Senior Travel Insurance

Many senior travelers wrongly believe that their Senior Travel Insurance may be automatically included in their medical plan policy, their credit card travel insurance, or their employee pension benefit plans. In many cases, it simply is not, leaving the senior traveler under-insured during their travels.

If, for example, you carry Medicare insurance (US), this policy will not cover you when you leave the United States. Similarly, Medicare Canada and Medicare Australia do not offer adequate coverage when traveling out of your home country. If you need emergency treatment, or medical evacuation while abroad, you will need to pay “up front”, which could cost a small fortune. The only defence is adequate travel insurance.

Understanding what coverage your existing travel insurance offers is the first place to start. Does it cover trip cancellation? Medical emergencies? Flight delays? Lost luggage? Trip delays? Medical evacuation? Furthermore, your policy should be customized to your destination. Are you traveling to Vancouver, Canada or Cairo, Egypt? Cross border gambling for the afternoon, or hot-air ballooning across the Serengeti?

Let’s take a look at some common misunderstandings.

I’m just traveling across the border for the afternoon
You are no more likely to be covered during a quick cross-border shopping junket than a lengthy vacation. In fact, accidents are more likely to happen during your quick trip as they are if you stay at home. Travel insurance is required during any trip out of your home country, and the insurance companies offer a host of affordable solutions. Single trip vacation coverage or annual blanket coverage are available.

My credit card offers travel insurance
Not all credit cards offer adequate policies, especially not senior travel insurance considerations. They may not offer insurance for an extended stay, or may limit the type of coverage (for example, accidents only). Does the policy cover family members? Probably not.

I have (or a family member has) an employee travel insurance plan
Most employee travel insurance plans do not cover such items as trip cancellations, or interruption coverage whether medical or otherwise. Travel insurance plans have their own set of provisions which may not be included in standard Employee Travel Insurance Plans. However, instead of starting from scratch with a new policy, have your insurance broker review your current employee policy, and “top it up” with additional coverage.

I’m covered through my country’s Medicare policy
As mentioned, Medicare (or similar base policies) only covers claims from within your home country. Traveling abroad will definitely require seniors travel insurance for safe coverage. Senior travelers that skimp on this important fact are literally traveling at their own risk.
There are other types of situations that require financial coverage that may not be obvious, and senior travel insurance policies offer a variety of options. For example, what if your cruise ship cannot depart due to a tropical hurricane? Or, you’ve been injured and cannot sit comfortably in a standard economy-class airplane seat? Senior travel insurance is just as important for an appendicitis attack as a shark attack.

Tips for senior travel insurance

• Bring your policy along with you during the trip, which will include your policy number. But, make a copy and provide it to someone who is not traveling with you (or at least give them the policy number) in case you lose it, or it becomes unavailable during an emergency.
  
  
• In the event of an emergency, contact your insurance provider immediately. They may act both as an insurance advisor by initiating the coverage, as well as a medical advisor to monitor your medical care situation.
  
  
• “An ounce of prevention”... you know the rest. Making sure that your vaccinations are up to date, a non-traveling friend has your insurance particulars, and you have consulted with a professional for senior travel insurance... is worth a “pound of cure”.

Senior travel insurance is affordable (ok, I know, it can cost up to 10% of your vacation cost, but you can’t afford not to get it) and offers readily available options for everyone.

Healthy traveling!

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