Holiday season is coming, and some of you might already have planned how and where to spend this relaxing moment with your family. So prepare your holiday well, choose a trusted and reliable travel agent to arrange your trip, decide wisely where to go and what to do on your destination, prepare your travel documents and things to bring on your trip, and of course, in order to avoid your holiday turned into a disaster, you will need a travel insurance as a protection.
Travel insurance is one of the most important instruments on your holiday, so you better choose your insurance carrier wisely when you decide to buy one. Shop around for the best rate and coverage, and also it is a good idea to look for guidance and tips on how to get the best travel insurance for your journey.
But don’t feel 100% secure just because you already have travel insurance, since there is no insurance that can cover every risk. So do with travel insurance, there are things that most travel insurance will not cover. Knowing these things is important so you can make a preparation in case some of them happen before or during your trip. It’s also useful to help you choose an insurance provider that can give you the most coverage for your travel.
I have compiled from many sources, things that most travel insurance won’t cover as you can see below:
Travel cancellation
Tour operator
Although it is totally beyond your control, but travel insurance will not pay for any expenses you have already made if the travel is canceled by your tour operator. You could ask the tour operator to return your money, but your travel insurance will not pay for any loss you experience regarding this situation neither helping you to get cash back from the tour operator or making a law suit against them.
A tour operator can cancel your trip for some reasons including their internal company problems. That’s why you should carefully choose for a tour operator to avoid this, make sure it’s a good and reliable company.
War or Riot
Usually there are certain types of mess up situation stated in a policy with explanation whether it’s coverable or not. Usually they are; strike, riot, civil commotion, terrorism, and also war, that happens in your travel destination. If the cancellation is made regarding one of those reasons, many travel insurance policies won’t cover.
Death or Illness of a Pet
Animal lovers might cancel their trip because their beloved pet is dead or ill, but don’t expect the insurance company will have a compassion on this situation, this is also the risk that cannot be insured.
Psychological Problem
You cannot cancel your trip for having psychological illness or mental problem without penalty, because for most insurance companies, this is an exclusion of coverage.
Divorce before the Trip
One in a million, but it still could happen. After you bought a tour package and travel insurance, suddenly a problem occurs in your family, then your spouse files for divorce and ruins the whole plan, and you have to cancel the trip. This is also not considered as an uncoverable risk.
Pandemics
If you find out that on your destination there is a pandemic like swine flu or anything like it, you might worry for the sake of your family’s health and decide to cancel the trip. But pandemic is also not a valid reason for trip cancellation, so this won’t be covered.
Visa Refusal
This case sometimes happen, and sadly it always happen after you buy a ticket or book a tour package or at the arrival. Mostly you can only expect cash back from the airline for the ticket, but travel insurance usually won’t cover for this cancellation.
Natural Disaster
Most of travel insurance policies say they will give coverage for trip cancellation if your destination is completely shut down by a natural disaster. But please pay attention to the fine print and read it carefully, usually it says that if the resort or the airport remains open, you will not get your claim paid by the insurance.
Health, Medical Treatment, or Personal Injury
Pre-existing Conditions
This is a common exclusion in many insurance policies, so medical treatment related to that condition during your trip will have to come out of your own pocket.
Extreme Sport
If you wish to do some extreme sports on your destination, the risks won’t be covered by your regular travel insurance. For this, you have to obtain another insurance which is extreme sport insurance or something like that.
Pregnancy and Childbirth
Usually, it is specified under which conditions the pregnancy complications or childbirth is covered. You too have to read the fine print real carefully on this one.
Working Activities
For an insurance company, holiday is holiday, meanings you shouldn’t work or do anything related to it. If you are injured while doing something that is considered a working activity, then the insurance won’t cover it. What is considered to be a working activity is not always that you do something for money, as long as it’s a situation involving manual labor, using power tools or driving heavy duty machinery, it could be considered as a working activity.
Drunk
If you are injure in doing an activity after you have some drinks there’s a big chance that your insurance won’t pay for this. So you better pay attention on this one.
Sexual Behavior
If you suffer a disease or have a worry of your future health condition related to a sexual transmitted infection or unwanted pregnancy for the result of your sexual behavior on your holiday, there’s a big chance that you have to take care of the medical costs for treatments or tests by yourself. Most travel insurance doesn’t cover this health condition.
