5 perks of getting travel insurance

Travel insurance can often feel like an unnecessary expense. After all, if nothing happens, the money you just spent was wasted, right?

The problem is that sometimes things do happen. Travel plans can go south in a heartbeat and minor issues can make your life much harder during your trip. And when unpredictable things happen, having travel insurance can be a huge help.

Here are some of the perks you get if you spend a little extra to get travel insurance. Of course, whether or not you’ll benefit from these will depend on the details of your policy.

1 – Luggage insurance

One of the biggest fears people face when going to an airport is the fear of their bags disappearing. Be it because the airline made a mistake, or because the baggage was outright stolen at one point or another.

Insurance won’t magically bring your luggage back. But a travel insurance policy may cover the cost of everything you just lost, which will allow you to buy new clothes and a new laptop right after you land.

2 – Damaged destination insurance

What happens to your plane tickets if a hurricane hits your destination the day before you leave? Even if the airport is still working, visiting a ravaged city is not what most people would consider a dream vacation.

Damaged destination insurance, often provided with standard travel insurance packages, will refund you the cost of your ticket if some act of God damages your destination around the time of your trip.

3 – Work cancellation insurance

Here’s a type of insurance more people would buy if they knew it existed. Travel insurance companies offer work cancellation policies. These will pay you a fixed sum of money or refund you your plane ticket if you are forced to lose your flight due to a work-related emergency. This can be very handy if you have a boss who has an issue respecting your schedule, or if you are often needed to handle work-related emergencies.

4 – Terrorism coverage

Visiting a city right after a terrorist attack has occurred is not ideal. Even if your flight is not cancelled, you’ll be dealing with increased security and scrutiny, and arriving to find a city that is either mourning, on the edge, or both. That’s why many travel insurance policies offer terrorism coverage, which will allow you to get a refund if a terrorist attack happens at your destination around the time of your visit.

5 – Missed connection coverage

Planning a trip on a budget is often a juggling act. You’ll often need to make connections at different locations in exact times in order to make your final destination on time at an affordable price. What happens, then, if you miss a plane connection, and that makes you late for the departure of a cruise at your target destination?

Missed connection coverage will cover the costs of putting you in a replacement flight so you can get to your destination on time. It’s not a perfect solution, but as long as you have a bit of wiggle room on your schedule, it could solve the problem.

Many travel insurance policies offer life insurance coverage as well, but you should always have life insurance, not just when you are traveling. If you are looking for a policy, tools like Insurance Hero can help you compare life insurance prices.