Why Many Americans Don’t Consider Travel Insurance When Traveling Abroad

Travel insurance is an important component in keeping you safe, healthy, and stress-free during your next international travel excursion. So why is it that so many Americans don’t consider trip protection when traveling abroad? Below are several factors that come into play when most Americans opt not to purchase travel insurance and why these reasons are misguided.

They Haven’t Heard of It

One factor that can contribute to a person’s decision to not invest in travel insurance is a lack of knowledge. After all, you can’t purchase something if you’ve never heard of it before. Such a lack of knowledge is typically a result of not doing much research before embarking on an international travel experience, which can cause a lot of headaches should something go wrong.

Before deciding to travel, you should always do your research on the region you will be visiting. By doing your research you can be more aware of risk factors you should be mindful of and can be more informed about what types of travel insurance plans you might need.

They Think Their Regular Insurance Will Do

Some Americans have heard of travel insurance, but they assume that they don’t need it because they already have an insurance provider in the States. Unfortunately, many don’t find out until too late that most insurance plans don’t cover accidents abroad.

Part of doing your research means reading your insurance policy (or giving them a call) to see what is and isn’t covered while you’re abroad so that you can tailor a travel insurance policy to fill in the gaps.

They Think It’s an Unnecessary Expense

Americans are known internationally for their optimism. That can be a good thing, such as when it leads you to travel to a country you have never been to before, but it can also backfire. As a result, many Americans decide to forgo travel insurance because they plan on being careful, so nothing will happen to them.

While it’s true that many emergency situations can be prevented just by being mindful, others you just can’t predict. With insurance, it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

They Don’t Understand Everything It Contains

Finally, many opt not to invest in travel insurance because they don’t understand it. Many assume it’s just glorified health insurance, and are willing to risk paying for all costs should a medical emergency occur.

What many people don’t know is that many travel insurance plans also include trip cancellation protection, which allows you to cancel your trip and be refunded (for a covered reason). In addition, if your airline loses your luggage, your trip protection plan can reimburse you. Travel insurance is also specialized to a traveler’s unique needs, with many plans offering medical evacuation to your home country in extreme emergencies.

In short, many Americans have their own reasons not to think about travel insurance when traveling abroad whether it’s ignorance or misplaced optimism. The truth is, travel insurance and trip protection can save you a lot of headaches should an emergency occur. By keeping yourself informed, you can keep yourself and your loved ones safe and stress-free in your next travel abroad experience.