Travel insurance is one of the most important things when you’re abroad. Many travellers do not see the need, or think of it as an unnecessary luxury, but we can’t stress its importance enough. It will protect you against unforeseen incidents and potentially exorbitant medical expenses . No matter where you are going or for how long, a good travel insurance policy is a must have.
It’s important to feel safe while traveling, and that is why we always buy insurance. It’s the only thing we buy that we hope we won’t use. But unfortunately we have been in some dangerous situations where we have had to use it, and boy were we happy we had it. This includes the time when Casey was escorted out of Nepal with the help of his insurance company after being caught up in the Himalayas during Nepal’s devastating 8.1 magnitude earthquake.
What is a travel insurence?
Although it will depend on the type of policy you get, travel insurance is designed to be there for health and non-health related accidents you may have while traveling. It will also help you to financially cover sudden expenses when something goes wrong before or during your trip. Travel insurances normally offers medical expenses coverage, but it’s so much more than just health insurance. It can also cover you for trip delays or cancellations, including for interruptions like natural disasters or terrorist events, loss or theft of bags, personal liability, emergency transportation and repatriation. And a good insurance company won’t just cover your expenses, but in the event of an emergency, will assist you. And in the case of a major natural disaster, they will have people on the ground that will help escort you to safety.
There are hundreds of travel insurance companies and policies available. So before you buy one you need to know what type of policy you need and what it will cover you for. Getting the right travel insurance for your needs is important for peace of mind, as it will allow you to cover the cost of complications.
How do you find the best-value travel insurance policy for you?
It is practically impossible to make a recommendation for one policy that will be a good for all travellers. Instead, there are several factors that you should take into account when buying your policy. Protect yourself properly by researching all your options rather than just choosing the cheapest. The type of trip, your age, the value of your luggage and personal belongings, how often you travel, whether you want to travel in your country or farther afield or how adventurous your trip is going to be, are all things that can make a difference for which policy is right for you.
Which travel insurance do we use?
After trying several insurance companies, we have found one company we are really happy with: IATI Insurance, the travel insurance used by big travellers and travel bloggers. IATI Insurance has more than 130 years of experience and has a wide variety of plans for all types of travellers and budgets. We encourage you to try them.
Another one we’ve used before is World Nomads. It is good for people looking for a quick, trouble free option coverage on trips of 5 months or longer. The downside with it is that because of it’s simplicity, it is not flexible. As well, its policies for Europeans are not always as good. For these reasons, we are sticking with our IATI Insurance.
Why do we trust IATI Insurance?
There are many reasons why we trust IATI Insurance:
1. Best price/quality ratio on the market: Not only do they offer the insurance best suited to our trips, but, in most cases, they are our cheapest option. In addition, and just for being our reader, you get an additional 5% discount in any of their policy through this link.
2. No paying up front: Ring their helpdesk and they will handle your invoices directly, without you having to pay up front. They even accept reverse charge calls, or if needed, you can claim a refund of charges on calls made.
3. 24h Helpdesk in your language: A great team of people will be at your service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with operators who speak your language.
4. No excess: This means that, in the event that you need to make a claim, you’ll receive back 100% of the costs of any assistance you might need (up to the policy limit), with no excess.
5. Online Service: All policies can be bought online through their website and you will be sent the policy and the general conditions of the insurance contract to your email address. You can also pay for your travel insurance online by card (mastercard and visa), paypal or bank transfer.
Which IATI policy should I get?
Depending on the type of trip and the coverage you need for your destination, you can choose between the following policies:
– IATI BASIC: Travel insurance with basic coverage at an affordable price, designed for short holidays in Europe of up to 30 days. This policy offers moderate medical expenses of €15,000.
– IATI STANDARD: Travel policy with medium level coverage of €40,000 of medical expenses, suitable for most holiday packages, especially short and medium journeys. Cancellation cover of up to €1,500 can also be added.
– IATI STAR: This policy is specially designed for travel to countries with high medical costs, with a coverage of €100,000 for worldwide destinations. It also includes the option to cover winter/adventure sports and cruise ships, as well as cancellation coverage of up to €2,000.
– IATI BACKPACKER: This policy is specially designed for backpackers who travel from or to Spain but don’t know exactly which countries they will visit or how long their trip will be. It combines high medical coverage of €60,000 with their classic cover and other specific upgrades such as adventure sports, search and rescue, and computer equipment in your luggage.
– IATI FAMILY: Policy exclusive for families traveling with children. It combines their medical coverage of €40,000 with other specific cover such as paediatric helplines, immediate emergency assistance, repatriation escorted by a relative if something happens to one of the parents, high baggage cover, and high civil liability insurance for children.
– IATI STUDENTS STANDARD: This insurance is aimed mainly for foreign students going to study in Spain or Europe, although it can also be taken out by any other students regardless of their origin and destination. The coverage for medical expenses is €30,000 and it also provides coverage of assistance expenses such as transportation, baggage, etc.
– IATI STUDENTS STAR: Aimed for students going to study abroad for a full academic year. It includes a high coverage of up to €100,000 for medical expenses and cancellation cover of €2,000.
– IATI CANCELLATION: This travel cancellation insurance is specifically designed to cover cancellation costs incurred as a result of not being able to travel for one of the reasons listed in the policy.
⚠︎ NOTE for non-Spanish travelers: IATI Insurance is a Spanish company recommended by the OCU (Consumer and User Organization) that gives service to any traveler in the world. That is, if you are not Spanish, you can still purchase their coverage. If neither the starting point or destination of the trip is in Spain, you can take out insurance for trips of no more than 120 days. Your policy documentation won’t be in Enligh but they can provide you with a certificate of your policy with the summary coverage in English.
How do I get my travel insurance with IATI?
If you are planning your next trip and want to get an IATI Insurance policy, remember that if you buy it through this link, you will get 5% discount on any of their products, which will be automatically applied to the final rate. Follow these simple steps to get the best travel insurance for you:
1. Visit IATI Insurence website.
2. Fill in the form on the home page and the travel page of the product you are interested in and click on “Calculate quote”.
3. Select the type of insurance best suited to your trip. There is a fact sheet for every policy containing all relevant information such as description of the insurance, summary of coverage, details of cancellation cover (if applicable), and the full wording of the policy.
4. Fill in your personal information and click on “Continue”.
5. Select your payment method and click on “Buy Insurance”
6. When you complete the purchasing process online, you will be sent the policy and the general conditions of the insurance contract to the email address you have provided.
If you are planning to go on a trip soon, remember: Travel safe, get your IATI Travel Insurence and enjoy our 5% discount!
