The benefits of domestic travel insurance

Insurance

oi-Sneha

By Deepak Yohannan

Updated: Thursday, March 21, 2013, 14:43 [IST]

At times, we just do not see any logic in buying domestic travel insurance. In India everyone seems to have a relative in every part of the country! And so travelers automatically assume to get their assistance if they are in need while travelling.

However, this is not always an advisable practice as domestic travel can be as risky as international travel and it would be a good idea to stay protected. Listed below are some very valid reasons as to why you need domestic travel insurance.

Take a look.

Baggage loss - The other day I was travelling on a Mumbai - Lucknow - Patna flight. While waiting for my luggage at the Lucknow airport, I happened to see suitcase after suitcase with "PAT" stickers on them. Yes, you have guessed it right. The airline had offloaded all the luggage of the passengers headed for Patna and taken the Lucknow bags with them! So you can imagine the harrowing experience all of us had. We were informed that our luggage would arrive only after 24 hours. And since I was headed for Kanpur, I had to pay the cab charges two times over to finally get my hands on my bags, that too after waiting in my dirty clothes for an entire day! Travel insurance would have shielded me from this trouble. And since airlines lose bags pretty often, I realized it's a good idea to go for domestic travel insurance every time I fly henceforth.

Emergency medical costs - Another reason for buying domestic travel insurance is the emergency medical costs. This is applicable especially if you are travelling to a risky place (going hiking, places with adventure sports, etc). You may have relatives to help you with the hospitalization process, but when it comes to paying the bill, only the insurance plan can help you.

Trip cancellation - We often book our trips in advance, hoping to have a smooth and enjoyable trip. However, if due to certain unavoidable circumstance, the trip gets cancelled, a lot of money goes down the drain as cancellation charges are high. But with travel insurance, cancellations are covered and you need not worry about losing out any money if you need to cancel any reservation.

Trip diversions - If your travel plans are altered, either by you or the airline, you will get coverage for changed flight routes and unplanned hotel stays.

Flight Delays - If you flight is delayed for more than 6 hours, you will be compensated for it by the travel insurance plan.

All the above mentioned points are valid and very common occurrences in India. It is true that no one expects misfortune to strike them on a vacation but if it were to happen, a domestic travel insurance plan would prove to be greatly beneficial. We all feel very confident in our own country and think we can handle difficult situations with ease. While it is true we can, having a backup plan is never a bad idea. And since domestic travel insurance is quite affordable, it makes a lot of sense to purchase it before travelling.

For more articles by Deepak Yohannan, please visit MyInsuranceClub.com