Have you ever bought *and actually needed* travel insurance?

[lost4life]

@commasense

Thanks for all the replies, but I guess I haven’t made myself clear. I don’t need to be sold on the idea of travel insurance, and I’m not looking for general stories about how buying insurance was worth it.

I want to know which specific companies to consider and which to avoid. In addition to describing your experiences, good or bad, please tell me which company you used and whether you’d recommend them. If for any reason you don’t want to name them explicitly, please feel free to send me a PM.

So @sunstone, @snowthx, @lost4life, and @susan: what insurance companies did you use? Would you use them again? Any other companies you decided against, and if so, why?

Thanks again.

I believe we went through Squaremouth, but we were looking for something cheap just in case of catastrophe, like having to be airlifted home after drunkenly swimming in a lava pool. They handled the stolen iPhone pretty well, even without a police report (there was no station where we were).

[Dr_Paprika]

On a related note, I was listening to a 60s comedian on the radio. He said airports used to have dozens of independent booths willing to sell you a one-time flight insurance package. This was before computers, and possibly airlines themselves did not want to make their safe travel seem less so. Is this true?

[suranyi]

I remember Insurance vending machines at airports.

[JohnT]

@Dr_Paprika

On a related note, I was listening to a 60s comedian on the radio. He said airports used to have dozens of independent booths willing to sell you a one-time flight insurance package . This was before computers, and possibly airlines themselves did not want to make their safe travel seem less so. Is this true?

This lasted for quite a while. There was a time in the early 90s when a coworker was taking a flight to, say, LA. We are in a meeting right when he has to leave and I say

“Dave… wait up.”
reaches into my pocket
“Yeah?”
flip him a $20 across the table
“Take this and buy one of those life insurance policies, naming me as the beneficiary.”
my Dad is cracking up, he knows where this is going
“For God’s sake, why?”
“I don’t know. I just feel lucky.”

[elbows]

Whenever we went off travelling it was for about a couple of months at least, sometimes six or more. For two people that quickly adds up to a LOT to pay. Plus, we were young and brave. We also knew, being in a lot of developing nations, no amount of travel insurance will change what care is actually available. If they don’t have bandages or Drs, you gold insurance is not helpful.

Eventually we were older and more circumspect. Our solution was to take out a line of credit against our house, getting credit card, type access cards for it. There was no fee, it was easy enough to do, (and we’re not wealthy people!) Then, we just never used them. Never needed them.

Most all travel insurance requires you pay up front for services and then get reimbursed on your return. So you’ll need access to credit in an emergency anyway. Especially if you’re somewhere you’ll need to be flown off too. (All travel insurance for Cambodia asks one question, ‘want to be taken to Thailand or Singapore?’)

There were a few times we just paid to visit a dr for a rash or bite, but it was always very reasonable.

So, we’ve had all the needed coverage, over many journeys, and have never spent a dime thus far, over many years, we have no complaints.

Something to consider! Good Luck!

(Travelling in the US, now that we’re older, we would definitely get the insurance. But we mostly just transit through.)

[Fiendish_Astronaut]

Like others I got ill on a trip. I was in Mexico and got salmonella - the travel insurance reimbursed me for much of the hospital treatment but I didn’t keep all the receipts so missed out on much of what I could have claimed. I found it easy to make the claim.