Do I Need Travel Insurance?
There are a lot of people living in Columbia, SC or Lexington, SC that love to travel to different cities to escape the heat of the Midlands. They often ask, “Do I need travel insurance?” The short answer is yes.
Whether you are headed to Europe, Hawaii, or even Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, you do need Travel Insurance. It has several benefits and will not break your vacation budget!
There are many benefits of Travel Insurance, but here are a few to pique your interest:
- Travel Downpayment Protection
Travel insurance can offer full or partial reimbursement for prepaid reservations if your trip is canceled, interrupted, or delayed for any reason. Consider these unpredictable scenarios: your mother or father is ill and the worst happens, your wife goes into sudden and unexpected labor, you are hit with a serious virus. All of these scenarios would be valid for coverage under the proper travel insurance policy.
- Lost Baggage
You finally get to your desitnation and your luggage is lost with your inhaler inside of it. Who will help you fill an emergency prescription? Some medical insurance providers may not even help you depending on where you are! Travel Insurance can help in this instance. In addition, most travel insurance policies reimburse you for lost or stolen baggage in transit and reimburse you for items inside of that baggage. This can be pretty valuable coverage to have.
- Emergency Evacuation
You are at a beach resort in Myrtle Beach, and a hurricane forces an evacuation. Who is going to assist you with that? Who will reimburse you for your lost deposits and incurred expenses? In fact, our agency has 2 customers who were on their honeymoon in the West Indies, were evacuated from their 5 Diamond Resort due to an impending hurricane, and were forced to pay $500 each to be flown to saftey. They lost all their deposits and had to pay extra! A simple comprehensive travel insurance policy would have helped them here tremendously!
Inexpensive Cost for the Travel Insurance
Let’s be honest, it all comes down to a matter of cost. Is travel insurance worth the added expense? Typically, Travel Insurance is 5 percent to 7 percent of the price of the trip. Thus, a $10,000 European holiday would cost roughly $500 to $700 to insure.
How to Buy
Contact your local independent agent or travel agent to purchase this valuable coverage. Keep in mind that packaging this insurance with a travel package is not always your best deal for coverage and price. Purchase this through a different entity and you are better off. This Consumer Reports article speaks to this.
Sleep at Night Coverage
Bottom line, Travel Insurance is a “Sleep at Night” insurance for your hard-earned vacation. Buy the coverage and sleep better at night knowing you’re covered!