We all fancy a weekend getaway to cure us from island fever. And most of us look forward to our annual trip back home. Yet some expats forget to take out travel insurance for these trips.
The idea of having to receive medical care while on a trip continues to be overlooked by a large percentage of travellers, yet year-on-year we hear the same horror stories of people getting hurt while on vacation or on a sojourn back home and caught out without appropriate travel insurance.
They may not have bought travel insurance because of limited budget, or because they were unaware of the potential costs involved in treatment if they got into trouble. Some people simply think “It will never happen to me.”
As most healthcare plans will not cover you outside of Singapore, large out-of-pocket expenses for illnesses when out of the country are not uncommon. If you need to transfer home from another country while injured or incapacitated, it can cost you thousands of dollars if you don't have the right cover.
Tens of thousands of dollars can be charged for services such as an emergency air ambulance evacuation from a remote location, or a transfer on a scheduled flight accompanied by a doctor, while confined to a stretcher. With these panic-inducing examples in mind, you're probably scurrying to find travel insurance right now, but sometimes buying insurance can be confusing.
Do keep in mind, when it comes to insurance, cheap usually isn't best, the more expensive policies usually cover you for more. In much of Asia, standard medical care can be found only in a private clinic or hospital, if at all.
The cost of such medical care is exorbitant. For foreigners, the already high price of care is typically inflated further. Imagine breaking your leg while on a skiing holiday in Japan. You can expect a hospital bill of S$12,000 to S$20,000 for the casting alone. If adequate care is unavailable and emergency evacuation is required, it could cost you over the SGD$40,000 mark.
Whether you’ve booked a weekend getaway to Bintan or Phuket, or a longer holiday abroad, it’s essential to be adequately insured.
Expat Insurance provides comprehensive travel insurance products for families and individuals; and for anyone planning more than three trips a year, an annual policy is the most cost-effective way to go.
If you can tick off the following five provisions on your current Annual Travel Policy you are well on your way to being protected from the unexpected. If not, you know where to find us!
-Unlimited emergency medical expenses
-Unlimited medical evacuation and repatriation costs
-Trip cancellation
-Luggage loss or delay
-Personal liability
Brought To You By Expat Choice
