What is Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance is an optional coverage that covers common problems while traveling such as flight delays, luggage loss, theft, accidents, and medical expenses. Different travel insurance providers will offer different coverage options.
Some of the most common benefits and exclusions are listed below.
Travel Insurance Benefits
Provides medical coverage when travelling overseas. This works as a “first line of defense” so you don’t have to use your domestic medical coverage yet – or as a backup in case your medical insurance is not enough.
Coverage Benefits
- Death and Permanent Disablement due to Accident
- Medical Expenses including surgical, hospital, emergency dental due to accident
- Hospitalization income
- Medication dispatch (when unavailable locally)
- Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation
- Deposit and trip cancellation
- Travel documents replacement reimbursement
- Luggage daily
- Home compensation for fire/burglary
- Travel delay
- Personal liability
- Natural disaster at destination
- Missed departure due to public transport
- Personal luggage and effects compensation
- Missed travel connection compensation
- Travel carrier overbooking
- Hijacking and terrorism coverage
- Personal money losses and credit card indemnity
Optional Coverage
- Winter sports: ice skating, snowboarding
- Water sports: canoeing, kayaking, rowing, yachting, parasailing, surfing, windsurfing, jet skiing, scuba diving
- Others: Paintball, bungee, indoor climbing, hot air balloon, mountaineering, ATV
Travel Insurance Options
Persons
- Adult: Age 18-70
- Child: Age 30 days-17 years
- Senior Citizen: Age 71-80
Family
- Insured + Adult Legal Spouse + Children full time studying and residing in Malaysia
Duration
- Annual
- Time limited (in days/weeks)
Geography
- Domestic (Malaysia)
- Asia
- Worldwide
Exclusions
- Existing conditions
- HIV or AIDS related
- Delay or detention by customs or government authorities
- Pregnancy, childbirth, abortion or miscarriage
- Hazardous sports unless covered by optional coverage
- Radiation or nuclear contamination
- War, riot or civil commotion
Excluded Occupations
- Flight/sea/train crew
- Personnel of navy, military, air force, law enforcement or civil defense
- Explosives handlers
- Mine/oil rig workers
- Aerial photographers
Do You Need Travel Insurance?
If you are traveling overseas, it is wise to consider travel insurance. The cost of travel insurance is much cheaper compared to possible costs of up to $50,000 or more (that’s not in ringgit Malaysia!) overseas if anything happens.
You will also want to check your domestic medical insurance and emergency repatriation, and any other travel insurance that you may have (i.e. credit card complimentary travel insurance) to ensure that you have enough coverage.
You may compare different policy coverage options but don’t just go for the cheapest one.
Tips:
- Make sure the service quality and speed of the insurance company is good.
- Check out the travel insurance brochure. Most information are written there.
- Ensure that a copy of your insurance policy summary details are kept with a friend or family member.
