By 
On Travel Insurance
I’ve written on the topic of travel insurance before in brief, but it seems remiss of me that I’ve never spoken about something so crucial in the past.
In light of my recent partnership with Compare Travel Insurance, I thought it was high time for me to comment on the topic as well as providing a review of their free Ultimate Guide to Travel Insurance eBook that I’ve been promoting on the site’s front page for the last few weeks.
If you haven’t nabbed a copy for yourself yet, you can grab your free copy of the Ultimate Guide to Travel Insurance.
The Ultimate Guide to Travel Insurance
Right off the bat, I really dig that this is a guide written by a travel insurance comparing service rather than a travel insurer themselves. It right away removes the opportunity for bias, which means you can just trust Eugene (the insurance geek extraordinaire) to give you the straight dope.
This isn’t a book that tells you which travel insurer to pick. Rather, it walks you through the important steps to making an informed decision while also informing you of a few often overlooked pitfalls that trap the novice traveler.
From personal experience, my younger brother was caught out deluxe in the Philippines back in 2014. The poor kid had his iPhone stolen in a Boracay night club, but because he hadn’t read his policy correctly – he was entitled to a paltry $90 to replace his phone.
The guide not only walks you through what travel insurance covers and the different kinds of policy out there, but also details important exclusions you should be aware of and gives an overview of the often stressful claims process.
The whole thing comes in a bright and colourful package, and is delivered in a friendly and occasionally irreverant way that makes it very accessible.
What is Travel Insurance?
The introductory pages explain what travel insurance is (and isn’t) and highlights five good reasons to get travel insurance. If you’re new to travel insurance, you perhaps aren’t aware of just how much travel insurance can cover for you.
It’s not just medical expenses, but also cancelled flights and the associated expenses, lost baggage in transit, rental vehicle excess, and even the sad business of compensating your loved ones should you bite the big one on the road.
How to Buy Travel Insurance
The meat of the guide is a step by step set of instructions on how to decide which travel insurance company (and policy) is for you.
It’s really broken it all down into something idiot proof. Rather than getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of options out there, you can make your way through the steps and find a policy that suits you.
A really handy section in this booklet is the exclusions portion, covering the things that won’t necessarily be covered. These range from the obvious (base jumping) to some that might surprise you. I had no idea that most policies won’t cover you if your tour provider goes bankrupt and absconds with your money!
Claims
Even after eight years on the road, I’ve never had to make a claim.
Touch wood it remains that way.
While I’ve given quite a few friends advice on what travel insurers to look at or what to consider when choosing, I’ve never been able to give advice on making a claim. While the section in this guide is short (only a single page), it gives you a few good rules of thumb to follow when making a claim.
In Summary
The Ultimate Guide to Travel Insurance is a handy resource for first time travelers in particular, but even I took a few things away from it that I’ll consider while planning my upcoming trip to Africa.
Don’t forget to grab your free copy!
You can also read about the closest I’ve come to needing travel insurance on the road, the potentially bone-shattering Koh Phangan Eco Adventure I went on with Nomadic American in 2013.
Your Say
What are your tips and tricks when purchasing travel insurance?
Do you have a favourite insurer you’d recommend in a heartbeat?
Any travel insurance success or horror stories you’d like to share?