is bound to The Americas (including USA), Europe, UK etc, it is important that they opt for an insurance plan which has a minimum of $250,000 as A&S coverage. If they are bound to South East Asia (SEA) or any of India’s neighbouring countries, they can opt for a lower Sum insured between $50,000 and $100,000
- They must opt for a plan which has a Trip Cancellation cover in case of any unforeseen emergency due to which they have to cancel their trip. This coverage helps them against a financial loss if they do not get a full reimbursement from the Airline, Hotel or Tour/Cruise company.
- They should ideally have coverage for Passport and Baggage Loss, Baggage Delay and Personal Liability which are relevant coverages for today's travellers.
Can I have 2 travel insurance policies?
Yes, there is no restriction on an insured traveller having two insurance policies when they venture abroad. There could be a situation where the coverages under the two policies are complementary to each other, this will mean that the traveller enjoys a much wider coverage. But the insured traveller should be aware that for a claim under a particular benefit which is part of both insurance plans, they can make a claim only under the plan they choose to claim under. They will not be able to lodge two separate claims under each of their insurance policies for the same coverage.