“People don’t take trips, trips take people”!
Each and every trip means something to us and the people we travel with. Even the tiny detail is a memorable experience. Experience is the best teacher one can ever have.
Travelling, either in the country or out of the country requires a lot of planning. Not everything goes according to the plan. So it’s always good to have a back-up for everything. Insure to be ensured of a peaceful traveling experience!
Hence Travel Insurance is the best protection for those traveling domestically or overseas. Travel insurance helps cover medical expenses or any kind of financial losses you might incur while traveling.
The key features of Travel insurance policies are:-
- Emergency Medical Expenses
- Flight-related issues – delayed flight, loss of baggage, etc.,
- Cashless Hospitalization facility – Direct settlement of bills by the insurer if admitted in the hospital where there is a tie-up with the insurer
- Customized policy for Senior citizens
Eligibility: – All Citizens of India and permanent residents of India, as well as expatriates or foreigners who are holding an employment pass, dependent pass or work permit and residing in India, are eligible to purchase travel health insurance while visiting Thailand. Depending on the insurance company, the travel insurance policy covers travelers in the age group of 3 months to 99 years.
Types of Insurance policies available in India:
There are various types of insurance for Thailand travel designed to suit travelers of all ages. Depending on the frequency of travel you can choose from the Single trip or multiple trip policy. Depending on the place of travel you can opt for the Asia travel insurance, Schengen travel insurance, or Worldwide overseas travel insurance policy. Depending on the type of people traveling you can buy Family travel insurance, group travel, corporate travel insurance, senior citizen Insurance. While buying travel insurance for Thailand from India you should go through the brochures of various insurance companies and check the quotes and the coverage offered and decide wisely.
Names of Insurance companies: Some of the well-known Insurance companies in India that provide the best travel insurance for Thailand from India are:-
- Bharati AXA Travel Insurance
- Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance
- HFDC Ergo Health travel Insurance
- ICICI Lombard Travel Insurance
- Reliance Travel Insurance
- Religare Travel Insurance
- Royal Sundaram Travel Insurance
- SBI Travel Insurance
- TATA AIG Travel Insurance
Factors that determine the cost of a plan:
Other than the cost of your trip the following information will be used by the insurance providers to calculate the amount of insurance to be paid:
- Name of the country
- The number of travelers – More the travelers more the risk. Hence the cost will also be more
- Age of each traveler – Cost is more for Senior citizens. In the case of minors, they may be included in the plan at no extra cost or at a reduced rate depending on the insurer.
- Period or travel – the lengthier the travel period, higher the rate since you are more open to medical risk and other travel-related risks
Type of coverage:
A basic comprehensive plan will work out cheaper than a plan where add ons such as cancellation of the trip, accidents involving rented vehicles, etc., are included.
Compare the premium that is quoted by different insurance companies and zero in on the best offer. Check the coverage offered, compare what is included and what is excluded, get quotes from different insurance companies and compare and choose the most effective insurance policy. This will ensure you are finding the best travel insurance for Thailand from India.
Inclusions in travel insurance for Thailand from India:
- Medical Expenses are inclusive of the Repatriation of remains and Emergency Medical Evacuation. Including hospitalization due to CoronaVirus COVID 19
- Dental Care Expenses: Covers medical expenses incurred towards the treatment of accidental injury to natural teeth during the trip
- Personal Accident: Payment of compensation in case of accidental death or Permanent Total Disablement or Permanent Partial Disablement
- Accidental Death & Permanent Total Disablement: Common Carrier: Payment of compensation in case of accidental death or permanent total disablement while riding as a passenger in any common carrier.
- Daily Allowance in case of Hospitalisation: In case of hospitalization for more than 2 days a daily allowance as mentioned in the policy is paid against valid claims while traveling abroad.
- Cashless Hospitalisation Facility: Direct settlement of bills when admitted in a hospital with which the insurer has a tie-up.
- Compassionate Visit: While traveling abroad if the insured is hospitalized due to injury or accident for 5 days or more, as mentioned in the policy schedule, the insurance company will reimburse the cost of return flight tickets and accommodation expenses of immediate family members.
In case any immediate family member of the insured has died or has been hospitalized in India for 5 days or more, as mentioned in the policy, the insurance company will reimburse the return fare incurred by the insured to visit his native place.
- Loss of documents such as Passport, traveler’s cheques, travel tickets
- Loss/delay of checked-in baggage: In case of a total loss of checked-in baggage by the airline carrier, the insurance company will reimburse the loss incurred up to the limits mentioned in the policy. In case there is a delay of over 6 hours from the scheduled time of arrival of the baggage, the insurance company will reimburse expenses incurred towards the purchase of toiletries, clothes, medicines, and other essential items up to the limit as mentioned in the policy.
- Flight Delay: Reimbursement of expenses incurred if the trip is delayed due to airline problems, medical problems, personal employment problems, or natural disasters.
- Trip cancellation & interruption: In case an outward bound or inward bound trip is canceled due to medical reasons or natural disasters, the insurance company will reimburse the non-refundable portion of the prepaid lodging cost and ticket cancellation charges
In the case of delay of more than 6 hours while traveling out or into India, a lump sum as specified in the policy will be paid by the insurance company.
- Missed Connection: Reimbursement of additional expenses incurred up to the limits of Sum Insured if you miss the connecting flight due to the late arrival or cancellation of the incoming confirmed flight.
- Personal liability: During the period of the policy whilst abroad, if the insured involuntarily causes bodily harm or damage to the property of third parties, he becomes legally liable to the third party. The insurance company will compensate the insured against legal expenses incurred.
- Financial Emergency Assistance: Emergency cash in case of loss of cash due to theft, dacoity
- Hijack Distress Allowance: Payment of allowance in case of the hijack of a carrier for more than certain hours while on the trip.
Thailand Packages in Budget!
Exclusions in Insurance for Thailand travel:
There are certain things that are not covered in the insurance policy. They are;
- Pre-existing disease unless it is life-threatening.
- Loss of passport – complaint not lodged with the police.
- Traveling for medical treatment.
- Traveling without the doctor’s recommendation.
- A personal injury like suicide.
- Any claim arising out of alcohol or drug abuse.
- Any injuries arising out of participation in adventure sports or activities unless declared beforehand and premiums are paid for it.
Medical / Health Travel Insurance:
If you fall ill or require hospitalization during your holiday, the medical expenses incurred in a foreign country will be exorbitant. Hence, it is advisable to purchase travel health insurance before you travel since one of the major benefits is it covers medical expenses. You just have to know the health benefits the travel insurance offers.
For short term travel like a week or two, you can choose a plan with medical care for a minor illness or injury, a cold or flu, or an accident. Bur for long term travel look for travel insurance that gives you more health care coverage for an extended period. You may get different prices depending on your travel dates, age, and your home country.
Always plan properly before venturing on a trip otherwise it may turn out to be a nightmare. Do adequate research on your destination before you buy travel insurance and its coverage amount.
Check out the Thailand travel guide before planning your trip.
Comparative statement of Travel Insurance plan offered by some top insurance companies and premium payable – Single trip:
Mistakes made while purchasing a policy:
Some of the common mistakes committed by tourists while opting for insurance for Thailand travel are:
- Buying a low-cost plan:
While purchasing a travel insurance policy many times one buys a policy which is the cheapest but this may not cover big claims. Look into a policy that covers major damages at a reasonable price and provides maximum coverage. You have to research well regarding the medical cost as well as whether the place you are visiting is prone to natural disasters etc. and then buy the travel insurance. The benefits offered and the terms of claims provided by different insurance companies have to be compared before choosing wisely. However, it is desirable to keep the destination in mind before choosing a policy.
- Not disclosing pre-existing illness:
Travel Insurance covers a lot of medical benefits. But hospitalization on account of pre-existing illness is not covered by most of the insurance companies unless and until it is declared at the start of the trip. Hence, it is always safe to declare any existing illness before buying a policy. If you are hospitalized abroad due to an undisclosed illness, then you have to bear the cost of hospitalization. The insurance company will not reimburse the claim.
- Not reading claim policy thoroughly:
The procedure to claim reimbursement or file a claim is generally not paid much attention while taking a policy. The documents required, authorization letter, bills, the period within which the claim should be filed are some of the details one has to be thorough. The insurance company’s past claim record should be thoroughly checked too.
- Doing Things Not Covered By Travel Insurance:
Always go through a policy thoroughly to see what is not covered in the plan. There are a few things travel insurance will not cover such as injuries attained while taking part in adventurous activities like snorkeling, alcohol-related injuries, personal accidents like suicide, etc., It is better you abstain from such things since your claim will be rejected if filed.
- No plan or buying plan in the last minute:
The two mistakes a tourist makes before traveling abroad are either not to buy any travel insurance or buying a plan at the last minute. It is always better if you plan to buy travel insurance well in advance. This gives you enough time to choose the right insurance company offering the best plan that suits your requirements.
Benefits of buying travel insurance online:
- Saves time
- Helps to get quotes for travel insurance policies immediately
- Helps to compare different plans easily
- Avoids confusion and helps to choose the best plan that suits your needs
- Helps to compare different policies offered by different insurers
- Buy hassle-free and instantly
- 24*7 customer assistance
- multiple secured payment options
- transparency
Contact List:
- Tourist Police -1155
- Police – 191
- Fire – 199
- Crime – 1195
- Ambulance and Rescue – 1554
- Embassy of India in Bangkok – 02-2580300-5
- Consulate of India in Chiang Mai – 66-(0)-53-243066
Final thoughts:
When you go through the coverage of the travel insurance for Thailand from India, you will realize that the benefits included are almost the same. From the comparison table for some of the plans, it can be seen that Bharati AXA provides health travel insurance for the age group 18-60 years at a reasonable price compared to the other Insurance companies. For age groups 61 -99 years it is observed that Religare Health Insurance offers the cheapest premium. However, it is the tourist who has to decide which plans are best suited to him as per his requirements. So Plan well travel well!