Getting sick in a foreign country while traveling overseas may not only derail your travel plans but may also create financial hardship, depending on the gravity of the illness and the cost of treatment.

Traveling overseas is a thrill everybody likes to enjoy. However, getting sick in a foreign country while traveling overseas may not only derail your travel plans but may also create financial hardship, depending on the gravity of the illness and the cost of treatment – especially in case of hospitalization – in that particular country.

While travel insurance provides cover for permanent disability/death during the time of travel, loss of personal belongings, baggage, passport, etc, and expenses related to trip delays and trip cancellations, it may be a good option – especially for those traveling abroad frequently – to take cover against sickness that may even lead to hospitalization in a foreign country.

Cost of hospitalisation

It’s the year-ending holiday season and many of you may be planning overseas vacations with your families. One of the key items on your travel checklist should be travel health insurance. Travel health insurance is important because it can provide financial protection and medical coverage if you get sick or injured while traveling. There is always a chance that food or weather can cause some form of sickness or the other. This means that you will have to pay for any medical treatment or hospitalization yourself, which can be very expensive. In addition to the financial costs, not having travel medical insurance can also be stressful and worrying, especially if you’re in a foreign country and don’t know how to access medical care. This can leave you vulnerable to a wide range of potential financial losses and difficulties.

Costs of doctor’s visits, medications, evacuation

Depending on the policy you have, travel medical insurance can include the cost of doctor’s visits, medications, hospitalization, and even evacuation back to your home country if necessary. It can provide peace of mind: Traveling can be stressful, and knowing that you have travel medical insurance can help you feel more at ease. Knowing that you have coverage for medical expenses can help you relax and enjoy your trip without worrying about the potential costs of getting sick or injured.

Costs of a visit by a family member

Travel health insurance products can provide coverage for family members who are traveling with you, or coverage for a family member to visit you if you become hospitalized. If your travel companion gets sick or injured during the trip, trip cancellation benefits may kick in. If you get hospitalized in a foreign country, the insurer could pay for a flight and hotel accommodations for a family member to visit you. Typically travel medical insurance should cover emergency medical and dental expenses, medical evacuation, accidental death or dismemberment, and 24-hour emergency service. You can also choose between single-trip travel health insurance or multi-trip insurance which secures you for multiple trips within a coverage period.