Note, don’t make the mistake of considering this as one of those everyday blogs that you can ignore as click bait.
What is your favorite mode of booking plane tickets? Online, of course! Many of you have answered this query in a few seconds. After all, in today’s internet-driven world, when everything from vegetables and apparel to medicine are bought with a few mouse clicks, booking airline tickets online is simple! Just by entering few details like your destination, number of people traveling, date of departure, etc., you can book air tickets in no time. In fact, the traditional practice of booking tickets through travel agents is losing its charm. A significant number of travelers today book their tickets directly from the website of an airline itself, indicating a push towards a trend which is prevailing in the West.
You might be thinking, why am I discussing your online shopping habits? I am doing it just to lead you towards my next question, which is: When you buy airline tickets online, why don’t you do the same with travel insurance?
Now, that’s an important point (let me give myself a pat on the back) for which we must dig deeper to find an answer.
Imagine you are in Mauritius with your family to celebrate your birthday. Thanks to breathtaking views of the beaches and a plethora of adventurous activities, you are having the best time of your life. However, soon you start getting restless and fatigued and your family takes you to a hospital, where the doctor diagnoses you as having had a mild heart attack. You need to fork out a substantial expense just for a two-day stay in the hospital.
Was it possible to avoid such a scenario?
Indeed it was, if you were covered under a comprehensive travel insurance policy! A travel policy is imperative to safeguard you against all types of risks, including loss of baggage/passport, personal accident, and medical emergency so that you can relax and concentrate on what is most important: your vacation. Moreover, when you decide to buy insurance online, insurance companies make a huge saving in the form of policy issuance and administration cost, which is then passed on to policyholders in the form of cheaper premium rates.
What is more important about travel policies is that they not only protect you from accidents and losses, but also from unforeseen events. For instance, the recent terrorist attack outside the Palace of Westminster in London is an apt example of how things can turn from glorious to dangerous in the blink of an eye. So, when you plan your vacation for fun and enjoyment, don’t forget to buy travel insurance and gift yourself some peace of mind.
How to buy travel insurance?
Before booking an airline ticket, you always scout for lucrative discounts; so while buying travel insurance, you also need to take some necessary steps to get the right deal:
- Warm up: Do a little research about various travel insurance policies available in the market, and get yourself acquainted with different insurance jargon to have a clear understanding of policies. Remember, your goal should be to choose the policy that can give you the desired coverage at nominal premium rates.
- Research: Once you have clearly understood the basics of travel insurance policies, look through the different products available in the market, such as multi-trip insurance, senior citizen travel policy, Schengen travel insurance, and so on.
- Selection: Once you have zeroed in on the policy as per your requirement, try to know more about the policy through social media channels. If reviews you get are good, half the job is done.
- Policy quote: Once you finalize the policy, the next step is to get premium quotes after filling the details like destination, date of travel, age of the traveler, number of people traveling, etc. Once you submit all these basic details, you can obtain premium quotes within seconds.
- Payment: Once you are satisfied with the policy and premium quote, make the payment.
Only a couple of hours are required to complete the transaction.
Can you buy travel insurance even after you’ve bought plane tickets?
What if you’ve realized the importance of travel insurance, but you already purchased your plane tickets? In reality, this is not a problem at all. You can buy travel insurance until the day before your flight. In all honesty, this is a good option to try because you already know exactly when and where you will be traveling. However, you can’t buy travel insurance after having an accident. Since most airline tickets are booked in advance, do the same with a travel insurance plan as well.
As summer draws closer, there is some “cool” news for travelers – many airlines are slashing fares on both domestic and international flights. So, next time you make your travel plans, go for airline tickets and travel insurance simultaneously. You’ll be surprised how easy the process is, and the benefits are worth it!
