Suppose you’re on a long-planned vacation and a cyclone, earthquake, or flood spoils your holiday. After months of planning, you’ve booked and paid for flights and hotels, but nature had different plans. That’s where online travel insurance comes in, saving the day.
When you purchase travel insurance online, you’re not simply checking a box; you’re cushioning yourself against the economic jolts caused by natural disasters. If you’re travelling with the ones you love, family travel insurance provides extra reassurance, insuring them all at once. You’ll receive assistance with trip cancellation, urgent accommodations, or even medical evacuation. Spending on family travel insurance allows you to have peace of mind so you can worry less about the not-so-good things that might happen and more about creating memories.
How does travel insurance help during a natural disaster?
When you’re away from home and nature decides to surprise you, an earthquake, cyclone, or flood, you don’t just require courage, you require a plan. This is where online travel insurance comes in and silently becomes your best pillar of strength. Let me walk you through how it helps you, so you know why it’s a wise idea, particularly if you’re travelling with family members and are thinking about family travel insurance.
1. Covers your medical emergencies promptly:
If you are injured during a cyclone, earthquake, or landslide, hospital expenses can run into thousands, particularly in other countries. Your online travel insurance covers the cost of emergency medical treatment, such as hospitalisation, surgery, and even intensive care. If you have to be moved urgently (by air ambulance, for instance) to a more equipped hospital, that is covered too. With family travel insurance, the policy covers all family members who are travelling with them, meaning all of them receive the necessary care without waiting.
2. Offers financial assistance in the event of death or disability:
If, regrettably, a natural disaster results in permanent disability or death, your insurance comes to your assistance in more ways than you can imagine. It pays you a lump sum either in the event of disability or to your family in the event of your death. It also takes care of the expenses to repatriate the remains home and the funeral expenses. Family travel insurance eases the process such that no one is left in need in such difficult times.
3. Executes medical evacuation efficiently:
Occasionally, the local hospital is not well-suited for grave injuries. Your policy can facilitate medical evacuation to a more appropriate centre through ambulance, helicopter, or airlifting you to a nearby or even a different city/country. This costs lakhs or even crores if you’re without insurance. In case you have taken online travel insurance with an evacuation option, you don’t have to panic; it’ll be taken care of and settled.
4. Safeguards your holiday investments with holiday cancellation cover:
Think of this, just as you are about to board your flight, a flood or earthquake strikes your destination and the Indian government puts out a travel advisory. You will have to postpone your trip. Your online travel insurance reimburses you for prepaid bookings such as hotels, tours, and flights. The same goes if the calamity strikes after you have already arrived, compelling you to abandon your trip midway. This is called trip abandonment.
5. Covers damages to your home while you’re travelling:
You may be on the move, but what if your house in India gets hit by an earthquake or flood? Some travel policies offer home building and contents cover. It pays you back for repairs or losses at home when you’re still overseas. It’s an often-overlooked advantage but a very useful one, particularly during cyclone seasons.
6. Pays for long stays and missed connections:
Natural disasters might result in the closing of airports, flight delays, or even the shutdown of an entire city. You may need to stay for extended periods or lose a connecting flight. Your online travel insurance can pay for additional hotel stays, meals, and rescheduling of missed flights.
7. Assists you in remaining in touch with cashless claims:
If something goes wrong, you do not wish to go around determining payments. A lot of travel insurance online plans offer the facility of cashless treatment with network hospitals. You simply contact your insurer, and they settle payments directly with the hospital. For lost luggage or other claims, saving your receipts and notifying your insurer promptly makes the claim smooth and hassle-free.
8. Allows you to select the correct coverage amount:
When purchasing travel insurance online, you can select higher coverage amounts. For vacations to countries such as the USA, Europe, or Japan, where medical expenses are extremely high, it’s a good idea to select plans that have at least 250,000 or higher coverage. For family vacations, selecting family travel insurance with a higher sum insured provides additional protection for all travelling with you.
9. Covers emergency evacuation by the government advisory:
In case of a sudden catastrophe and the Indian government or local authorities request that all tourists be evacuated, your policy pays for new reservations and non-refundable expenses. If you’re making an emergency return flight back home or booking a secure hotel elsewhere, online travel insurance reimburses you for these unplanned expenses. Family travel insurance protects you from worrying about getting your loved ones out fast.
10. Allows you to travel with family and feel at peace:
When you’re travelling with children or elderly people, you automatically become more anxious. Family travel insurance puts everyone in one basket, so you don’t have to purchase individual policies. If it’s an accident to a child, a medical situation for an elderly person, or cancellations of the trip for all of them, everything is covered under one roof. You only need to worry about remaining calm and ensuring your family’s safety.
11. Makes claims easier if you’re prepared:
If something goes wrong, let your insurer know immediately. An accident, trip cancellation, or lost luggage — don’t hesitate. Hold onto documents such as hospital bills, police reports (if necessary), and receipts. Prompt contact translates to quicker claims. If you’ve purchased your travel insurance online from a secure portal, you’ll have an emergency helpline number available to you.
12. Read the fine print:
Not all online travel insurance plans are alike. Look before you purchase what natural catastrophes are covered, what documents you need to claim, and if exclusions apply. A few minutes of reading time can save you thousands down the line. Family travel insurance plans usually provide packaged benefits, so compare those closely as well.
Conclusion
You hope you’ll never have to rely on it, but when nature surprises you with a curveball, online travel insurance quietly rescues the situation. From evacuation and medical attention to covering your bookings and paying for emergency expenses, it makes sure you don’t deplete your savings during a crisis. And if you’re travelling with family, family travel insurance ensures no one gets left behind.
When you think about it, it’s not so much an additional cost, but rather a bargain price for huge peace of mind. You can take your trips in confidence knowing that whatever happens, you’re covered.
Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.