As countries across the world are gradually once again opening their borders and relaxing travel restrictions since the global pandemic caused by the dreadful and devastating Coronavirus and Coivd-19 which emerged at the end of 2019, I want to focus on travelling insurance in this article as some people might not be aware of the significance of having it.
Some people have not been abroad in over two years which is understandable for a variety of reasons and are keen to visit relatives and friends, see sights, as well as enjoy sunnier and warmer weather this year. I will add that Covid-19 has not gone away so travellers will still need to take the necessary precautions.
Travelling abroad whether on business, for leisure or whatever purpose one needs to make sure in the same way that some countries require visas for entry, the importance of purchasing travel insurance if it is available has to be a priority. There was once a famous credit card company in Britain which used in its advertising campaign in reference to its credit card ‘Don’t’ leave home without it’ and I would suggest the same principle should apply to travel insurance.
I can never forget a few years ago one of my friends went to Malta to celebrate her 60th birthday and was found dead on the actual day in her hotel room of natural causes. Sadly what made it worse was that she had not declared her full medical history and underlying health issues when she purchased the travel insurance so the company rendered the travel insurance policy null and void. This meant that they were not prepared to stand the cost of bringing back the body to England for burial and it remained in a mortuary for 3 months as it proved too costly for the family to bring it back immediately. The lesson to be learnt from that tragic experience is one should declare all the medical conditions and pay the extra premium to be on the safe side.
I recall a late friend of mine in his 90s with a heart defect wanting to travel to America from Britain to visit relatives a few years ago and the travel insurance quoted amounted to a lot more than the air fare. He decided not to go and considered his days of overseas trips at an end having done a lot previously. My advice would be to shop around in order to avoid being ripped off by some insurance firms but there is no way one should visit for example the United States and not be adequately covered. If one had to have medical treatment there as an emergency it would be very expensive. Some insurance companies give options of one-off cover for a single trip whilst others offer yearly cover package which is renewable when it is about to expire.
Even travelling to Europe is no longer an option for British citizens to expect free medical care as used to happen in the past since we are no longer a member of the European Union when all one could show is the European card which proved eligibility. These are things we must be mindful of.
Did you know that travel insurance is also available at the fraction of the train and coach fares for some journeys made only in Britain by some companies? When booking those trips it is best to make enquiries about the travel insurance as it comes down to the proverbial saying ‘Peace of mind’.
So in the same way most of us have life insurance, death insurance, household contents insurance, building/property insurance and some insurances exist in case one loses one’s job, for the sake of a few extra pounds I invite everyone to always factor travel insurance in their plans as it is better to be safe than sorry. Feature photo courtesy iStockphoto.com
London born Tony Kelly of Jamaican parents grew up in Jamaica and returned to live in Birmingham in 1979.
He is a graduate of Mico Teachers’ College and taught in Kingston high schools prior to working for 30+ years as a middle manager in central and local government with an emphasis on equity, equality, diversity and inclusion. He has a masters’ degree in socio-legal studies from the university of Birmingham.
For over a decade Tony has volunteered as a diabetes ambassador firstly for Diabetes UK and now for the National Health Service – Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group. A multi-award winner doing a yearly average of 150 health and well-being events, locally, nationally and internationally focusing on type 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed with this medical condition 18 years ago. However with a combination of physical activity and diet he has never taken medication thus proving with the right mindset and discipline it can be achieved.
As a diabetes advocate/activist Tony will continue delivering the message of healthy options to readers of CaribDirect.com .
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