Travel insurances | Choosing the right one for your trip

Choosing the right insurance isn’t the most fun part of your trip, but in my opinion it’s now indispensable and should no longer be neglected if you want to travel with complete peace of mind. Which travel insurances should I choose for my trip?

 

If you’re planning a short break, a long-haul trip or even a round-the-world tour, travel insurance will provide you with the essential cover you need to enjoy your stay in total peace of mind: cancellation, baggage, assistance, medical expenses, repatriation and all the other hassles you could avoid.

How do you choose a travel insurance policy from all those available on the market? Who can you trust? Make the right choice before you leave and find the ideal solution.

 

| WHY TAKE OUT TRAVEL INSURANCE

Travel insurance isn’t the first thing on anyone’s mind when they go on vacation for a week or two. But the only way to make the most of it on the spot is to avoid the unexpected and anything else that could jeopardize your trip.

You’re never safe from a minor or major health problem, food poisoning, illness, or a scooter or car accident on the other side of the world. When you’re there, you could injure yourself or someone else. The risks come thick and fast, especially when you’re involved in new activities such as diving, paragliding, bungee jumping, etc… you could simply break a leg, an arm or sprain an ankle. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and to be aware of all the hazards that can happen, even before you arrive at your destination. And yes, lost luggage is a common occurrence when traveling. It can also happen that you’re late for your flight or have to cancel it. And panic on board, because you haven’t taken out travel insurance!

We always say the insurance included in our credit card will be sufficient to cover our costs in case of need! These days, I think it’s essential to take out travel insurance, particularly in case of minor problems such as luggage or flights, but above all for the cost of medical expenses abroad, which can quickly reach huge sums. For your information, a simple consultation in the United States can cost several hundred dollars!

 

→ Depending on the type of trip you’re planning, ask yourself all the questions to find the ideal contract for all your needs:

• What is the reason for your stay: vacation, business trip, study abroad, trip within the Schengen area, Working Holidays, PVT, round-the-world trip…
• Which countries will you be visiting, as some are excluded from insurance coverage?
• How long will your trip last: 1 week, 3 months, 1 year ….
• How many people travel with you (children, spouse…)

 

→ Consult your travel insurance contract for the different types of coverage available called guarantees that will help you deal with any unforeseen circumstances that may arise during your trip:

• Accident and health problems
• Theft and loss of your luggage (If you’re carrying valuables, computer equipment, photos or videos, make sure before you leave that you are covered by specific reimbursement conditions in the event of loss, theft or damage. Do I need to make a paper declaration to the local police? …)
• Transport delays
• Liability insurance (if you cause damage to a third party, whether material or immaterial)
• Assistance and repatriation
• Sports and extreme activities guaranteed (diving, parachuting, paragliding…)
• Force majeure and unexpected events (death, pregnancy…)
• Car and scooter hire (In Southeast Asia, you’re likely to want to rent a scooter, but beware, scooter accidents are rarely covered! )

To help you make your choice, here’s a quick summary of the insurance options available.

 

| CREDIT CARD INSURANCE

It’s true that when you book a trip with your Visa Gold or Mastercard credit card, basic travel insurance is automatically taken out for you, your spouse and children. However, before validating your payments, I’d advise you to check with your banks and verify the various terms and conditions. However, these insurances are limited:

• They are valid only 90 days maximum, after this period, you are no longer covered.
• More restricted ceilings especially when it comes to medical expenses. Once you’ve exceeded the limits, the insurance stops working.
• Deductibles are also higher, it would be a shame to pay large sums out of your own pocket!
• Guarantees are sometimes insufficient and only cover medical expenses, repatriation assistance, death and disability insurance, civil liability, cancellation insurance or luggage insurance.
• Pay attention to your bank card’s terms and conditions, such as hospitalization fees, which can be enormously expensive in the USA.

It’s up to you to decide what suits you best, depending on your destination, number of people and duration.. If you’re going on a longer trip, it’s best to take out more comprehensive travel insurance right from the start, so you can leave with peace of mind. But don’t wait until a dramatic situation arises to discover that your credit card travel insurance isn’t optimal for your trip and destination!

 

• TRAVEL IN EUROPE

If you’re moving to Europe and have social security cover in France, you can order the European Health Insurance Card on the health insurance website. You’ll enjoy the same rights as residents of the country you’re going to in terms of health cover. But beware: you’ll still need to take out additional insurance, as you won’t be covered for lost luggage, repatriation, civil liability…

 

• LUGGAGE AND VALUABLES

When choosing travel insurance, it’s very important to read all Baggage Cover clauses and the limit for valuables. Whether you’re on a short, medium or long stay, you’re not safe from having your luggage stolen or lost by plane, bus, train or boat. When the airline is involved in this loss or damage of baggage, it normally compensates for one lost bag per person, but once again, it all depends on the conditions of each airline. For other ground transportation, however, travel insurance generally provides no cover at all.

The same applies to valuables and don’t neglect this part! We were very lucky on our round-the-world trip, as no one stole anything from us, but we did meet quite a few travelers (including our parents-in-law) who had their laptops or bags containing computers, drones, external hard drives and cameras stolen in public places (streets, markets, bus stations, night buses, etc.). This loss literally makes the trip impossible. As well as losing all your equipment, you also lose all your memories – the hardest thing to digest, in my opinion. In 2016, we had our car door window broken on a freeway service area in Italy, near Rome, on the last day of our vacation. They stole the computer, the camera, my SD cards… I still think about it, it was so upsetting! In just 5 minutes of carelessness, without imagining that this could happen, they were able to crack down in front of the eyes of all passers-by, since our car was parked in front of the service station entrance. That’s why I now have insurance for all my equipment.

Insurances often offer a low ceiling for this part, but you should be aware that today there are external insurances such as those offered by FNAC for €10/month (if your products have been purchased there, of course), as well as bank insurances. We pay a monthly fee to SFAM to insure all our equipment, so check with your bank.

 

MORE COMPREHENSIVE TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR SHORT, MEDIUM OR LONG-TERM STAYS

Of course, I haven’t tested all the travel insurances out there, but I have compared several. As I often say, too much choice kills choice. To avoid getting lost, I’ve selected the two insurances that come up most often in discussions, and that have very good reviews.

 

 

| CHAPKA ASSURANCES

Let’s start with Chapka assurance, now renowned in the travel sector. After consulting a number of different agencies and requesting several quotes, we finally settled on Chapka Insurance, for our world tour; We hesitated for a long time about taking out travel insurance, because it’s a small budget that can’t be neglected on a long trip, but today we don’t regret having done it.

For this round-the-world trip, we chose the CAP AVENTURE COUPLE, a formula suited to tourist stays of 3 months or more. We opted for a 9-month contract with them, since we were insured for the first 3 months by our respective credit card insurances (Visa Gold and Mastercard). We wanted insurance that included scuba diving up to 40 meters, and Chapka included it in the package.

We’ve only used their services once on a trip, when we were in Indonesia, following a medical problem I had in Bali. I had to go to a private clinic for a day to undergo several tests. Our medical expenses were covered at 100%, but the package also included repatriation assistance 7/7 and 24/24, as well as many other guarantees such as Civil Liability abroad. Filing a claim and opening the hospitalization file from abroad was quick and easy, and we had a teleconsultation. Ididn’t need to send invoices by post, only by email. I was reimbursed very quickly by bank transfer.

For the small problem I encountered, I was really satisfied with their services and that’s why I recommend them to you. They are efficient and respond quickly. This is important, given the time difference and slow connections between countries.

For trips of less than 3 months, many travellers subscribe toinsurance Cap Assistance 24h/24 which includes cancellation, repatriation, medical and hospitalization insurance, medical teleconsultation, baggage, search and rescue and trip interruption insurance. Find out more about the contract here.

 

En cliquant sur les différents liens Chapka, vous bénéficiez automatiquement d'une REMISE DE -5% 
*Cette remise vous permet d'économiser un peu sur votre contrat de voyage et ces liens affiliés permettent de faire vivre le blog. 

 

• HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE 5% DISCOUNT
  

 

To take advantage of this discount, all you have to do is follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Click on one of chapka’s affiliate links, for example “Assurance Cap assistance 24h/24” or “ Chapka home page ”

Step 2: Once on the page, click on the desired insurance then subscribe then you fill out the form.

Step 3: Choose the formula that suits you best.

Step 4: Click on “calculate quote” and the discount will be applied automatically. You will see a message saying that you benefit from 5%

 

 

Chapka doesn’t just insure you for several months on a round-the-world trip, they also offer a wide range of insurance products:

• Working Holidays and PVT
• Au pair training
• Study abroad
• Studies in Europe
• Volunteering
• Expatriates
• Business travel for your employees
• Around the world (excluding USA and Canada) and long stays
• Rental stays around the world (on AirBnb, Abritel, Le Bon Coin)
• Insurance for travelers returning permanently to France

 

• COVID

What does Chapka cover in the event of COVID? Since this health crisis, many insurance companies have had to react quickly and adapt their offers to include the pandemic label.

What’s covered :

• Cancellation if you catch the Covid before departure,
• Cancellation if you are forced to stay in quarantine before departure (positive test)
• Cancellation if you are denied boarding following a thermal or other health inspection
• Medical expenses if you catch COVID on site and medical repatriation
• Impossible return in the event of lack of transport to destination due to confinement declared by local authorities
• Extended stay in the event of quarantine in the destination country.

 

What’s not covered :

• Cancellation due to travel restrictions resulting directly from a declaration of a pandemic, including Covid-19, or from exceptional and unavoidable circumstances or an event known to the World Health Organization.
• Cancellation due to illness without medical evidence issued by a doctor
• For Cap Cancellation contracts, reimbursement of all or part of the trip that has been fully or partially reimbursed by the tour operator or transport company, regardless of the method of reimbursement (bank transfer, cash, à-valoir, voucher, etc.).

 

To sum up, CHAPKA is very complete and offers slightly higher fares than its competitors, for shorter trip durations. For long-distance travel, our comprehensive, reasonably-priced cover includes medical and hospital expenses, repatriation (repatriation in case of covid) as well as third-party liability. What’s more, in the event of baggage theft or damage, your electronic devices and other valuables are covered up to €1,000 (for a maximum total of €2,000). Another advantage is that the trip can be resumed if you return for family reasons, and unused months can be reimbursed. Repatriation in the event of covid. This is by far the most popular choice for frequent travelers.

 

CHAPKA GUARANTEES

 

| ACS ASSURANCES

ACS has been a specialist in international mobility for over 40 years, supporting travelers and expatriates in the 4 corners of the world, whatever the type of trip. They offer tailored health insurance and assistance solutions at excellent value for money. Below are the two offers that caught my eye:

 

• Globe Partner

Globe Partner is an international insurance policy and can insure you worldwide, outside your country of residence. When subscribing online, you need to indicate the destination zone(s) of your choice, then specify the country of first destination. During the period of validity of the policy, the insured will be covered for travel to all selected destinations.

The Globe Partner solution is aimed at all travelers under 66 years of age, of all nationalities, traveling worldwide outside their country of origin for stays of up to 12 months, renewable once. It offers comprehensive coverage (medical expenses + repatriation assistance + liability + contingency + luggage) with excellent value for money. Prices start from just €15 and are very competitive. If you’re taking a round-the-world trip, the insurance covers travel to the USA and Canada.

 

 

• Globe Traveller

Globe Traveller is a multi-risk travel insurance solution that can be customized for all international travel. It is designed for all travelers, students and trainees under 40 years of age who want comprehensive insurance (medical expenses + repatriation assistance + third-party liability + baggage + transport delays) to travel anywhere in the world with complete peace of mind. With Globe Traveller, you can tailor your travel insurance to suit your needs! The policyholder chooses the maximum reimbursement amount, and adds optional coverage for trip cancellation, high-risk sports and sports equipment.

Globe Traveller pricing is based on destination zone, trip duration and options chosen. From 3 insured members of the same family, a 10% discount is applied.

 

ACS is the least expensive travel insurance with very competitive prices. Coverage is sufficient for medical and hospital expenses, repatriation, etc. (repatriation in the event of covid), as well as civil liability. On the other hand, there’s no early return in the event of hospitalization of a family member (return ticket only in the event of death), baggage is only insured in the hold, and you are not insured for flight cancellations. What’s more, in the event of theft, loss or destruction of baggage, your electronic devices or other valuables are covered for up to €1,150 (only during the return journey and excluding electronic devices). I’d recommend this insurance if you’re going away alone or as a couple, or if you’re a student and want to reduce your budget a little while still having insurance.

 

 

• COVID

ACS assurance answered many questions about COVID and travel. I invite you to consult their answers directly on their site here for a clearer picture;

 

 

In conclusion, travel insurance was too often forgotten during a trip. Today, with the global health crisis, more and more countries are requiring COVID travel insurance to cover health expenses, possible repatriation, hotel costs in the event of quarantine, etc. You will be obliged to subscribe to it if you wish to enter the country. I invite you to read our article on coronavirus and new entry formalities for many countries in Europe and around the world.

We hope this article has reassured you about your choice of insurance and guided you in finding the best package for your new adventures.

Now you can leave with complete peace of mind.

 

 

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