My uncle and aunt were super excited! Their son had recently completed MS from US and was placed in a prestigious company there. They were finally going to visit him and stay with him for 2 whole months! Their first international trip!! Boy, were they proud of him!!
The flight to US was a really long one. When they landed at the Dallas Airport in Washington DC, my aunt’s knees felt all wobbly! She tripped whilst getting off the escalator and fell headlong! She had to be taken to the hospital directly only to find out that her leg had broken. My cousin had to spend all his savings and take a loan to pay for her medical expenses, which ran into thousands of dollars!
A lot of misery could have been avoided, had my uncle and aunt bought travel insurance. Lesson learnt too late!!
For a small premium, a comprehensive travel insurance policy can take care of many unforseen exigencies such as an accident or hospitalization abroad, luggage theft, loss or theft of passport, theft at home, flight cancellation etc.
Countries like the US have exorbitant medical costs, where even a small medical checkup could cost you a couple of hundred dollars! In some countries, it is even mandatory to have travel insurance when you visit them.
So when you plan your international travel, do remember to buy insurance for each person travelling. Check out the policies offered by various companies; compare the premiums as well as the expenses/benefits covered. Spending a nominal amount on a travel policy is worth every penny because you can forget any worries about untoward incidents and expenses and enjoy a hassle-free holiday.
About the Author
Manik Varshney is the AVP - Processes, Compliance & Product Management at BookMyForex. Manik has been building the product at BookMyForex for around 8 years. Be it any query on the tax rules on foreign money transfers or forex cards, Manik is our usual go-to-guy.
