Travel insurance is crucial, especially when going on holiday. It’s good to know that there are three types of travel insurances: travel medical plans, package plans and specialty plans (this one is about evacuation or repatriation, car rental or flight accidents). Most people go for the package plan, which combines many coverage options into one that’s supposed to cover all the disasters that may happen during your trip. They’re the most common sold, but they’re also the most expensive – about 6 to 8% of the total trip cost of the traveler. If you need the best cheap travel insurance, you came to the right place.

When do you need to go for the travel medical plan?

You’ll need it if your trip is relatively cheap or is outside your health insurance network.

There are many US health insurance plans that don’t cover their clients if they leave the country. In these cases, they need to apply for the out-of-network charges to go outside their country. This means more money. You need to choose one plan that’s not going to have you stressed out about the non-refundable costs.

You need a travel medical plan when you’re going on business and the company doesn’t extend to your destination; when families or couples travel outside their health insurance network and they want a second coverage so they won’t need to worry about the medical emergency bill; when a backpack traveler needs coverage for emergency medical care or trip interruption; when people seek for work outside the US and they need medical coverage until they can become a legal resident (to be part of the national health care system).

When do you need to go for the package plan?

You’ll need it if your trip is expensive and you’re on a budget. It covers lots of risks, such as travel interruption or cancellation, luggage loss, emergency medical care or evacuations.

You should get it if you’re going on a cruise or a safari, or when you’re going to a sporting event or even a honeymoon. If this trip cancels, you’ll need to recover your money; when families can’t afford to lose their non-refundable trip costs if something happens (illness, car crash)

When do you need to go for the specialty plan?

You’ll need it if you have an insurance gap that you need to cover.

You should get it if your travel medical care is covered. However, you’re abroad with your health insurance and you don’t need you to get the pre-paid trip costs recovered. If you only have the evacuation and repatriation coverage, you’ll get something called “med-evac” plan; when you’re going to the US and you need to rent a car – you can get the car rental damage plan, which is less expensive; when you paid a lot of money for the plane tickets and in the place where you’re going you don’t need travel medical coverage.