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5 Simple Reasons Why Travel Insurance is Important

There’s a lot you have to think about before going on a trip abroad. You need to check if the destination requires a Visa followed along by planning your itinerary and what to pack.

Even though all these things are important, you shouldn’t forget to get yourself a travel insurance. I know there are still many people out there who don’t think buying one for only a few days of vacation is not necessary.

However, I want to share with you 5 simple reasons why travel insurance is important and how it can protect you from unforeseen events. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, right?

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking.)

1. Reimbursement For Various Trip Costs

First of all, you can get reimbursement for trips that are prepaid and thus mostly not refundable.

Imagine you just paid $ 5,000 for the ultimate Safari experience in Kenya for your birthday and you’re extremely excited.

However, a few days before you leave, your Dad gets really sick and ends up in a hospital. Of course, you want to be with him so you decide to cancel or postpone the trip.

So when you call the safari company and explain what happened, they understand and are very sorry. Nevertheless, you most likely won’t get your money back.

That’s the part where your travel insurance comes into play.

If it includes trip cancellation benefits (what most insurances do), you can get your money back when you have to cancel your trip for covered reasons.

travel insurance

Most of these reasons include unforeseen happenings such as serious illness, injury or the death of either, the insured traveler; a travel companion or even a family member.

Moreover, you can even get a refund if a natural disaster like an earthquake or a tsunami happens at your destination.

2. Emergency Medical Benefits

The second reason why travel insurance is important is that it covers many medical emergencies.

Let’s suppose no one gets sick and you can go on your dream Safari trip.

But now consider another scenario: You spot an elephant in the distance and because of all the excitement you lean yourself way too far out of the Jeep to get the perfect photo.

Seconds later you find yourself on the ground with your right elbow broken and serious head injuries. After rushing to the closest doctor/hospital, you pull out your health insurance card and show it to the staff.

Unfortunately, it’s useless and you have to pay for the medical treatments up front.

Of course, it always depends on the severity of the injuries and the kind of treatment, but the bills can range from “only” € 1,000 to more than € 10,000.

Plus, if you need medical evacuation the costs can rise up to € 100,000 and more.

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Most travel insurances include emergency medical benefits and thus pay for occurring medical emergencies.

They can even cover necessary transportation to the closest hospital or medical facility, as well as more expensive costs such as getting back from a country due to injury or illness.

So if you were wondering if travel insurance is really worth it, simply look at the difference in costs between buying travel insurance and paying for medical emergencies. Then you have the answer.

3. Delayed or Lost Personal Stuff

Undoubtedly, one of the major reasons why people buy travel insurance is to cover the loss of personal stuff.

However, compared to the two reasons stated above, it’s actually the least important. You can always buy a new laptop or phone but you have only one health!

If an airline loses your complete luggage or it gets stolen, most travel insurances reimburse you for the value of your lost bags and the personal stuff inside.

why travel insurance is important

Even if your luggage is only delayed, many insurance companies cover the costs involved in purchasing necessary items until your bags arrive.

4. Some Countries Require it

Believe it or not, another reason why travel insurance is important is the fact some countries simply require it.

Imagine you just landed in one of your absolute dream destinations and are now on the way to immigration.

As you arrive at the immigration counter, the staff denies you entry because of the missing travel insurance. Even though you have a valid visa, you’re prohibited to enter the country.

So every time you travel abroad, don’t forget to check whether insurance is mandatory or not.
There’s a useful list of all the countries requiring travel insurance.

5. It Makes You Feel Safer

Last but not least, one of the simplest reasons why travel insurance is important is that it makes you feel a lot safer.

Whatever unforeseen event may happen, the fact that your costs will most likely be covered by your travel insurance company makes you feel so much more carefree during your trip.

It’s a way better feeling to not have to worry in case of unexpected arising expenses.

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What Type of Travel Insurance Should I Get?

With so many different travel insurance companies out there, it’s hard to decide which one to buy.

Some travelers want insurance with lots of coverage for cancellation, lost/stolen luggage, etc. Whereas others are fine with having medical benefits only.

There are even companies specified for certain types of travelers such as backpackers or even elder people.

The travel insurance I use is from SafetyWing – a company founded by digital nomads. In my opinion, it’s the best company offering overall travel insurance.

They cover a lot at a very good price and you can easily renew your insurance online within a few minutes.

Even if you travel on a tight budget, it’s smart to buy travel insurance for all your trips.

You know, prevention is better than cure!


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Do you want to travel like me?
Here are some of my favorite travel tips and resources:

Flights: I prefer using CheapOair or Skyscanner to book flights. The destination everywhere feature is perfect for finding some cheap deals!

Accommodation: Booking.com is my favorite site to find some great hotel deals. I do love staying at a local place as well, so I book an Airbnb every now and then.

Travel Insurance: There are many reasons why travel insurance is important and I never travel without one. I use the simple and flexible one from SafetyWing that protects me against unforeseen events.

Tours: I love taking tours to explore destinations like a local. My favorite website to book them in advance is GetYourGuide.

Camera Gear: I use a Nikon D5300 camera with an 18-105 mm and a 10-20 mm wide-angle lens to take my photos.

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41 Comments

  1. This is a super helpful and informative article Alina! I always use World Nomads whenever I am going on a big trip. They are awesome. 🙂

  2. I completely agree with you, Alina! 🙂 It’s essential to get travel insurance wherever you go. You never know what it could happen before your trip. I booked my trip to Bali for this June and I’m so glad I got travel insurance since it looks like I won’t be able to go with the current situation.

  3. I have to say I’ve been travelling a lot in the past 5 years and also lived abroad in 3 different countries and I never used a travel insurance. Now I’ve been living in Mexico for 4 months and I still haven’t gotten an insurance but I know I really should. I’ll definitely check out World Nomads!

  4. Totally agree with this! Travel Insurance is essential and I was grateful I had insurance when I had to go to the hospital while in turkey

  5. Travel insurance has never seemed more important than now! I’ve heard lots of good things about world nomads however the quote they gave me was 10x more than anywhere else.

  6. I totally agree! I recently realised the importance as I had to cancel a lot of my plans during the outbreak. At the stage of claiming money back which is always THE WORST – dammit.

  7. Yes and yes! Travel insurance is so important. I travel to adventure destinations and I always use World Nomads insurance for my trips too. Thanks for the great remind of how important to have a travel insurance is.

  8. Totally agree! I’ve met way too many travelers who’ve had accidents along the way, and those who haven’t had insurance have been put into some really difficult situations. And those who have had insurance have been so thankful. Even the smaller issues like lost baggage or canceled travel plans make it a worthwhile cost!

  9. I’ve heard really good things about World Nomads! I’ve never bought travel insurance before though! Should probablyyyy think about doing that in the future haha

  10. Travel insurance is so so important! Before I moved abroad and got a job, I bought it before every trip. It made me feel so much safer! Thank you for bringing up the other points as well.

  11. Couldn’t agree more with all of these points! My travel insurance covered me a couple times when my bag didn’t make it to the final destination with me and the airline didn’t cover all the new stuff I had to buy. I’m always surprised when people travel without one! Even if you never use it (which we all obvs hope we will never have to!) it just puts your mind at ease.

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