Britton has been learning quite a bit about trip insurance. You’ll find her articles at this link. I recently reached out to Suzanne Morrow, Senior Vice President for InsureMyTrip.com to ask a couple of questions.
1. What are the top three coverages that a U.S. traveler to Europe would want in trip insurance?
Travel insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every trip is different, and every traveler has different needs and concerns. With that said – if an American is traveling out of the country, we recommend they consider emergency medical and evacuation coverage. Most domestic health insurance, including Medicare, will not cover medical bills overseas.
Also, travelers may want to consider trip cancellation, interruption, and baggage coverage. All of these benefits are part of a comprehensive travel insurance policy – along with travel medical. It’s really the best bang for your buck when it comes to coverages.
If a traveler is worried about having to cancel a trip for something other than a covered reason, like fear or changing their mind, we recommend adding Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. This is an optional add-on and not all trips qualify.
On InsureMyTrip you can put in the details of your trip, compare policies and find the provider/policy that it right for you and your trip at a price that fits your budget. (It is free to get a quote on InsureMyTrip.com).
There is also a Cancel for Any Reason qualification tool on InsureMyTrip.com – you can, again plug in your trip info and see if it qualified for CFAR (this is also a free tool).
2. How much medical coverage does a U.S. traveler to Europe actually need? I know travelers who went to the emergency room, x-rays, etc and there was no charge.
For this we recommend travelers do their homework. First, determine if your domestic health insurance will cover you abroad. Most do not. Next, consider the destination to which you are traveling. Some destinations may have affordable medical care – but the quality of care may not be up to U.S. standards. This is where emergency evacuation coverage can come in handy. With emergency evacuation- if you are injured or ill and the facility to which you are originally taken is unable to provide the level of care you require, you can call the emergency assistance number provided with your policy to arrange transportation to a medical facility that is more appropriate.
Readers, what advice and tips do you have for us? Leave your comments below.
This article was originally published at River Cruise Advisor.
An avid traveler and an award-winning journalist, Ralph Grizzle produces articles, video and photos that are inspiring and informative, personal and passionate. A journalism graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ralph has specialized in travel writing for more than two decades. To read more cruise and port reviews by Ralph Grizzle, visit his website at www.avidcruiser.com and www.rivercruiseadvisor.com.