Importance of Having a Travel Insurance Before Leaving to Volunteer Abroad

Dec 26
08:27

2015

Dronacharya Dave

Dronacharya Dave

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One of the most important things to have before leaving for a trip abroad is the documents of insurance. It becomes even more important when the purpose of traveling abroad is to volunteer under a program; since you would not want anything to go wrong when you are traveling for a meaningful purpose. This article describes the importance of having a travel insurance to make sure of a succesful trip.

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Emergency! Does it ever knocks on your door before arriving? I bet not. People are aware of insurance policies and why they are important to have. Commonest of all is the health/life insurance that people go for,Importance of Having a Travel Insurance Before Leaving to Volunteer Abroad Articles and that too when they are in their home country, living in the safe and known neighborhood of their own city.

However, what many miss out on is the importance of having an insurance policy at the time of traveling abroad. Moving out from the country, traveling to a different land together; things can go either ways, anytime. Been traveling for more than 5 years now, where most of my expeditions involved volunteering work, i have fairly understood the importance of having a proper travel insurance.

So, today, i would like to share my views and reasons to make a travel insurance a must have while taking an international trip;

 

You may require medical assistance

Majority of volunteering opportunities are available in developing and underdeveloped countries abroad. While you can expect some level of medical facilities in the main cities of any volunteering destination, there are projects located in the remote areas as well where you may require quick transporting in the case of medical emergency. And since medical emergencies never arrive with a warning, you need to be fully prepared to face any such circumstances. You must, however, be sure of the type of emergencies that your policy covers. This depends on the destination you have chosen to volunteer at, and the kind of activities you will be involved in. For example: if you are traveling to volunteer in Arusha, Tanzania, there will be opportunities for trekking and bouldering, etc. You must make sure your policy covers those kinds of accidental insurance. Carrying that much cash is not a feasible option and, thus, having an appropriate medical insurance provide you that necessary financial backup for such emergency situations.

 

You may have your flights/trip cancelled/interrupted at the last moment

Scenario 1: So you are all set to leave for your volunteering expedition. You have also reached the airport and checked-in on time, and are all excited to just board that plane and start the journey. And there it happens! The flight got cancelled due to bad weather or some technical fault. While the next flight is several hours later, you can’t wait even for a single more minute and want to cancel the trip. But what about the fee that you have already paid to the placement organization? And the flight tickets that you have booked further in your trip?  

Scenario 2: Everything’s the same as the above scenario, but this time it’s you who has to cancel the trip at the very last moment. Reason; emergency at home or you suddenly fall extremely ill. How are you going to cover your payments that you have made for the trip?

Scenario 3: Good news! You are on the flight, reached your volunteering destination safe and soundly, and have joined other volunteers at the project. You are in the middle of your journey and suddenly you get a call from back home stating some extreme, unavoidable emergency. You have to leave your program in between and have to return immediately. Not only the immediate flight prices are going to burn a hole in your pocket, but also, the tickets that you may have booked in advance will also cost you; even after the refund.

 

In all these three conditions, the crux is the emergency situation of cancelling/delaying/interrupting your trip. However, if you have an insurance policy that includes these claims, all your worries wipe out in a jiffy.

 

You may lose your documents or an important asset

No matter how alert or conscious you may be regarding your belongings and assets, you may not even know when you lost them while traveling abroad. Theft, loss, or misplacement of documents and/or assets, and that too important ones; such as passport, cellphone, camera, an ID, etc., can really put you in a dicey situation. You can always get in touch with the nearest embassy of your country, but that’s not going to get you your belongings any sooner; and not an insurance policy does. But, what it can do is help you cover the expenses that you had to bear now that you have lost your belongings. If you are even remotely concerned of losing your documents and asset while volunteering abroad, it's better you make it covered in your policy claim.

 

 

People do not expect a mishap to happen in an hour’s journey from home to office, yet they do make sure they have a life insurance done. Then why not having an insurance policy when traveling abroad. The fact remains that mishaps and emergencies only need a moment to arrive and the probability escalates when you are traveling abroad. Hence, it is highly advised that each and every volunteer MUST carry a travel insurance (add it to you to-do list) to have a worriless journey.

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