#1 item to pack for travel with a kid? Travel insurance! | Break out of ...

Photo by Brian Jeffery Beggerly

Earlier this month, I was horrified to read the story about Steve Flesch, a backpacker who was shot in the back of the head by members of a gang in Costa Rica. The poor man, after a month in the hospital under an induced coma, sadly succumbed to his injuries. Adding weight to this tragedy was the fact that Steve hadn?t purchased travel insurance. His family would be responsible for paying tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.

I know many single people- like Steve- who decide not to get travel insurance. The thought makes me shiver. Yet it?s families who decide not to invest in travel insurance who I really worry about.?

Yes, there really are families who decide not to get travel insurance. Many of them, in fact. Mine isn?t one of them. While I hope my daughter and I will be healthy and happy during all of our international trips, the mere thought of something happening to either of us and not being able to pay for it is enough to make me bite the proverbial bullet and purchase travel insurance.

While there are countless providers, I buy our travel insurance through?World Nomads. Our insurance covers unexpected medical care, emergency or security evacuations, trip cancellation or interruption and lost and stolen property. I opted for a slightly more expensive plan that would cover injuries received from adventure sports and activities. The total for five weeks in Peru for the two of us? $314.

While in Peru, I?ll be carrying copies of the documents with me, and have already sent the details to my parents. I?ve told my kid where she can find the documents in our belongings, and also what she should do if the worst ever happens. Hopefully we won?t need to ever use our travel insurance, but if we do, it?s there. My immediate AND extended family can rest easy knowing that they?ll never need to put together a huge fundraising campaign to raise funds to cover international medical bills.

Think emergencies never happen? What?about this couple in their 70s, who had to come up with close to 100,000 pounds to get their son home to England after he crashed on a motorbike in Indonesia?

Here?s another story about a second family in England who needed to come up with funds to help their son after he also got into a motorbike accident in Indonesia.

Or what about this woman, who traveled with her partner for a quick five-day trip to Spain and unexpectedly gave birth to her daughter 13 weeks early? The couple and their new daughter became stranded, as they didn?t have the insurance needed to send them home by air ambulance.

Bottom line, travel insurance is the #1 item to purchase for a trip. It not only provides peace of mind, but, if the going gets rough, it would ensure that my extended family wouldn?t need to break the bank to fish us out of deep water.

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Source: http://breakoutofbushwick.org/1-item-to-pack-for-travel-with-a-kid-travel-insurance/

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