The Holiday Season and Travel Insurance
At last, you can hang up your navy suit and neatly fold away your silk tie. It is time to replace the bustle of rush hour noise with the lapping of crystal waters against white sands. The holidays have arrived. Your dedication to the 9 to 5 is soon to be rewarded with precious family time and long-awaited relaxation.
Before you turn to sun loungers and sumptuous cocktails, there are a few essential pre-holiday checks to consider. Travel insurance and Home insurance are essential for a carefree holiday experience. Even paradise can throw some curve balls your way. From lost luggage, to medical emergencies, ensure your family is adequately and correctly covered.
What does travel insurance cover you and your family for?
Travel insurance covers can differ quite considerably between insurers, which is why insurance.co.za is the obvious choice for easy quote and cover comparisons. Most Travel insurance options will typically include all or some of the below:
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- Unavoidable Trip Cancellation
As devastating as it can be to cancel your dream holiday, life does happen. There is a reason most families save for holidays – they’re expensive. Add to this the expense of an international trip, and the costs can be in excess of R300,000.
With the right travel insurance, you will be reimbursed for pre-paid, non-refundable expenses. The most common reason for trip cancellation is due to sickness, injury, or the death of you, and/or a family member. You may also be required to return home for an unavoidable reason, in which case insurance will reimburse you for the lost portion of your trip and any additional flight expenses incurred.
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- 2. Medical Emergencies Whilst Overseas
Do not assume that your medical aid in South Africa will cover your medical expenses abroad, although some medical aids do offer limited cover when travelling. It is best to give your medical aid a call to ascertain what exactly you and your family will be covered for. The most common injuries that occur when abroad are fractures and falls, cardiovascular problems, accident trauma, and respiratory problems. Make sure your entire family is covered for all these eventualities.
There are emergency medical situations your medical aid may well exclude, such as pre-existing medical conditions and high-risk sports which your University-going son is sure to jump at. Fortunately, you can top up your travel insurance to include hazardous sports. Should you or a family member require emergency airlifts, the right Travel Insurance will pay for your medically equipped flight.
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- Lost Bags, Delayed Flights and Lost Travel Documents
After the aforementioned points, a lost bag or a delayed flight may seem tame, but regardless you may still want to reference how not to lose the plot when your luggage is lost. It leaves one with a sinking, helpless feeling. Imagine your relief, when the cost of your partner’s designer jewellery is reimbursed via your travel insurance.
Some insurers may even cover you for Baggage Delay, which would include essential items like toiletries and a change of clothes. Then there’s the all-too-possible scenario of feeling fatigued after a long international flight, only to be confronted by a delayed connecting flight. In this instance, even the calmest person may experience a sense of humour failure. The prospect of spending your night in the airport with your hard-shell suitcase as a pillow is not what most envisage as a holiday perk. Travel Delay would cover your meals and the required hotel stay.
When travelling with extended family and especially young children and teenagers, the odds of at least one travel document going missing is quite plausible. It is recommended you familiarise yourself with this advice for South African’s travelling abroad if travel documents are lost or stolen.
There is a protocol to be followed, and thus important that you have the information at hand. Again, check what your travel insurance covers with regards to travel document incidents. A foreign office report showed that a total of 20 663 British passports were reported stolen from March 2013 and April 2014.
Who is looking after your home while you’re away?
You’ve seen to it that your partner, children, and grandchildren are adequately covered by travel insurance during your overseas trip, but you have a life back home in sunny South Africa too.
Your beautiful house, its contents and your cars still need to be protected whilst you’re watching a Mauritian sunset. Insurance.co.za enables you to get comprehensive Home insurance price comparisons with the greatest of ease. Compare these quotes with your current insurance to ensure that your Home cover and Home contents are adequately covered while you are away. Cars should also be comprehensively insured, and locked in a secure garage.
In short, insurance brings with it peace of mind. You and your family deserve nothing less after all the hard work you’ve put into your working world. It’s time to relax and unwind. Explore insurance.co.za for the best in travel insurance, home insurance and car insurance and know that all you hold dear is adequately protected. Quotes are obligation-free and you’ll be contacted by a number of top-class insurers within minutes.
