Individual Travel Insurance: Things You Didn't Know

Travel insurance meant for a single individual. It covers you from travel related contingencies.

While choosing individual travel insurance, you can also choose from either of the two based on your travel frequency.

Single Trip Travel Insurance

• Provides coverage for the duration of a single trip
• It would be ideal for you if you travel once in a while
• All your medical and non-medical problems during travel are covered
• You can opt for this insurance each time you wish to travel

Multiple Trip Travel Insurance

• Provides extended coverage for around a year
• It would be suitable for you if you are a frequent flier for multiple trips
• You don't have to apply for insurance every single time you travel in the year
• Covers all medical and non-medical emergencies

Plans of different insurers vary from one another. Ultimately, you need to look for a plan that is as per your usage and fits your budget.

People often end up buying a policy that covers many things but end up paying extra. You can avoid this by opting for customized plans. If you are traveling alone, then buying an individual travel insurance policy makes sense.

The general age limit varies from one insurer to another

• Single trip individual travel insurance is 6 months – 70 years
• Multi trip individual travel insurance is 18 years – 70 years

What is Included?

Depending on the plan you select, some common inclusions.

• Medical Benefits such as in-patient care and out-patient care
• Cashless services for medical expenses abroad
• Emergency transportation and medical repatriation
• Personal Accident and Accidental death and disability
• Compensation for Baggage loss cover, trip delay, trip cancellation, delay of baggage
• Additional benefits such as coverage for personal liability and loss of passport are also sometimes a part of your plan
• Hijack distress allowance caused due to hijack for more than certain number of hours while on trip
• Covers expenses caused if you were denied boarding an aircraft due to over-booking
• Compensation for emergency accommodation if you were unable to stay in the accommodation originally booked because of natural calamity

What is Excluded?

Make sure you read the policy wordings carefully to understand the exclusions of your plan.

• Full or Partial Coverage of Pre-existing diseases are usually not covered. But in certain policies do offer compensation for pre-existing diseases, up to a specific percentage of the medical cover. However, for that the particular disease needs to be present in the list of pre-existing diseases mentioned in the policy document.
• Delay of baggage that occurs in less than 24 hours
• Losses that are incurred due to local/civil protest
• Flights missed due to riots/strikes/civil wars
• Injuries caused by adventure sports, if you are a sports enthusiast