Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance: Cheap Deals for Your Globe-Trot Frills  

by Boštjan Hozjan

There are ways to root out, find out and take out a cheaper travel insurance policy-a must, especially if your itinerary calls for international travel. Whether you're a homeowner, backpacker or student, follow these rules and save some greenbacks on your next trip with a backpack.

Traveler's Insurance: Where It Hides
There are easy ways to find travelers insurance; on the flip side, too, there are harder methods to searching out an insurance policy. Predictably, the easy ways are generally the more expensive options, while the harder ones will cost you less and offer better deals. Let's start with the more expensive options:

Outlandish Deals
One of the more expensive avenues to obtaining insurance is the last-minute route . Let's say, for instance, that you arrive to the airport a couple hours early-before your trip to Bolivia. You see a display counter selling travel insurance. Both the agents and the airlines want to sell you a plan. However, their usual criterion includes only skeletal basics, hardly coverage at all. The airlines know they have you cornered. They will therefore charge you the most for the least amount of coverage.

Mediocre Deals
Mediocre means average. The following options offer just that: mediocre deals for mediocre prices. These are the routes most traveler's opt for:
1. Banks these days offer up some nice deals. However, this option will lead to you purchasing or upgrading to a whole new policy-from free checking to premium checking, for example. If it seems that the benefits outway the costs-say coverage for the whole fam plus others accompanying you-(and it's annual coverage) then this option can save you extra.
2. That little magic card with the Visa, Mastercard or American Express symbol on it could cover you for loss of luggage, death, dismemberment and all sorts of other unfortunate maladies. This is to say, credit cards offer plans for card users-especially if you booked the trip or tour or ticket with the card. If not, then a five-minute phone call or internet browse could save you hundreds of dollars on an annual plan.
3. Last but not least in this mediocre category for cash savings on travelers insurance - both backpacker travel insurance and student travel insurance-is car insurance companies. Most insurance companies offer, yes you guessed it, insurance. Travel insurance is essentially a small part of their business, but they'll be able to give you a quote. And, here's the trick: If the quote is not good (low) enough, then mention that you might have to look elsewhere for insurance on your car, house or life.

Ultimate Deals
1. You're going to get the best rates when you buy an annual plan. That is, if you're going to travel more than a couple times in a given year, buy insurance for the entire year. If you were to buy two individual plans, it would most assuredly cost you more for a few weeks of coverage versus a year's coverage. An unexpected trip would be covered should the (last minute) need arise.
2. You're going to get the best annual rates, then, from your home owner's insurance. Adding the travel clause will increase your annual premium only a marginal amount.
3. Probably the best way to receive the best deals is to book online through an online travel insurance company. As long as you book the policy a few weeks to a month in advance, you'll save some dinero.
Some quick searches will give you the following:
- Insurefor.com
- Gotravelinsurance.co.uk
- AA Travel Insurance
- Moneysupermarket.com
- Confused.com
- STA Travel
- Worldnomads.com
- Worldtravelcenter.com
- Lonelyplanet.com
- Travelguard.com

World Nomads provides global travel insurance to residents of over 180 countries around the world. We're the only insurance provider that enables travellers to buy, extend and claim online, from anywhere in the world, 24/7, even if they're already travelling ! We're also Lonely Planet's trusted global travel insurance provider. All World Nomads customers also receive free SMS security alerts, iPod language guides and their own online travel journal. We also run an online charity program through World Nomads which has funded over 20 intenrational projects in the last 18 months.

No Frills Travel Insurance Policies
The following is a quick glimpse of what you should look for in a cheap travel insurance with the Flinstone basic coverage.
A. Flight delay or cancellation
B. Sicknessess
C. Accidents
D. Liability (you and others)
E. Legal services
F. Evacuation (war, strife, medical or personal injury)
G. Personal Expenses (when something unplanned occurs)
H. Baggage delay
I. Ruined baggage
J. Non-recovered baggage
K. Electronics (may incure extra fees)
L. Hospital stays
M. Death or dismemberment
N. Hearing or sight loss