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Home » Travel Health & Insurance

What To Look For When Buying Travel Insurance

Modified: Mar 12, 2025 · Published: Jul 27, 2023 by Emily Taylor |

Travel insurance is an essential element of trip planning that can protect you from unexpected events before or during your trip. These can range from trip cancellations and delays to medical emergencies. However, not all travel insurance policies are created equal, and important factors must be considered to ensure you're adequately protected.

Table of Contents

  • Travel Insurance Tips
    • Provider Trustworthiness and Policy Coverage
    • Check the Limits and Excess
    • Pre-existing Conditions and Age Limit
    • Read the Fine Print
    • Multi-Trip vs. Single-Trip Policies
    • Safeguard Your Travel

Travel Insurance Tips

A woman swinging in Bali (photo: Artem Beliaikin)
A woman swinging in Bali (photo: Artem Beliaikin)

Provider Trustworthiness and Policy Coverage

First, it's essential to choose a reliable insurance provider. Companies like United Healthcare travel insurance have established reputations and provide various coverage options to suit different needs.

Look for a provider with a strong history in the insurance industry and positive reviews from customers. When assessing policy coverage, you should ensure it includes at least medical expenses, trip cancellation or interruption, and baggage loss or delay.

Additional coverage may be necessary based on your specific travel needs. For instance, if you plan on skiing or bungee jumping, you may need coverage for extreme sports.

Check the Limits and Excess

Policy limits and excess are two critical factors when purchasing travel insurance. The policy limit is the maximum amount the insurer will pay for a claim, and the excess is the amount you'll need to contribute towards a claim.

Ensure that the policy limits are adequate for your needs, especially for medical coverage, as overseas healthcare can be extremely expensive.

Pre-existing Conditions and Age Limit

Travel insurance is a good investment if you plan to do activities like whitewater rafting in New River Gorge, West Virginia (photo: Jackalope West)
Rafting New River Gorge, West Virginia (photo: Jackalope West)

If you have pre-existing medical conditions, it's crucial to ensure your travel insurance covers them. Many insurance providers exclude pre-existing conditions or may charge an additional premium to cover them.

Age is another factor that can affect your insurance coverage. Some providers have an upper age limit for their policies or mIt'sharge higher premiums for older travelers.

Read the Fine Print

Lastly, always read the fine print of your travel insurance policy. It’s a common misconception that travel insurance covers everything, so look for exclusions and conditions that could affect your coverage. If anything is unclear, don't hesitate to contact the insurance provider for clarification.

Multi-Trip vs. Single-Trip Policies

Paragliding in Queenstown, NZ (photo: Tomas Sobek)
Paragliding in Queenstown, NZ (photo: Tomas Sobek)

One factor often overlooked when purchasing travel insurance is the distinction between multi-trip and single-trip policies.

If you're a frequent traveler, you might want to consider investing in a multi-trip or annual travel insurance policy. These policies cover all the trips you take within a year, provided each trip doesn't exceed a certain number of days (usually around 30 to 45).

On the other hand, single-trip policies cover you for one specific trip and can be tailored more specifically to the details It'shat trip. If you only travel once or twice a year, this policy might be more cost-effective.

Safeguard Your Travel

Travel insurance is an essential part of planning a trip. It safeguards you from the financial impact of unforeseen events and ensures peace of mind during your travels.

Understanding what to look out for when buying travel insurance can ensure you're adequately protected, no matter what your journey may bring.

_____

This story is brought to you in partnership with United Healthcare Global.

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Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

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