You will find the list of best travel insurance companies in India, things to consider while buying travel insurance and the benefits of having travel insurance.

Best Travel Insurance for the USA Travel

#1. ICICI Lombard Travel Insurance

ICICI Lombard has 360 days of travel insurance, an initial 180 days of policy which can be extended further up to 180 days. The insurance covers for medical assistance and total loss of checked-in baggage including handbags.

ICICI Lombard travel insurance has a cashless hospitalization facility worldwide in tie-up with United Health International (UHI). UHI is the largest and most diverse healthcare companies in the USA.

For availing travel insurance ICICI Lombard does not require you to undergo any kind of medical test up to 85 years of age.

For US Travel, ICICI Lombard has two plans for various trip losses and medical expenses. In both plans, the medical covers are available for $50,000 to $5,00,000.

Benefits	Coverage Amount
Medical cover (including medical evacuation cost)	$50,000 to $500,000
Repatriation of remains	$7500
Daily allowance in case of hospitalization	Up to $50 per day. Max 5 days
Dental treatment	$300
Loss of checked-in baggage	$500
Delay of checked-in baggage	$100
Loss of passport	$300
Personal liability	$100,000
Personal accident	$15,000
Hijack distress allowance	$125 per day. Max 7 days
Emergency cash advance	$1000
Trip cancellation and interruption	$500
Missed flight connection	$500
Trip delays	$500
Political risk and catastrophe evacuation	$7500
Accidental death (common carrier)	$5000
Fire cover for building	Rs. 20 Lacs
Fire cover for home component	Rs. 10 Lacs
Burglary cover for home content	Rs. 1 Lac
Bounced booking – Hotel / Airline	$2000
Compassionate visit	$7500
Emergency hotel extension	$5000
Loss of baggage and personal effects	$2000
Return of minor child(ren)	Actual travel cost not exceeding $7500

The policy does not cover

• Any claim due to or arising out of pre-existing medical condition whether declared or undeclared
• Sporting activities
• Travel for naturopathy treatment, ayurvedic/homoeopathic therapies
• Costs incurred relating to rest or recuperation at a spa or health resort

Best ICICI Lombard Travel Insurance Plans

1. ICICI Lombard Single Trip Platinum and Gold Plan
2. ICICI Lombard Multi-trip Plan
3. ICICI Lombard Senior Citizen Plan
4. ICICI Lombard Asia Plan
5. ICICI Lombard Schengen Plan

What I Liked

• 360 days of extended travel insurance
• NO medical test required up to 85 years of age.
• Refund of part premium in case of no claim and there are more than 30 days to the expiry date

What I Didn’t Like

• Pay premiums for a minimum of 1 week irrespective of the number of days of travel.
• Sub limit of $100,000 per illness or accident (except for platinum plans)

#2. Religare Travel Insurance

Religare covers pre-existing ailments and also allocates a sum of 10% of the sum insured for treatment. Religare travel insurance provides double sum cover (up to $1000K) in case of accidental hospitalization.

The unique non-medical benefit is up-gradation to business class while returning after 5 days of hospitalization.

Benefits	Coverage Amount
Sum Insured	$50,000 to $500,000
Inpatient care	Up to Sum Insured
Life-threatening condition for PED	10% of SI
Additional sum insured for accidental hospitalization	Yes, up to 100% of the sum insured
Outpatient care	$50,000
Daily allowance in case of hospitalization	Up to $25 per day. Max 5 days
Compassionate visit	$5000
Return of minor child(ren)	$2000
Upgradation to business class in case of return after hospitalization	$1000
Dental treatment	$300
Personal Accident	$15,000
Accidental death (common carrier)	$5000
Medical evacuation	$50,000
Repatriation of remains	$50,000
Trip cancellation and interruption	$1000
Trip delays	$500
Loss of checked-in baggage	$100
Delay of checked-in baggage	$100
Loss of passport	$300
Personal Liability	$100,000

Best Religare Travel Insurance Plans

1. Religare Explore Gold Travel Insurance Plan for single and multi-trip
2. Religare Explore Platinum Travel Insurance Plan for single and multi-trip

What I Liked

• Coverage for pre-existing ailments
• Maximum trip duration of 365 days
• Additional sum insured up to 100% for accidental hospitalization
• No upper age limit

What I Didn’t Like

• No Emergency Cash advance
• No Hijack distress allowance
• Various sub-limits for medical expenses

Cheapest Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa

#3. Bharti AXA Travel Insurance

Bharti AXA travel insurance has a worldwide presence in 130+ countries. Plus a 24 X 7 claim assistance and strong customer support through Bharti Assist Global for all insurance-related matters.

Bharti AXA does not require you to undergo any medical check-up to 70 years. You would get an option to choose from three Schengen travel insurance plans which cover all the 26 Schengen countries.

Schengen Product Plans

Benefits	Coverage Amount
	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Medical expenses	€ 30,000	€ 50,000	€ 100,000
Dental treatment	€ 500	€ 500	€ 500
Personal Accident	€ 10,000	€ 15,000	€ 20,000
Accidental death (common carrier)	€ 2,500	€ 2,500	€ 2,500
Daily allowance in case of hospitalization	No cover	€ 25 per day	€ 25 per day
Loss of passport	€ 350	€ 350	€ 350
Loss of checked-in baggage	€ 500	€ 500	€ 1000
Delay of checked-in baggage	€ 100	€ 100	€ 100
Trip delays	No cover	€ 50	€ 50
Trip cancellation and interruption	No Cover	€ 500	€ 500
Missed connection	No Cover	€ 250	€ 250
Personal Liability	€ 50,000	€ 100,000	€ 100,000
Hijack Distress Allowance	No cover	€ 75	€ 75
Home fire Insurance	No cover	No cover	Rs. 1 Lakh
Home contents burglary	No cover	No cover	Rs. 1 Lakh

Medical expenses include repatriation and emergency medical evacuation.

Daily allowance in case of hospitalization is for a maximum of 7 days.

Compassionate visit – Round trip and stay expenses of the immediate family member to visit the insured if hospitalized for more than 7 consecutive days.

The policy does not cover

• Cosmetic surgery
• Performing professional and risky sports
• Medical expenses due to unproven treatment
• Treatment that could be delayed until return.

Bharti AXA Travel Insurance Plans

1. Bharti AXA Smart Traveller Worldwide Travel Insurance Policy
2. Bharti AXA Smart Traveller Schengen Travel Insurance
3. Bharti AXA Smart Traveller Annual Multi-trip Insurance
4. Bharti AXA Smart Traveller Single Trip Insurance

All the travel insurance plans are offered for individuals and families.

What I Liked

• Worldwide presence and 24 x 7 global assistance

What I Didn’t Like

• No Emergency Cash advance & Outpatient care cover
• No Political risk and catastrophe evacuation

#4. Reliance Travel Insurance

Reliance travel insurance offers cashless hospitalization worldwide. The travel insurance is issued instantly with no medical checkup. However, Reliance does not cover claims arising out of non-disclosed and non-declared pre-existing medical conditions.

Benefits of Reliance Schengen Travel Insurance

Benefits	Coverage Amount
	Basic	Standard
Medical expenses	€ 30,000	€ 50,000
Dental treatment	€ 500	€ 500
Loss of passport	NIL	€ 300
Total Loss of checked-in baggage	NIL	€ 500
Delay of checked-in baggage	NIL	€ 100
Personal Accident	€ 10,000	€ 15,000
Accidental death (common carrier)	NIL	€ 2500
Personal Liability	NIL	€ 50,000
Compassionate Visit	NIL	Return Fare for one person from spouse, child, or family doctor

Medical expenses include transportation, evacuation and repatriation of mortal remains.

In case of a total loss of checked-in baggage, the maximum amount payable per checked in baggage of the applicable sum insured

• More than 1 bag – 50%
• One checked in baggage – 100%
• Per item in baggage – max 10%

Please note that the cover for the compassionate visit is applicable only when the insured is hospitalized for more than 7 consecutive days.

The policy does not cover

• Claims arising out of non-disclosed and non-declared pre-existing medical conditions.
• Expenses incurred if travelling against the advice of a physician, receiving or are on a waiting list for specified medical treatment.
• In case loss of checked-in baggage, no partial loss or damage shall be payable

Best Reliance Travel Insurance Plans

• Reliance Standard Travel Insurance Policy
• Reliance Silver Travel Insurance Policy
• Reliance Gold Travel Insurance Policy
• Reliance Platinum Travel Insurance Policy

Reliance has specific travel insurance plans for students, senior citizens and frequent travellers.

What I Liked

• Instant travel policy with no medical checkup.
• Cashless hospitalization Worldwide
• The minimum age for insurance – 3 months and maximum age – 90 years

What I Didn’t Liked

• Does not cover for daily allowances in case of hospitalization
• Travel baggage loss not covered

#5. Future Generali Travel Insurance

Future Generali offers global travel protection with customized plans and 24 x 7 toll – free worldwide emergency assistance.

The customized travel insurance plans include a specially designed plan for travel to Asian countries (excluding Korea and Japan) and European countries on Schengen Visa.

Future Generali is the only insurer who provides medical advice over the phone and dispatches essential medicine that is not available locally.

The medical tests are waived off if there is no adverse health declaration on the proposal form. Future Generali allows for an automatic extension of the travel insurance for 7 days.

Travel Insurance Coverage

Benefits	Coverage Amount
	Standard	Silver	Gold
Medical expenses	€ 30,000	€ 50,000	€ 100,000
Dental treatment	€ 200	€ 200	€ 200
Hijack cover	No cover	€ 50 per day. Max 7 days	€ 100 per day. Max 7 days
Trip delays	No cover	€ 50	€ 20 per 12 hrs. Max 120 hrs
Trip cancellation and interruption	No Cover	No Cover	€ 300
Trip Curtailment	No Cover	No Cover	€ 200
Missed connection	No Cover	No Cover	€ 350
Loss of passport	€ 200	€ 200	€ 250
Delay of checked-in baggage	No Cover	€ 50	€ 100
Loss of checked-in baggage	€ 200	€ 350	€ 500
Compassionate visit	No Cover	No Cover	€ 500
Financial Emergency Assistance	No Cover	No Cover	€ 300
Accidental Death & Permanent Total Disability	€ 3500	€ 3500	€ 10,000
Personal Liability	No cover	€ 50,000	€ 100,000
Automatic Extension for 7 days	No cover	No cover	Available

Medical expenses include medical evacuation and repatriation of remains.

In case of the loss of checked-in baggage the per baggage cover is maximum 50% and for per item maximum 10%.

The policy does not cover

• Pre-existing diseases and complications
• Pregnancy, resulting childbirth, miscarriage, abortion or complication arising out of any of the foregoing disease
• Loss or damage to your passport as a result of the confiscation or detention by customs, police or any other authority

Best Future Generali Travel Insurance Plans

• Future Generali Schengen and worldwide Travel Insurance
• Future Generali Overseas Travel Insurance Plan
• Future Generali Student Travel Insurance Plan

What I Liked

• Automatic extension of the travel insurance for 7 days
• Medical advice over the phone
• Dispatches essential medicine that is not available locally.

What I Didn’t Like

• Lower amount (EUR 50) for compassionate visit.
• Accidental death (common carrier) and hospital allowance not covered

Best International Travel Insurance (Overseas)

#6. SBI General Travel Insurance

SBI general insurance has medical cover up to $500,000. However, it covers only those medical expenses which are primarily in the nature of an emergency.

Further, SBI does not cover if you are travelling against medical advice or have a pre-medical condition or are travelling to get involved in adventure sports.

The insurer provides a free automatic extension for 7 days for delays due to public transport services. Further, the extension of travel insurance is permissible for a maximum of 180 days with a condition that the overall trip duration is not more than 270 days.

SBI is the only insurer with unique cover paying for a Bail bond and for Golfers hole-in-one.

Benefits	Coverage Amount
Medical expenses (including medical evacuation & repatriation)	$50,000 to $500,000
Personal Accident	10% of medical expenses. Max $25,000
Loss of passport	$2000 on a floater basis
Golfer’s Hole in one	$2000 on a floater basis
Home Burglary	$2000 on a floater basis
Loss of checked baggage	$2000 on a floater basis
Trip cancellation	$2000 on a floater basis
Trip curtailment	$2000 on a floater basis
Missed flight connection	$2000 on a floater basis
Delay of checked baggage	$2000 on a floater basis
Hijack distress allowance	$200 per day. $2000 on a floater basis
Trip delays	$200 per 12 hrs. $2000 on a floater basis
Hospitalization Daily allowance	Up to $50 per day. $2000 on a floater basis
Bail bond	$2000 on a floater basis
Emergency Cash advance	$2000 on a floater basis
Personal Liability	50% of medical expense amount or $200,000 whichever is lower

The policy does not cover

• Any claim where the insured person is travelling against the advice of a Physician or is receiving or waiting to receive treatment
• No claim is admissible if arising from war, hostilities and situations of military or usurped power.
• No claim is paid arising from participation in winter sports, mountaineering, riding or driving in races, caving or potholing, hunting, skew diving or for underwater activities, rafting or canoeing, yachting or boating outside coastal waters.
• SBI travel insurance also does not cover for participation in professional or other hazardous sports unless specifically covered as an extension of the policy.
• The insurance policy does not cover medical expenses arising out of a pre-existing disease.

Best SBI General Travel Insurance Plans

• SBI General’s Travel Insurance Policy for business and holiday

What I Liked

• Automatic extension for 7 days
• Travel insurance also has cover for a bail bond
• $200K personal liability cover

What I Didn’t Like

• Does not have separate insurance for dental treatment and accidental death (common carrier)
• No compassionate visit and return of minor child coverage

#7. TATA AIG Travel Insurance

TATA AIG travel insurance is the only insurer which pays you for the unauthorized usage of a lost payment card, up to 12 hours of reporting.

The insurer does not cover pre-existing conditions or any complications arising from it. In a life-saving unforeseen emergency condition, TATA AIG would reimburse up to $1500 per policy.

The insurance plan also covers bounced bookings of hotels and airlines.

However, TATA AIG has various sub-limits for medical expenses for persons aged 56 years and above. Like max $10,000 for surgery, max $400 for an ambulance, max $3000 per day for up to 7 days for ICU, etc.

TATA AIG waives off the above sub-limits on paying an additional premium.

Benefits	Coverage Amt
	Silver	Silver Plus	Gold	Platinum
Medical expense	$50,000	$100,000	$250,000	$500,000
Accidental Death	$10,000	$10,000	$15,000	$25,000
Accidental death (common carrier)	NA	$5000	$5000	$5000
Dental Relief	$300	$400	$500	$1000
Baggage Delay	$50	$100	$200	$500
Checked baggage loss	$500	$750	$1000	$1000
Passport loss	$250	$250	$250	$250
Personal Liability	$100,000	$150,000	$200,000	$500,000
Flight delays	NA	$10 per 12 hrs	$10 per 12 hrs	$10 per 12hrs
Hijack	NA	$100 per day	$100 per day	$100 per day
Emergency Cash advance	$500	$750	$1000	$1500
Fraudulent charge	$500	$500	$1000	$2000
Home burglary	₹ 1 Lakh	₹ 1 Lakh	₹ 2 Lakh	₹ 2 Lakh
Trip cancellation	$500	$500	$750	$1000
Trip curtailment	$500	$500	$750	$1000
Missed flight connection	$500	$500	$750	$1000
Bounced booking for Hotel / Airline	$500	$500	$750	$1000

The medical expense includes medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. In the case of hijack, the maximum cover is of $500.

In the case of flight delays, the maximum cover is of $100.

The policy does not cover

• When the person is travelling against physician advice or is travelling to obtain treatment
• Any pre-existing conditions
• No claim is admissible if arising from war, hostilities and situations of military or usurped power.

Best TATA AIG General Travel Insurance Plans

• TATA AIG Travel Guard Silver Insurance Policy
• TATA AIG Travel Guard Silver Plus Insurance Policy
• TATA AIG Travel Guard Gold Insurance Policy
• TATA AIG Travel Guard Platinum Insurance Policy

Tata AIG has travel insurance plans for students and Senior citizens, for Asia travel and domestic travel.

What I Liked

• Up to $500K of personal liability cover
• $2000 covers for fraudulent charges on the payment card
• Cover for bounced airline and hotel booking

What I Didn’t Like

• No separate cover for a compassionate visit
• Various sub-limits for medical expenses for persons aged 56 years and above.

#8. IFFCO Tokio Travel Insurance

The best thing about buying travel insurance from IFFCO Tokio is that you can pay through cards, net banking and even Paytm wallet.

The insurer provides 20 days of hospitalization allowances which are highest in terms of the number of days covered. However, IFFCO Tokio does not cover pre medical conditions.

Benefits	Cover Amt
	Gold 500	Gold 250	Gold 100	Silver	Bronze
Medical expense	$500,000	$250,000	$100,000	$250,000	$50,000
Personal Accident	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000	$15,000
Dental Treatment	$250	$250	$250	$250	$250
Repat of remains	$7000	$7000	$7000	$7000	$7000
Hospital daily allowance	$30 per day	$30 per day	NIL	$30 per day	NIL
Checked baggage loss	$1000	$1000	$1000	$1000	$500
Baggage Delay	$150	$150	$150	$150	$100
Passport loss	$200	$200	$200	$200	$200
Hijack allowance	$700	NA	NA	NA	NA
Emergency Cash advance	$250	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL
Personal Liability	$100,000	$100,000	$100,000	$100,000	NIL

Hospital daily allowance is for 20 days

The policy does not cover

• Traveling against the advice of a physician or traveling for treatments
• Pre-existing medical conditions
• Damages to checked-in baggage
• Losses related to participation in high-risk sports or training involving un-professional trainers.

Best IFFCO Tokio General Travel Insurance Plans

• IFFCO Tokio Gold 500 Travel Insurance Policy
• IFFCO Tokio Gold 250 Travel Insurance Policy
• IFFCO Tokio Gold 100 Travel Insurance Policy
• IFFCO Tokio Silver Travel Insurance Policy
• IFFCO Tokio Bronze Travel Insurance Policy

What I Liked

• 20 days of hospitalization allowances
• Payment for buying a policy can be done through Paytm.

What I Didn’t Liked

• No cover for flight delays, trip cancellation and missed flights
• Hijack allowance and financial emergency assistance only with Gold 500 plan

#9. HDFC Ergo Travel Insurance

HDFC Ergo travel insurance has a wide range of travel insurance policies covering medical expenses for $30,000 to $500,000.

HDFC Ergo covers 8 Lac+ cashless hospital network worldwide and has partnered with Allianz Worldwide for travel assistance.

Is the only insurer with contingency travel benefits of up to $3000.

Benefits	Cover Amt
	Titanium	Platinum	Silver	Gold	Bronze
Medical expenses	$500,000	$200,000	$100,000	$50,000	$30,000
Accidental death	$5000	$5000	$5000	$3000	$3000
Permanent disability	$5000	$5000	$5000	$3000	$3000
Hospital cash	$15 per day	$15 per day	$15 per day	$15 per day	$15 per day
Dental treatment	$500	$500	$500	$300	$300
Loss of baggage & personal docs	$250	$250	$250	$250	$250
Loss of checked baggage	$1000	$1000	$1000	$1000	$1000
Delay of checked baggage	$200	$200	$200	$100	$100
Accidental death	$25,000	$20,000	$15,000	$10,000	$10,000
Permanent disability	$25,000	$20,000	$15,000	$10,000	$10,000
Personal Liability	$200,000	$200,000	$100,000	$100,000	$50,000
Emer- gency cash	$1500	$1000	$700	$500	$300
Hijack allowances	$75 per day	$75 per day	$75 per day	$75 per day	$75 per day
Flight delay	$10 per hr	$10 per hr	$10 per hr	$10 per hr	$10 per hr
Contin- gency travel benefits	$3000	$3000	$3000	$3000	$2000

Please note that the medical expenses includes medical evacuation and repatriation. Hospital cash cover is maximum $150.

Further, the hijack allowances are maximum of $525 for Titanium & Platinum and $450 for other categories. Plus flight delay cover is maximum of $120.

The policy does not cover

• Pre-existing illness or ailments mentioned in the health report.
• Traveling against the advice of a physician or for obtaining treatment
• Dangerous sports
• Pregnancy resulting childbirth, miscarriage abortion or any other complication
• Children below the age of 5 years are not covered for diseases like mumps, chickenpox, measles, whooping cough, meningitis, etc.

Best HDFC Ergo General Travel Insurance Plans

• HDFC Ergo Titanium Travel Insurance Plans
• HDFC Ergo Platinum Travel Insurance Plans
• HDFC Ergo Gold Travel Insurance Plans
• HDFC Ergo Silver Travel Insurance Plans
• HDFC Ergo Bronze Travel Insurance Plans

What I Liked

• Contingency travel benefits up to $3000
• Up to 200K of personal liability

What I Didn’t Like

• Sub-limits for medical expenses for persons in the age group 61 to 70 years
• No cover for the compassionate visit

#10. Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance

Bajaj Allianz is the only insurer with unique Travel Ezee automatic claim settlement services.

Where instead of individuals initiating any claim, Bajaj Allianz itself, tracks certain claim event like the delay of flights then informs the person and credits claim amount.

Benefits	Coverage Amount
	Travel Prime Maximum	Travel Elite Platinum	Travel Value Companion
Medical expense	$1000,000	$500,000	$500,000
Personal Accident	$25000	$25000	$30000
Dental Relief	$500	$500	$500
Loss of checked baggage	$1000	$1000	$1000
Accidental death (common carrier)	$5000	$5000	NA
Loss of passport	$300	$250	$250
Personal Liability	$250,000	$200,000	$200,000
Hijack	$60 per day Max $360	$60 per day Max $360	$50 per day Max $360
Trip delay	$30 per 12 hrs Max $180	$30 per 12 hrs Max $180	$20 per 12 hrs Max $120
Hospitalization Allowance	$25 per day Max $125	$25 per day Max $125	NA
Golfers hole in one	$500	$500	$500
Baggage Delay	$100	$100	$100
Home burglary	Rs. 3 Lakh	Rs. 3 Lakh	NA
Emergency Cash	$1500	$1000	$1500
Missed flight connection	$100	NA	NA
Bounced hotel	$500	NA	NA

The medical expense includes medical evacuation and repatriation of remains except for Maximum plan where repatriation cover is for $6500.

The policy does not cover

• Pre-existing illness or ailments mentioned in the health report.
• Travelling against the advice of a physician or for obtaining treatment
• Dangerous sports

Best Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance Plans

• Bajaj Allianz Travel companion Insurance with three Plans – Travel care, Travel secure and Travel value.
• Bajaj Allianz Travel Elite Insurance with three Plans – SIlver, Gold and Platinum
• Bajaj Allianz Travel Prime Insurance with five Plans

What I Liked

• Travel Ezee automatic claim settlement services
• Highest medical expenses cover of 10 Lac USD in Maximum Travel Prime plan.

What I Didn’t Like

• No cover for compassionate travel.

Best Domestic Travel Insurance in India

#11. Apollo Munich Travel Insurance

The best part of Apollo Munich is a cashless benefit of pan India Apollo hospital and Apollo pharmacy networks in case of medical assistance while travelling abroad.

Benefits	Coverage Amount
Personal Accident	Rs. 5 Lakh
Medical Treatment evacuation & transport of mortal remains	Rs. 1 Lakh
Trip Cancellation	Rs. 15,000
Trip Curtailment	Rs. 15,000
Flight Delays	Rs. 1000
Total Loss of checking in baggage	Rs. 7500
Emergency Travel	Rs. 10,000
Emergency Hotel	Rs. 10,000

The policy does not cover

• Treatment of any illness even if caused by accidents, unless necessitated to maintain life and relieve pain.
• Dental treatment unless necessitated by an accident
• Partial loss of checked in baggage
• Any pre-existing condition declared or not declared or any complication arising from it.

Best Apollo Munich Travel Insurance Plans

• Apollo Munich Easy Domestic Travel Insurance

What I Liked

• Access to a network of Apollo hospitals and Apollo pharmacy.
• Rs. 5 Lac of Personal accident cover

What I Didn’t Like

• Pre-existing medical conditions not covered

10 Benefits of Travel Insurance

#1. Medical Expenses (Accident or Sickness)

Travel insurance covers expenses for medical assistance and hospitalization that will be helpful in case of sudden illness or injury on a trip abroad.

#2. Personal Accident Cover

Travel insurance compensates medical expenses in the event an accident that results in death or permanent disability.

#3. Baggage Loss or Delay

Travel insurance bears the approximate cost of goods if the checked-in baggage is lost by the airline. The cover commences from the time the check-in baggage is handed to the airlines and ends when you collect the bag at the airport.

The insurer pays you a fixed allowance in case of delay in receipt of check-in baggage. The delay should be for more than 6 hours for domestic and 12 hours for the international location from the arrival of the plane.

#4. Trip Delay or Cancellation

Under travel insurance, the insurer reimburses the expenses incurred if the trip is delayed for more than 8 hours re-scheduling of flights.

The cancellation covers official cancellation charges and additional transportation expenses incurred for returning back to India. Cancellation can be due to natural peril, death or hospitalization of the person insured or of an immediate family member.

#5. Passport Loss

The insurance company reimburses the actual expenses incurred for obtaining a duplicate or the fresh passport.

#6. Emergency Medical Evacuation

You get cover for the cost incurred for an ambulance or any other emergency transportation in case of illness or injury on a trip abroad.

#7. Missed Connecting Flights

Covers in case of failure to access the connecting flight, arising due to delayed arrival of the earlier flight. This can be due to reasons beyond the control of the person insured.

#8. Emergency Cash Advances

Covers financial emergency due to accidental loss of money during the trip. The insurance is in the form of a fixed daily allowance.

#9. Repatriation of Mortal Remains

In case of unfortunate death, the travel insurance covers the cost of transporting the dead body back to the country of residence. The insurance also covers the amount equivalent to a local burial or cremation where the death has occurred.

#10. Compassionate Visit

The insurance covers the cost for the visit of an immediate family member in the event of being hospitalized for more than 5 days.

Things You Should Consider While Buying Travel Insurance

#1. Covers for Pre-existing Medical Conditions

Disclosing pre-existing is helpful while taking travel insurance.

So if you or any member of the family is looking for a foreign trip on a pre-existing medical condition check the insurer who has coverage for specific medical conditions.

#2. Limits on Trip Duration

One should know the travel need like a single visit or a frequent visit. Also travelling solo or with the family affects the insurance requirements.

Travel insurance policies are of three types

1. Single Trip travel insurance for occasional travel with less than 6 months of coverage.
2. Multi-trip travel insurance for frequent visit. The policy gives an annual cover and premiums are higher and are required to be paid each year. However, under a multi-trip plan, every single trip is capped at 30 to 90 days of the visit.
3. Family travel insurance is a floater policy having the benefit of global travel insurance for the entire family.

#3. Level of Cover for Adventure Activity

This is especially important if you are going to take part in adventure sports such as sky diving, bungee jumping, river rafting or scuba diving while travelling abroad.

Check for travel insurance which covers for such activities. Certain insurers may clearly exclude such activity or may charge an additional premium.

#4. Individual Claim Limits

Certain claims have predefined amount limits like loss of baggage, wallet, missed flights and cancelled flights.

Do check individual payout limits for each item separately. If required you can avail separate insurance for those items.

#5. Cover for Loss of Personal Belongings

The insurer expects that you take proper care of your belongings and thus covers only accidental losses and theft. In the case of negligence, the insurer may refuse the claim.

#6. Travel Destinations

The different destination has a different level of perceived risk and hospitalization costs. Like healthcare is costly in the USA, UK and Australia compared to countries in the middle east or southeast region requiring larger insurance amount. Requiring you to pay a higher premium.

Likewise, if you are travelling to destinations prone to natural disasters or socio-political volatilities, then a higher premium is charged.

Do remember to check the excluded destinations. Yes, insurers do not cover all foreign locations under travel insurance.

#7. Background of the Insurance Company

Before finalizing the travel insurance do check the solvency of the insurer. Also, consider insurance company who can provide additional benefits in terms of free support in a foreign country and free cover for children, etc.

When Should You Buy the Best Travel Insurance in India

For regular domestic travel to cities, you may not require travel insurance.

But when you are travelling to a hill station or engaging in risky adventure sports like hiking, scuba diving, skydiving, bungee jumping or trekking then surely you need to buy travel insurance irrespective of whether you are travelling in India or abroad.

The few occasions where you can think of skipping travel insurance are

• When your premium credit card offers travel insurance or specific travel coverage
• If the airline covers loss of baggage, delayed arrival, flight or trip cancellation
• If you have a global healthcare insurance plan to bear all the medical expenses.

Conclusion

All the plans have some unique offerings if I had to pick then I would have purchased TATA AIG travel insurance plans.

Reason being that it also gives $2000 covers for fraudulent charges on payment card which is valuable in case of card getting compromised while abroad.