4 Frequently Overlooked Tips for Buying Travel Insurance

You’re trying to figure out how to buy travel insurance. There’s a lot to review, what with the different types of plans, all that crazy insurance jargon, and do you even really want to spend money on something you can’t touch and may not use?  

Tips for Buying Travel Insurance 

First, brush up on your vocabulary. Start by learning about terms you’ll find in most policies — for example: premium, deductible, coverage area, covered reasons — to help you understand your travel insurance coverage. You might try this guide to 10 insurance terms common travel medical insurance plans. 

Once you have a basic understanding of the common terms, consider the tips below for buying travel insurance. Knowing how to speak the language of travel insurance could mean the difference between getting the right coverage and finding yourself unprotected in an emergency. Similarly, weighing the often-overlooked factors in our list can help you choose the right company to purchase from. Because it’s not just about the plan you’re buying, but the people who are there for you when you need them. 

1. Look for leaders in customer service. 

Yes, you can travel solo. It can be a fantastic experience, but it’s not uncommon to wish you had a buddy sometimes. Likewise, you can buy trip insurance on your own without input from anyone else, but you might end up feeling safer and avoid a few headaches when you have someone working alongside you. 

Understanding different travel insurance options available to travelers 

When you’re deciding what travel insurance is right for you, it’s common to have questions. You might need a refresher or a clarification on some of the more confusing terms. Or maybe you have a unique situation and want to know if a certain benefit will cover you.  

Seven Corners has a team of dedicated experts who can answer those questions before you buy anything. They can help with things like deciphering those pre-existing conditions waivers, identifying what parts of your trip are insurable, and more. Our team is available by email, phone, or online chat to clear up any confusion you might have. 

Traveling with Seven Corners Assist 

Even after you depart, you’re not alone. The Seven Corners Assist team is available to help you figure out what to do when the unexpected happens. This includes helping you to rebook flights or hotels if your original itinerary is affected by a cancellation. They can also help if you lose your passport or other travel documents. Whatever the situation, you can contact Seven Corners Assist 24/7 to keep traveling smoothly and safely. 

If you get sick or hurt while traveling, we can help there, too. Some of the non-insurance benefits you receive include help finding appropriate medical care in a foreign country, multilingual services to help you communicate with medical providers about your treatment, and emergency medical evacuation if you are unable to receive appropriate care in your location.  

Many of our customers have found that these services made a key difference in their own recovery and their loved ones’ sense of relief, knowing they had experts working on their behalf in situations where they felt helpless on their own.  

Trusting our commitment to customers 

At Seven Corners, your experience is our priority. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest customer service standards in the travel insurance industry so that you can travel confidently, knowing you have support from the time of purchase to your safe return home.  

You can learn more about the seven pillars of our commitment with our 24/SEVEN customer service guarantee. 

2. Recognize the value of travel insurance. 

One of the most common questions we hear is whether travel insurance is worth it. After all, if you’re lucky, you’ll buy travel insurance and not use it. We understand, though, that even if you don’t use your coverage, it still kind of feels like throwing away fresh produce you didn’t get around to eating. 

So is travel insurance worth the cost? Consider this true story: Jamee G., a Seven Corners team member, recently took a short friends’ getaway to Mexico and purchased travel insurance before departure. In return, they had travel medical insurance for COVID and other illnesses and injuries that could have occurred on their trip. “We didn’t have to worry about breaking a leg while hiking in the ruins,” she said. If they needed to interrupt their trip and come home early, they also had coverage to protect their financial investment in their trip 

Without insurance, had someone in their group needed to be hospitalized for COVID, it could have meant thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to receive treatment, whereas their travel insurance cost just a fraction of that. If they needed an earlier return flight for a covered reason — maybe that broken leg they joked about — that could have meant a few hundred dollars they hadn’t budgeted for. Again, the cost of travel insurance was less than what they likely would have paid for a new flight. For most people, that’s a pretty good trade-off. 

Understanding value versus price 

Because you don’t want to spend money on something you might not use, it can be tempting to look for a bargain. Depending on your budget and travel style, that might be enough for you. However, it’s important to recognize the difference between value and price. 

You get what you pay for. Pay less, and you will typically receive less. If you buy a plane ticket on a budget airline, you might be getting a great fare, but you likely won’t get in-flight snacks, leg room will be limited, and you’ll probably pay extra to check a bag. If you buy a plane ticket on a different airline where those amenities are included, you will pay more, but you also get more. If the amenities are important to you, the more expensive airfare is a better value. 

The same goes for travel insurance. Don’t confuse value and price. The cost of travel insurance will vary depending on coverage and the company that sells it to you. But remember: if you receive more — better coverage that fits your needs, better customer service — you might find that plan has higher value to you, making it worth the price. 

3. Trust the experts. 

Just like we want you to take us with you when you travel, we think it’s important you have a community of experts making your trip easier, safer, and more enjoyable. Seven Corners works to connect you with a variety of partners who do just that. 

Knowing your destination’s requirements 

Some locations require travel insurance before you cross the border. Figuring out what those requirements are and what kind of documentation you need can be difficult. If you’re visiting multiple countries on the same trip, it can get even more complex. 

Sherpa is a one-stop source for finding out what travel insurance and other documentation is needed when you travel internationally. Learn more about sherpa so you’re prepared to travel internationally. 

Staying healthy while you travel 

If we’ve learned anything in the last few years, it's how important it is to pay attention to your health. Our partner Health & Travel can help you travel more and worry less. Whether you’re arranging vaccines for COVID or malaria, or need advice on staying healthy while you travel, their chatbot delivers personalized recommendations you can count on. 

Seven Corners works with more partners, from services that help you track down luggage lost by the airline to phone data plans for international travel to assistance obtaining long-term visas for remote work in the Caribbean. Learn more at Services & Discounts. 

4. Review customer testimonials. 

If, at this point in your research, you still aren’t sold on a particular plan or insurance provider, look for testimonials. Comparison sites also often have customer reviews. And an insurance provider’s website may have more in-depth testimonials that clearly show another customer’s experience, from start to finish.  

Emergency medical evacuation: Alysan’s story 

Alysan, a premedical student working at a hospital in Ghana, contracted malaria during her trip. Her travel medical insurance covered the care she needed in Ghana, while the Seven Corners Assist team arranged safe transportation home for her when she was well enough to fly. Watch her story: 

International medical care: Merah’s story 

Sometimes we get sick while traveling, not because of the travel itself but because things like that just happen. Merah got kidney stones while honeymooning in Thailand and Cambodia. Her Seven Corners travel medical insurance reimbursed her for the full amount of her hospitalization, minus the deductible. Read her story. 

Reunion benefit: Makenzie’s story 

Towards the end of Makenzie’s graduation trip to Europe, she became very ill while traveling alone. Thankfully, Makenzie had travel medical insurance. One of her non-insurance benefits was access to the dedicated Seven Corners Assist team. A representative was not only able to help Makenzie’s mom locate her in a French hospital, but they also arranged flights and hotels so the mother-daughter pair could be united while Makenzie recovered. Watch their story: 

Seven Corners has shared several success stories over the years. You can see some more of our favorite testimonials on our blog. 

Seven Corners’ blog has a wealth of resources to help you learn the tips for buying travel insurance. We encourage you to take a look as you start planning your next trip. And when you have questions, contact us through one of the methods below: 

• Email sales@sevencorners.com 
• Toll free 1-800-335-0611 
• Worldwide 317-575-2652 
• Collect 317-818-2809 
• Online Chat sevencorners.com