Don’t leave your humble casa without protecting your health. But, if you’re unsure of how to protect your health, I get it. I was too until I met travel insurance. Whether you need multi trip insurance, family travel insurance, insurance for adventurous travel pursuits, or trip cancellation — all of that can be covered.
Even though I’ve traveled the world since college, I still have questions whenever I purchase multi trip travel insurance or any insurance for that matter. That’s why I highly recommend using Travel Insurance Master. I’m a huge fan because it makes the process of buying insurance extremely easy, affordable, and time saving!
Plus it has a powerful comparison feature that allows you to compare several insurance providers prices and benefits at a time. Talk about a win-win!
With that in mind, you may be wondering what’s so special about them and how they can help you with your burning questions (or fears) about travel insurance. So, I thought I’d bring in the big guns.
Below you’ll find all your juicy questions answered by the Marketing and Affiliate Manager at Travel Insurance Master, Chelsea Capwell.
Side note: If you’re looking for Schengen travel insurance for a trip to Europe, click here.
- Tell us a little about yourself Chelsea!
- What’s unique about Travel Insurance Master versus other travel insurance companies?
- How can I book travel insurance with Travel Insurance Master?
- Does Travel Insurance Master have options that protect adventurous spirit?
- Can you cancel this insurance anytime?
- What if I forget to purchase multi trip travel insurance, can I buy it mid trip?
- Will it cover pre-existing health conditions then?
- What would you recommend for someone who wants the bare minimum?
- Is it possible to extend my travel insurance?
- How easy is it to make a claim with Travel Insurance Master?
- Does Travel Insurance Master cover Covid-19?
- More wellness travel resources
Tell us a little about yourself Chelsea! What do you love about your job at Travel Insurance Master, and how’d you get into it?
Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission on the purchase at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support friend!
Hi! I’m Chelsea, the Marketing and Affiliate Manager here at Travel Insurance Master. My parents instilled the love of travel in me from a young age and I quickly realized the importance of protecting your trip.
On one of my first coast to coast solo trips my luggage was completely destroyed. I was even stuck in a layover city for 3 days due to a hurricane! Because of this I love being able to help travelers protect themselves from the unexpected in a super user-friendly way. I also love making connections with our affiliate family here at Travel Insurance Master!
What’s unique about Travel Insurance Master versus other travel insurance companies? (i.e. World Nomads, Axa, Safetywings)
At Travel Insurance Master, we truly believe travelers should have options! With over 20 years of experience selling travel insurance at a brick and mortar travel agency, our founders quickly realized there was a need for an easy way to shop and compare multiple trusted providers and plans all on one website. Travel insurance can get confusing and plans should never be one size fits all.
By partnering with the 11 of the top providers we know and trust, and utilizing our very own smart algorithm, Travel Insurance Master quickly recommends the best plan and value for your specific trip.
As an aggregator, we offer side by side comparisons in just easy 3 steps! You can even filter by the benefits you’re looking for to truly find something that fits your needs. The travel insurance plans on our site are meant more for single trips or multiple trips if you are traveling from country to country without returning home (aka say hello to multi trip travel insurance).
Our benefits offer coverage for:
- Hurricane and Weather
- Adventure Sports
- Trip Cancellation
- Cancel for Any Reason
- Lost or Delayed Luggage
- Employment Layoff
- and much more.
The other travel insurance companies you named don’t offer as much variety or specialize in travel medical insurance for much longer stays that usually don’t fit the needs of most travelers.
How can I book travel insurance with Travel Insurance Master?
Requesting a quote and purchasing travel insurance for your next trip is as simple as 3 easy steps!
Step 1: Fill out the quote request on Travel Insurance Master, and our smart technology will get to work, quickly recommending the best plan and value for you, and providing side by side comparisons of similar plans.
Step 2: Utilize the smart filers on the left hand side of the results page to narrow down the plans by the benefits you’re looking for like “Cancel for Work Reasons, Emergency Medical, Missed Connection,” and more. You can click Plan Details or View Certificate under each plan to review all the plan information.
Step 3: Once you decide on a plan, click Buy Plan, add any additional plan options and complete your purchase. Your plan will be sent directly to your email and you’ll be ready to travel with the ultimate peace of mind!
We love adventurous and outdoorsy activities and tend to choose multi trip travel insurance that appeal to the adventurous traveler. Does Travel Insurance Master have options that protect adventurous spirit (i.e. snorkeling, zip lining, rock climbing, hot air ballooning, etc?
Yes, the beauty of Travel Insurance Master is that we truly have a large variety of plans and benefits to fit every trip and traveler due to our partnerships with a number of top providers. Like you and many travelers, we love to experience our destinations by hiking, scuba diving, hot air ballooning, and other outdoor adventure activities.
With these riskier activities, you’ll definitely want to ensure your travel insurance plan includes the proper coverage.
You can easily filter by “Hazardous and Amateur Sports” to narrow down plans with these benefits. See your specific plan details for coverages/exclusions to find what suits your itinerary and needs best.
Can you cancel this insurance anytime?
Travel Insurance Master is a smart aggregator for travel insurance. Since we offer a large variety of plans from multiple providers on one website, it’s important to review the Free Look Period or Plan Review Period of the particular plan and provider you’re considering.
You can do this by clicking Plan Details under each plan on the results page after you request a quote. The Plan Review Period is the time, usually 10 – 15 days after purchase, where you’ll be able to review your policy.
If something doesn’t seem like a good fit for your trip, you can cancel, receive a refund, and purchase another plan. This will vary depending on the plan and provider. It’s important to note if you depart on your trip or make a claim during this period, you can no longer cancel it.
What if I forget to purchase multi trip travel insurance, can I buy it mid trip?
Unfortunately just like car insurance which you can’t purchase after an accident, you also cannot purchase travel insurance mid trip!
The best time to buy travel insurance is within 1 – 21 days of making your first deposit on your trip. But, the exact time frame will depend on the insurance company. There are time sensitive benefits that make purchasing insurance early worthwhile and you can buy insurance even if you have not paid for your trip in full yet.
The most popular benefit that’s time sensitive is Cancel for Any Reason or CFAR. CFAR gives you the ultimate flexibility. It lets you cancel for any reason whatsoever usually up to 2 days prior to departure for reimbursement of up to 75% of your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses.
To purchase travel insurance with this benefit, request a quote and buy a plan early. Ideally within 1-21 days of your initial trip deposit depending on the plan.
CFAR doesn’t replace your regular Trip Cancellation benefits which covers you 100% for a variety of covered reasons, like cancellation due to illness like COVID-19.
Will it cover pre-existing health conditions then?
Yes! Another time sensitive benefit is the Pre-existing Medical Conditions Waiver that many travelers look for. If you buy insurance within the stated time frame from the initial deposit, usually 2 weeks, you will get broader coverage like the Pre-existing Medical Conditions Waiver and more, depending on the specific plan.
If you or someone you are buying insurance for has a pre-existing health condition, you should seriously consider the likelihood of it flaring up. This could be before, during, or after your trip. Ask yourself: could it cancel or interrupt my travels?
For plans without the Pre-existing Medical Conditions Waiver, a medical condition present prior to your travel insurance policy’s effective date would not be covered. Why? Because most plans have a look back period. This means the plan investigates your medical history, anywhere from 2 to 18 months. Here they’ll check to see if your condition appeared or was treated during that time.
Comprehensive plans with a this waiver will give you coverage if you buy your plan the same day or within a set number of days after your first trip deposit. The good news is it usually doesn’t add to the cost of your plan!
As always, be sure to read the plan document for full details on coverage. It’s always best to purchase travel insurance or multi trip travel insurance early on in your travel planning process. But, some plans do allow you to buy coverage up until the day before you leave.
What if I’m thinking about skipping multi trip travel insurance. (Which I have unfortunately, but learned that travel insurance is the best way to safeguard your health). What would you recommend for someone who wants the bare minimum?
We always say it’s usually the times you forgo purchasing multi trip travel insurance and something goes wrong that you remember the most. The little cost of travel insurance will be quickly be forgotten if everything goes as planned. So, be sure to protect your trip! You’ll be happy you did!
Is it possible to extend my travel insurance?
Depending on the provider, you may be able to update or extend the return date on your policy. Feel free to contact Travel Insurance Master too! We can make a recommendation whether an extension or new plan is best for you.
How easy is it to make a claim with Travel Insurance Master?
Claims are made directly with your plan provider. You will find their contact information on your policy. Alternatively, you can visit our Filing a Claim page and click on your provider to find out their process.
Every claims situation is going to be different, so there are different ways to respond to them.
Tell your insurance company beforehand (if possible)
Please keep in mind that if an emergency arises, contact your insurance company as soon as reasonably possible!
Each policy includes a claims phone number and 24-hour assistance phone numbers for both inside and outside of the United States. This ensures that you can get in touch with your insurer at any time. If you are traveling internationally, you will need to make a collect call with the out-of-country emergency number.
In a case where you are going to have to cancel your trip prior to departure, contact your insurer immediately. They will advise you on how to proceed with filing and inform you of what documentation they will need.
If a medical emergency arises while you are traveling, again contact the company as soon as reasonably possible. The reasons for this are two-fold:
Some companies will require prior authorization. While others ask that you contact the company before receiving medical treatment or having an evacuation performed. Naturally, if you’re in a dire medical emergency you would want to seek care immediately. Then, once you’re stable worry about claims.
Save (actually save) all receipts
You will need to know what documentation will be most important for you to have with you before returning home.
One fact that cannot be stressed enough is to save your receipts and proof of expenses. This will help with accurate reimbursements, whether its costs due to a delay of travel for hotel or meal, or medical records for emergency treatment received. This is especially important for medical care received overseas, as it can be incredibly difficult to get this paperwork once you have returned home. For filing a claim, nothing is more important than having accurate documentation for your loss.
After a provider pays a claim to a traveler, they will typically “subrogate” to seek reimbursement from any other collectible sources that may be available. These other sources could be other insurance policies or travel suppliers to recoup some or all of the claim that was paid. The travel insurance plan you purchased will have more details on this in the certificate that Travel Insurance Master emails to the primary traveler.
Sometimes, a claim is denied by the travel insurance company. When this happens, Travel Insurance Master customers have the option to have their claim reviewed by our Customer Care Team.
Does Travel Insurance Master cover Covid-19?
All of our “Trip Cancellation” plans cover trip cancellation or interruption if you get sick or test positive with Covid-19. Travel insurance treats COVID-19 the same as any other illness. Depending on your trip, many benefits provide coverage if you are diagnosed with COVID-19 before or during your travels.
It’s important to note trip cancellation due to the fear of contracting COVID-19 is not a covered reason for cancellation. However, that’s when a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plan may be right for you.
CFAR benefits, are just that – cancel for any reason whatsoever. Usually it’s up to 2 days before departure for a reimbursement up to 75% of prepaid non-refundable expenses, depending on the specific plan. Be sure to buy your insurance early to take advantage of CFAR, usually within 1-21 days of your initial deposit.
Trip Delay also provides extra coverage. It offers coverage for additional hotel expenses and meals if you are delayed due to quarantine required by a physician. See our Covid FAQ page for more information.
More wellness travel resources
- Is it Worth Splurging on Travel Insurance to Europe? Pros v. Cons
- What is Wellness Travel? And How Can You Start
- 10 Mindful Ways to Slow Travel at Your Next Destination
- Why Slow Travel is the Best Way to Experience Deeper Travels