Travel and Medical Insurances for Family Trips

When taking a trip, either international or within the US, it is up to each families to decide if it is worth buying travel and/or medical insurances. As parents, we need to educate ourselves on these topics as children get sick more often than adults.

Medical Insurance

Call your medical insurance to see if they cover you if you are sick abroad. For example, a few years ago, Pacificare was our insurer and they covered only 70% of the bill if seeing a doctor abroad. We are now with Kaiser. They will cover the whole bill (less deductible) for anything urgent or an emergency. They also have a travel brochure that they send free of charge with all the necessary information in case of a doctor visit.

Call your medical insurance and inquire on how they cover you if you are sick abroad. Ask them if they have a brochure or webpage on that subject, and which paperwork, they will ask in case of a doctor visit. Ask about medical evacuation back home, transportation to the hospital etc. As a general rule, if you need to see a doctor abroad, make sure you keep a copy of the receipt, ask for an itemized list of the procedures you paid for, and the medical record. That will be helpful when you ask for a reimbursement.

If you do not have medical insurance or the coverage they offer you does not satisfy you, check the Travel Insurance Review website. They cover travel insurance topics in depth and they make it easy to understand. If you subscribe to their newsletter, you will automatically receive a link to the eBook: Travel Insurance 101: the complete guide to travel insurance.

I have selected this specific link for you: the travel medical plans. The article talks about what the travel medical insurance covers, why it is different from other types of travel insurance, the costs, and which companies sell them.

Travel Insurance

Once again, Travel Insurance Review is the place to go. They have a special chapter on Travel Insurance for Family Trips. You will find all the information you need on the subject and at the end, recommended family package plans to give you an idea of the pricing and offerings.

Please note that you get better deals when you buy the travel and medical insurances within a couple of weeks of buying your airplane tickets or trips.

I particularly like their article on how to avoid using your travel insurance! Simple and useful tips that we all should follow.

Credit cards used to offer travel insurance when you were paying your trip with the credit card. This perk tends to disappear but if you have the VISA Signature card, The Mastercard Worldmastercard and Worldmastercard Elite cards, you are covered (still I advise you to call for to ask for any changes and for the coverage specifics). If you hold an American Express card, you need to pay a small fee to cover a specific flight ($5 per person per flight).

Lydie Thomas is a Travel Whisperer and mother of two little avid travelers. She is sharing her tips and tricks on visiting the San Francisco Bay Area with children. She also loves to share her French culture and tips on vacationing in France with little ones. Subscribe to her blog www.travelismorefunwithkids.com or follow her on twitter @lydiethomas.