Travel Insurance Guide: How do you know which policy is right for you?
How do you know which travel insurance is right for you? If you’re looking for a travel insurance guide you can trust, look no further. As the Performing Artist travel insurance specialists, Hencilla Canworth has all the information you need to make the right policy decisions for your needs.
Who needs travel insurance?
In these globally uncertain times, frankly, the answer is everyone. Many countries have only recently reopened their borders to international travel after their first waves of COVID-19 have declined, and there aren't really any guarantees on the international landscape at present. We could see travel soar back to usual levels, or we could see several key countries shut their borders down again if new infections warrant it. Not to mention the fact that even if you are able to successfully travel exactly as intended, many airlines, hotels, baggage handlers and other service providers are operating on vastly reduced staff to comply with government mandates, so there’s greater scope for a mishap and it’s less easy to communicate speedily with the companies. It’s far better to know everything you can cover with insurance is covered.
What types of travel insurance are there?
Many different types of policy fall under the ‘travel insurance’ umbrella. From those aimed at holiday travellers through artist travel insurance to business-specific packages. This is why it’s important that you take the time to know exactly what your policy of choice does and doesn’t cover before you buy. It’s also why it’s important you pick your insurance provider carefully, and use only reputable services.
Policies can also vary in who they cover. so these are typically only useful if your plan is to travel en masse. Couple and child, and whole-family, policies are also available if you will be travelling with loved ones.
Once you’ve decided how many people the policy needs to cover, then it’s key to narrow down what type of coverage you are looking for. When in doubt, comprehensive will always be your best bet. This should cover most travel eventualities you could face, including some limited medical coverage to keep you safe in a foreign space.
Assessing your coverage
So, how do you know if your ‘comprehensive’ policy is covering everything it should, and how do you decide what parts of the coverage are most important? Speaking broadly, most comprehensive travel insurance addresses 5 key areas:
- Trip interruption
- Trip cancellation
- Trip delay
- Lost or delayed baggage
- Medical coverage
Many of these become even more important for artist’s travel insurance, as it’s no longer a case of lost travel money or an inconvenient end to a holiday, but your daily bread-and-butter and your reputation at risk. Read each area of the policy carefully, make sure you understand under what circumstances, and to what financial limits, you have coverage, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you have them! All reputable firms are happy to help their customers understand their coverage.
How long do you need your travel insurance for?
Another key aspect to consider is the duration for which you need coverage. This should encompass the full length of your trip- which starts from the time you leave you home or place of work, right through to your return to your home or place of work. How frustrating would it be for an adverse event to happen right on the first (or last) day of your trip, only for your coverage to have expired?
For many travelling performers, you may regularly make trips that require coverage. Most travel insurance companies will offer you the convenience (and savings) of taking out yearly or other term-based policies to allow you to cover all your trips.
Know your cancellation policy
Life can happen at any time, and your circumstances could change. It’s important for you to realise that most of our travel insurance products are subject to both cooldown periods (14 Days) and, of course, the ability to cancel (within the terms of the policy) if you decide that the product is not working for you. When selecting your travel insurance package, make sure you fully understand any cancellation policy that applies to it.
With this handy travel insurance guide under your belt, we hope you’ll find selecting the right artist travel insurance for your needs a breeze. Remember, the specialists at Performing Arts Travel Insurance and the Hencilla Canworth team are always on hand to answer your questions, so don’t hesitate to reach out today.