Five key considerations for peace of mind when taking out travel insurance

Going on holiday abroad shouldn’t be stressful. Even so, circumstances can get in the way of even the most perfectly planned foreign break, with health issues, travel disruption, accidents and lost luggage all capable of turning your dream trip into a nightmare.

As such, taking out travel insurance should be automatic for any foreign trip. Even traveling within the EU can cause nasty situations for those with health insurance in Czechia; whether it’s lost valuables or different national healthcare systems providing varying levels of cover.

But just like any other part of holiday planning, it’s worth taking time to ensure you make the right choice. Travel insurance is not one-size-fits-all; traveling to Asia and traveling to Austria entail very different costs and risks. AXA travel insurance, one of Europe’s largest travel insurance providers, helps travelers find the ideal cover through interactive online tools designed to make the process quick and simple.

When it comes to choosing the right level of cover, consider a few basic questions. How much will your holiday cost? Are you heading to a place where the danger of incurring medical expenses is high? Will you be taking valuable items in your luggage? And are you confident that flights to and from your destination will run smoothly, without significant delay or cancelation?

The higher the risk factors resulting from your answers to these questions the more comprehensive your travel insurance should be.

AXA Assistance offers three levels of cover: Reference, Comfort, and Excellent. The Reference level covers medical expenses up to CZK 2,500,000 as well as fees for emergency and assistance services. The low price tag reflects a lack of cover for baggage, air travel, pets and liability.

The Comfort level is recommended for bigger trips, though usually still within Europe. Along with medical cover up to CZK  10,000,000, it includes liability insurance, accident insurance and baggage insurance, so that most of the potential headaches for a typical short-haul holiday are averted. 

Excellent level of cover is, as AXA puts it, “the right choice for security and peace of mind on the road.” Providing medical cover of CZK 500,000,000 and extensive cover for everything from pets to flight tickets, it’s the preferred choice for expensive holidays and long-haul trips to exotic destinations.

Choosing your level of cover with AXA travel insurance couldn’t be simpler, as an intuitive online tool provides quotes based on your destination and dates of travel. The company is also launching a new chatbot to immediately answer questions about which level of cover is appropriate for your holiday.

The level of cover you opt for may depend on the types of activities that you plan to do while in a foreign country. If you expect to undertake sports activities, for example, you may consider taking out Additional Risks sports insurance to protect against the higher likelihood of medical expenses.

In addition to its three-tiered insurance system, AXA travel insurance offers optional extras such as additional sports risk insurance, car assistance, additional insurance for rented vehicles, additional work insurance, doctor on the phone insurance, and “additional drink” insurance, which covers accidents incurred while under the influence of alcohol up to a certain level. The latter is especially worth considering given that many insurance plans exclude incidents that occur while the policyholder is under the influence of alcohol.

If you anticipate playing sports or enjoying nights out with friends during your trip abroad, it’s a good idea to use add-ons to tailor your insurance package and ensure peace of mind.

Taking out travel insurance is important whatever your destination, but especially so if you’re going somewhere that’s far from civilization, with limited access to modern medical care. The last thing you want is to be stuck in such a location with no one to turn to for help.

What’s more, traveling in remote locations means that if you need to access medical care, you may need emergency evacuation by helicopter or ambulance, costs for which can run into hundreds of thousands of Czech crowns.   

Travel insurance from AXA travel insurance provides comprehensive cover, but as with all other insurance policies, it is subject to various exclusions. Each plan is different, but typically, travel insurance does not cover non-emergency medical procedures which you have elected to undergo (such as plastic surgery), mental health care, and routine procedures such as regular medical check-ups and routine pregnancy tests.

You also won’t be covered by standard insurance plans if you cancel your holiday simply because you changed your mind, although AXA travel insurance does offer separate cancellation insurance which can be bought during a period of time less than 15 days before departure, cancellation insurance can be arranged at the latest on the day of payment of the tour or holiday price. Incidents which occur under the influence of alcohol or drugs also tend to be excluded from regular insurance plans.

Just as important as the type of cover you choose is the provider itself. When it comes to travel insurance, there are real benefits in choosing a major name such as AXA travel insurance, with offices and teams located all over the world.

When you buy travel insurance, what you’re really buying is peace of mind. As such, while it’s worth shopping around for the best deal, it’s also important to consider the additional security gained through insurance with an experienced global provider such as AXA travel insurance.