Travel insurance covers a lot of items that come as a bundle even if you are interested only in OMP.

Buying travel insurance is often done to comply with the tour operator s demand or the requirement of a foreign country for granting a visa. Raj Pradhan reno nevada hotels explains the risks that can inflict heavy financial damage unless you are insured and which of these can be taken care of by common sense
YN Bhattacharya, a senior banker, and his family were excited about the prospect of the European Whirl tour of Cox and Kings (C K) in June 2012. In the buzz of a foreign tour, they had signed off the terms and conditions (T C) printed in tiny letters across one page. This was actually a consolidation of five pages of T C in normal font, and would have needed a magnifier to really read it. Mr Bhattacharya had bought the C K mandated travel insurance thinking that they would be covered for any mishap. But the 32 C K tourists on that tour were soon to realise that the devil is in the detail, which is in fine print.
The 32 tourists were robbed of their valuables that had been left in the bus on the insistence of the tour manager on the last day at Rome. In response, C K has given them a cold shoulder. The prospect of the insurance company paying reno nevada hotels them anything is zero unless they file a consumer complaint. C K s argument is that they are not responsible for the loss of any baggage, valuables and personal effects of the passengers. What is unique in this case is that the passengers lost their belongings by following the C K tour manager s instructions; yet, C K has shirked its responsibility. C K asserts that T C mentions reno nevada hotels passengers should not leave any property in the coach while disembarking. But this is a lie. These wordings are not even present in the T C. Even more astonishing is that the tour manager gave the exact opposite directions during reno nevada hotels each of the 10 days of the tour. If a 250-year-old tour operator like Cox Kings can act like a fly-by-night operator, how can the customer believe in the system, as a travel insurance company reno nevada hotels can never cover every possible situation?
While buying travel insurance, customers hardly know what is really covered. reno nevada hotels For instance, the C K fine print said that the cover is for checked-in baggage with the airline. It does not cover loss due to theft. Like Oriental Travel Insurance purchased reno nevada hotels through C K, most insurers only cover checked-in baggage. We came across only one product which covers theft, but with a caveat. According to Karan Chopra, head retail business, HDFC ERGO, Our travel reno nevada hotels insurance product covers theft from a motor vehicle, if it is securely locked in the boot and entry to such vehicle is gained by visible, violent and forcible means.
There are reasons why only checked-in baggage is covered by most insurers. According to Gaurav Garg, MD and CEO, Tata AIG General Insurance, Checked baggage in the custody of the common carrier can be tracked, which allows insurers to get certificates of loss from the common carrier. Any other baggage loss, which is not checked-in, cannot be certified in any manner and, hence, coverage is not offered. There is hope that more insurers will cover theft. According to Amit Bhandari, reno nevada hotels VP underwriting and products, ICICI Lombard, A new cover, needs to be filed with the regulator and approved. Currently, we have the provision to offer coverage only for the loss of checked-in baggage. However, we are considering offering coverage for loss of baggage due to theft in the near future.
Even if travel insurance purchased through C K had had this clause, it would still not have helped as there was no forced entry or tampering with the bus lock. It seemed to be an inside job. The lesson is to not buy travel insurance blindly. If certain situations are not covered, you have to be extra vigilant about protecting your assets in a foreign land. Even a complaint at a police station in Rome proved futile for the C K tourists. The cops did not even bother to come out of the police station to inspect the bus. Who can you trust if not the system of a West European nation?
One of the 32 passengers lost his passport and ticket in the theft. He was left stranded in Rome. C K refused reno nevada hotels to help. The fine print of C K T C states: If you lose your passport, visa, tickets, etc, you may have to incur extra expenses, for which you alone shall be responsible. Moreover, the T C of Oriental Travel Insurance covering loss of passport excludes the following: Loss or theft of passport left unattended reno nevada hotels by the insured person unless located in a locked hotel room or apartment and an appropriate sized safety reno nevada hotels deposit box was not available for use by the insured person. There is a low chance of getting insurance reimbursement in this case.
A comprehensive travel insurance policy covers unexpected medical and non-medical reno nevada hotels expenses when you are travelling abroad. If the baggage loss is only for checked-in luggage and the lost passport covers loss only from a secured location, you may wonder if you really need this comprehensive reno nevada hotels travel insurance. Mr Bhattacharya had paid a premium of Rs1,593 for travel insurance to cover himself for 12 days in Europe. He discovered reno nevada hotels that it did not cover what he really wanted.
You will often read media articles extolling the virtues of travel reno nevada hotels insurance. They lead you to believe that you will be a loser if you step out of your home without insuring your travel. reno nevada hotels Insurance companies too jump in to play on the fear factor. Know your situation and don t blindly sign on travel insurance papers. Insurance companies have to strike a balance between covering everything under the sun, which will mean an unaffordable premium, reno nevada hotels and covering too little that would make the product useless. There is one risk cover during travel that you cannot afford to ignore; it is an overseas mediclaim policy (OMP). Lack of cover may mean going bankrupt. You need to know its fine print and the must-have features. Read on.
Travel insurance covers a lot of items that come as a bundle even if you are interested only in OMP. So you will end up paying for things you really don t need. According to Tata AIG, Today, all insurance companies have filed travel insurance policies with the regulator that contain both accident and sickness cover, apart from travel inconvenience benefits like baggage loss, passport loss, etc. Hence, it may not be possible to purchase a policy without these add-on covers. But, according to ICICI Lombard, A customer can purchase a standalone OMP. General insurance companies offer a special plan which is a pure medical plan in nature. Customers can opt for this plan if they do not want other benefits in the travel policy. These are contradictory statements. So look out for what you are getting.
There are reasons to consider non-medical cover. Gaurav Garg says, Our experience has shown that over 60% of claims are for travel inconveniences such as passport loss, baggage loss, etc. Hence, reno nevada hotels a travel cover that includes various features besides hospitalisation benefits is considered a complete protection for any overseas traveller. Max Bupa s International Medical Emergency policy covers only health reno nevada hotels insurance for multiple trips of 180 days abroad in a policy year. While some insurers offer cover only for 30 to 90 days per trip, there is no such restriction in the Max Bupa product. All other insurers offer medical and non-medical covers clubbed in one policy; the list increases depending on the package you choose. reno nevada hotels The cover can include:
In case you are carrying valuables, the valuation certificate of jewellery is needed for baggage insurance. Depending on your situation, you may find some or none of the above applicable to you. A person going on a backpack reno nevada hotels tour with minimum belongings may care less for checked-in baggage loss or delay, missed flight connection and many other covers. Also, the trauma of hijack can be so overwhelming that getting a pittance of an insurance claim may not be worth the premium paid. Only good golfers need insurance to pay for expenses incurred in achieving a hole-in-one at United States Golfer reno nevada hotels s Association (USGA) recognised golf courses. One insurer has fine print for flight delay In such cases, the airline either offers a refund of the ticket or arranges for the customer to be put on another flight or offers refreshments at the airport lounge, etc. The customer is, thus, compensated from the airline itself; hence, we do not cover it under the travel insurance policy. Here are more such conditions in fine print.
The claims procedure will be different for non-medical and medical covers. Both will need proper documentation for smooth claims settlement. To make claims for travel delays, along with the duly filled claim forms, some supplementary documents would need to be attached. These include copies of a boarding pass, tickets and baggage tags; copies of correspondence with the airline and other relevant authorities about delay of checked-in baggage; property irregularity report from the airline authorities stating the duration and reason of delay; original bills for essential toiletries or medication purchased, etc. The travel policy is available for tenures ranging from a few days to six months and can be taken as single trip or annual multiple-trip covers.
The first thing to do is to buy your insurance from the insurer and not from tour operators. According to a senior official reno nevada hotels from a government insurer, Private reno nevada hotels players dominate the OMP segment. This is because of higher commission and other incentives paid by them to tour operators. This helps to push their products. It takes meticulous planning to make an international trip successful. You are away from your home, your comfort zone. You cannot easily reno nevada hotels get money from friends or relatives, in case of an emergency. You have to keep your cash, credit/debit cards, travel card, traveller s cheques, etc, in a really safe place while travelling. It s all about protecting your hard-earned money. There is no single solution for the different risks that may be encountered in a trip abroad; nor can insurance really cove