To Buy Or Not To Buy That s The Travel Insurance Dilemma

I f book your holidays            luggage is lost, your flight is    through a travel agent,         canceled or if you fall ill while  either online or via the        on holiday. Among the many         high street, chances are that         benefits you can expect from a     you'll be asked if you want to        good policy are:                   include travel insurance at some                                         point during the transaction.         - Trip Cancellation benefit                                                                                 Faced with this question,             If your trip is canceled through   consumers can often make one of       circumstances outside your         two big mistakes. Either they say     control and after the time period  yes without shopping around and       that the travel or tour agent      pay far more than they need to,       will reimburse you, trip           or they say no but don't bother       cancellation cover will pay you a  arranging travel insurance at         percentage of the amount you've    all.                                  paid to reserve your place.                                                                                 Why Travel Insurance is Worth the     - Lost Luggage Cover               Expense                                                                                                        Lost luggage cover will reimburse  After you've paid out hundreds or     you for items that were in your    even thousands for a holiday that     luggage if lost or stolen. Be      might be your only break for the      aware, though, that there are      year, why would you balk at an        limits to the amount an insurer    extra 5% to ensure it doesn't         will pay out per bag and per       become a holiday from hell?           item. If you're carrying an                                              expensive digital camera, for      The right travel insurance policy     instance, or jewelry, chances are  can provide much needed comfort       you'll want to take out insurance  and financial relief if your          specifically to cover it.                                                the fine print to see exactly      - Health and Accident Cover           what is covered, and to what                                             extent. It's worthwhile to be      While limited health care costs       generous when deciding how much    are covered under EHIC, it's not      repatriation coverage to pay for.  likely that the full costs of         If you did need medical care and   medical care will be covered that     special treatment for a return     way. A travel insurance policy        home, for instance, the costs can  will cover medical costs and          run into tens of thousands.        more. A medical emergency                                                overseas can mean extra costs for     - Cash Replacement                 accommodation, prescriptions and                                         even repatriation. Most policies      While your credit card companies   will even cover the cost of           will step in to quickly cancel     flying a family member or other       any lost credit cards and provide  companion to accompany you back       you with replacements, you could   home if necessary.                    be on your own if your cash is                                           stolen or lost. A good travel      - Repatriation Benefit                insurance policy will cover cash                                         losses up to a set amount - and    There are other reasons you may       get it to you quickly.             need to return home than illness                                         or accident. Some travel policies     - 24-hour Emergency Help Line      will reimburse you a percentage                                          of the costs of your holiday and      Look for a policy with a company   pay for travelling to return home     that has a 24 hour emergency help  under unforeseen circumstances,       line - the assistance you get      including a home fire, a              there can be invaluable in a       relative's illness and even a         difficult situation. Emergency     pet's illness. Be sure to read        operators can help get you set up  in accommodation if needed,           toothbrush, something as simple    expedite claims and get services      as an emergency voucher to cover   to you as quickly as possible.        the cost of toiletries and         When you're stranded in an            bedclothes can make a world of     unfamiliar country with no            difference.                        luggage, no cash and not even a        About the Author Many travellers pay too much for holiday cover because they fail to shop around. In fact, it's easy to compare travel insurance companies in minutes by using price comparison sites like travel insurance supermarket and Confused.com. Published At: www.Isnare.com