International Travel Insurance
If you'll be traveling outside of the United States for any length of time, consider purchasing international travel insurance that includes international medical insurance coverage. These policies will not only reimburse you for lost or damaged belongings and pay your expenses when flights are unexpectedly cancelled, they can cover your medical bills in an emergency.
Most domestic health insurance policies don't cover illness or accidents overseas, meaning you could end up dishing out thousands of dollars if you or someone in your family requires ambulance transport, surgery or hospital care.
Health Insurance Abroad is Necessary
Most international medical insurance plans cover you for emergency care, prescriptions, dental care, surgery and helicopter or ambulance transport. Having health insurance abroad, whether you'll be traveling for a few days or a few months, is essential.
You can purchase international medical insurance policies on their own, usually for a monthly premium, or you can add coverage for health insurance abroad to your international travel insurance policy. International medical insurance is available for groups traveling together as well as for individuals.
Terrorism Insurance for Traveling Abroad
When buying insurance for traveling abroad, look at coverage for acts of terrorism if you'll be traveling in an area where attacks have occurred. Although they don't happen very often, terrorist attacks have been known to disrupt travel for days, or even weeks, leaving travelers stuck in airports and hotels.
Having coverage for acts of terrorism means that you won't have to pay for long hotel stays or alternative transportation in the event you become stranded in another country. This type of insurance may also cover loss of personal belongings or passport replacement fees.
In the unfortunate event that an individual loses his life in a terrorist attack, terrorism insurance will compensate the family and pay for the cost of repatriating the deceased back to his home country.