Buying a travel insurance policy is a common practice for any traveller going abroad. To get a visa for travelling to certain destinations in the world, having travel insurance is a mandate. But travel insurance is not limited to international travels. Insurance companies have policies that cover you for domestic travel as well. But is it important to cover yourself for domestic trips? This topic has been a subject of debate.
For domestic travel, buying travel insurance can be a non-profit deal, especially when it is supposed to cover small and manageable losses. Some believe that any travel is a travel and needs to be insured well, as all travel plans come with certain type of risk and uncertainties. However, everyone would agree here that the key benefit that domestic travel insurance provides is baggage loss apart from medical emergencies in case of accidents. Since you might already have a health insurance plan and baggage loss is something that the airline is bound to cover for, it altogether puts a question mark over the utility of buying travel insurance for domestic travel.
Here are a few scenarios where you can avoid buying a travel cover for domestic trip.
The Cost Of A Domestic Trip Is Low
Airlines with promotions and offers coming up every now and then, makes the travel cheap and thus encouraging passengers to opt for flights as their travel mode (domestic travel ratio is high on other modes of travel like rail, bus, etc.). With highly competitive rates, air travel cost becomes very less and thus eliminating one of the major risk, i.e. financial risk covered by the travel insurance.
Already Existing Insurance Policies
A person usually in his or her lifetime opts for various kinds of policies ranging from basic life insurance, auto insurance and health insurance. Having a good understanding of the existing policies you already pay for, might help you to judge your need for travel insurance better. Many of the risks might already be covered in your existing policies, as such opting for a policy for domestic travel will just be an add-on of cost with little benefits.
Low Risk Factor
Travelling additional miles attaches more risk of both financial loss as well more uncertainties related to travel and medical expenses. Domestic travel within national boundaries on direct flights is usually not a long-term planned travel that involves uncertainties of dates and cancellation of the plan. This also eliminates long distance hazards automatically.
If Lost Baggage Is Your Only Nightmare
Often the only risk a passenger wants to avoid is the loss of their belongings. Though such an event is uncertain, it usually forces a person to insure himself or herself. But with change in policies and regulations, most of the airlines cover or compensate any mishap or loss of the baggage. This makes it easier for the traveller to levy off the burden and travel tension-free.
To sum it up, ensuring a safe travel is a pre-requisite for any traveller, whether travelling internationally or domestically. With keeping each individual’s personal need in mind, a policy is not mandatory for a well planned and safe domestic trip. But with a better understanding of travel and its regulations, you can easily make a worthy investment when it comes to domestic travel insurance policy. At the end of the day, travelling is a must and best when it’s safe!
Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this email message and any attachments are intended solely for the intended recipient to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged information and may be legally protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, please immediately alert the sender by reply email and then delete this message and any attachments. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, copying, or storage of this message or its attachments is strictly prohibited. Unauthorized disclosure and/or use of information contained in this email may result in civil and criminal liability.
—by Dhruv Sarin- Head of Health and Travel Insurance — Policybazaar.com
