Travel insurance gives you extra protection in the event of your holiday not going as you planned. This is extremely important, especially if you are traveling alone because you might find it difficult to get back home without any kind of help from anyone to sort out your issues. Read on to find out more as to what you should do if you want to file a claim against the travel insurance policy that you have purchased.

1.0 A Few General Tips

Note down the number of your travel insurance policy and the telephone number to be contacted if there is any emergency when you travel. These two pieces of information must be easily accessible to you at any point in time.

If a problem arises while you are away, take care to keep all the receipts of everything you are required to buy so that you can support your claim.

If it is possible, get your insurance company to agree to the medical treatment you need to undergo prior to getting it done. It may not be possible in the case of emergencies.

You must tell your insurance company if you have an existing health problem prior to buying the policy so that the same gets covered.

1.0.1 Making a claim when traveling

If you have your policy number and the emergency contact number with you, then it will be easy for you to deal with any problem that you may face immediately. If you are traveling overseas, then is very important that you check and ensure that you have got the right emergency contract number with you.

1.0.2 Making a claim after getting home

If you are filing a claim against your travel insurance policy after getting back home, then check and ensure the following prior to submitting the claim:

• You are filing the claim within the specified time limit.
• You are covered for the problem for which you are filing the claim.
• How much is the excess? Excess refers to the amount that your insurer will reduce from the claim. If your claim is less than this amount, it may not be worth the effort.
• Go through the small print and ensure that nothing stops you from filing a claim.

2.0 How to maintain medical records

When you are going on a trip, you do not want to worry about what could go wrong and the travel insurance might be the last item on the to-do list. As a result, you may even forget to buy travel insurance. However, travel protection is important and a small event can cost you a great deal of money. You could miss a connection flight and incur additional expenditure on meals and overnight hotel stay. You could lose your baggage and forced to go to the local department store and buy clothes to wear. Your travel insurance policy could provide protection against all of these unforeseen expenses.

Now, what happens if you fall ill and need medical care? This is exactly when your travel insurance will really pay off for you. However, the insurance company will ask for proper documents in order to reimburse the medical costs incurred by you.

* If you had to be hospitalized for treatment, you should obtain a copy of the hospital admission and discharge documents, doctor’s notes as regards the diagnosis, and invoice and/or itemized bill, among others. If it is possible, obtain copies of test results and x-rays as well.

* If you had to be hospitalized because of an accident, it is important that you report the same to local authorities. It is also important to keep a copy of this report. This is because you will have to submit the report along with your medical claim.

* You should have a clear idea as to whether your travel insurance provides primary/secondary coverage. If your travel insurance provides primary coverage, then you should send your claim to the insurance company directly first. If it provides secondary coverage, then you must first forward your claim to your personal medical insurance company, provided it covers you when you are in a foreign country. Costs that are not covered by your personal insurance policy can then be submitted to the travel insurance company.

* Ensure that you are complying with the stipulations contained in your policy. Some insurance companies want you to contact them immediately in case you need to be admitted to a hospital for treatment. Irrespective of whether your travel protection insurance needs you to do this or not, it is important that you do it. This is because the insurance company’s representative may help you with the paperwork that you need. This is especially important if you do not know the language that local people speak in the country you are in.

* If you have to be evacuated, contact the company that has provided your trip protection policy. This is very important and you should not make arrangements on your own without contacting the company first. On basis of the situation, the insurance provider will make arrangements for transporting you to a nearby hospital in a private jet or the company may authorize and make arrangements for transporting you to home in a commercial jet. You may be required to pay up front, but the insurance company will reimburse the same when you file your claim.

In conclusion, you must always read the insurance policy completely as soon as you receive the same. You should never put it off for a later time. This is because most insurance companies stipulate that you must buy the policy within 14 days of paying for your trip for covering a pre-existing condition that you may have. Further, you should buy insurance cover the non-refundable and fully pre-paid trip costs. When you read the policy and ensure that you have a clear understanding about the stipulations, you can obtain and submit all the documentation required in support of your claim. Further, you can always call your travel insurance provider and ask for help if you have any doubts.