Travel insurance provides coverage for financial losses that you may face while traveling. It covers you during your trip and tackles all the travel and medical contingencies that you might encounter on the trip. It will safeguard you from unforeseen situations and cherish all the lovely memories of your stay abroad. So, whether you are having leisure or business travel, always add travel insurance to your checklist to deal with unforeseen conditions like flight delay, loss of baggage, loss of passport as well as medical emergencies.
In order to choose the best travel insurance in India, you need to understand the basics of travel insurance.
- Single Trip Policy: Suitable for one-time travelers, a single trip policy provides coverage for a maximum of 180 days. But you can get it extended on request to your insurer.
- Annual Multi-Trip Policy: This policy is perfect for frequent travelers, as it is valid for several trips during the year. Each time, it covers a trip of 30-45 days.
A Comprehensive Analysis of Different Travel Insurance Plans
Different travel insurance plans are available under travel insurance.
- International Travel Insurance: Most international travel insurance is packed with features like a total loss of checked-in-baggage, cashless hospitalization and no medical test for a person above 80 years of age, etc. Best travel insurance companies customize international travel insurance as per your requirements.
- Senior Citizen Travel Insurance Plan: If you’re a senior citizen, you can buy this policy for stress-free travel around the world. The policy covers medical cancellation of the trip, loss of baggage, burglary back home when you are busy enjoying your vacation, pre-existing illnesses, personal liability, emergency medical expenses, emergency financial assistance, flight cancellation, dental treatment, etc.
- Student Travel Insurance Plan: This type of travel insurance provides medical and financial support to students traveling abroad for higher studies. It is very helpful during medical emergencies or financial problems
- Asia Travel Insurance: Buy this insurance policy when you are traveling to any Asian country. The policy covers loss of passport, distress allowance, emergency cash assistance, third-party liability, emergency medical cover, etc.
- Corporate Travel Insurance Plan: These travel insurance plans are suitable for those employees who visit different countries for business trips. The policy covers injuries, loss of baggage, emergency evacuation, and flight cancellations. etc.
- Group Travel Insurance: One more insurance policy that you can buy is Group Travel Insurance which covers 20 or more individuals. Benefits include coverage for trip delay or curtailments, loss of baggage, loss of documents etc.
- Domestic Travel Insurance: The plan covers travelers within India. Key benefits include coverage for medical expenses, loss of baggage, 24/7 customer support, emergency cash assistance, medical evacuation, personal accident cover, etc. An individual above 18 years and below 65 years can be covered under the plan.
- Individual Travel Insurance: It offers many benefits for a single traveler, such as coverage during your trip in Schengen countries, Asia and worldwide including/excluding Canada and USA. Primary coverage under the plan includes emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation, emergency dental expenses, hospital daily cash allowance, medical and body repatriation and accidental death.
- Family Travel Insurance: Like individual travel insurance, a family travel insurance policy covers all members of your family while traveling to an overseas country.
Top Travel Insurance Policies in India-2022
| Insurers | Travel Insurance Plans |
| Aditya Birla Travel Insurance | The travel insurance by Aditya Birla is Overseas Travel Insurance Plan. This plan lets you enjoy your trip by covering you against any travel, medical and other threats. The plan also covers repatriation expenses, personal accident, trip delay or cancellation, passport loss, flight hijack, check-in baggage loss/ delay and accidental death & disability. |
| Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance: | Bajaj Allianz travel insurance covers you irrespective of which country you are traveling. It offers different types of policies, including Individual Travel Insurance Plan, Family Travel Insurance Plan, Senior Citizen Travel Insurance Plan, Student Travel Insurance Plan, Corporate Travel Insurance Plan, Travel Asia Travel Insurance Plan, and Bajaj Allianz Bharat Bhraman Policy. |
| Cholamandalam Travel Insurance | Cholamandalam Travel Insurance protects you from unforeseen threats that can disrupt your travel plans and force significant losses. Opt for one of the travel plans to safely travel across the world Comprehensive Travel Insurance, Student Travel Insurance and Leisure Travel Insurance. |
| Digit Travel Insurance | Digit Travel Insurance offers international travel insurance that comes in two variants – Basic Option and Comfort Option. The basic option covers emergency accidental, medical treatment, check-in baggage delay or total loss, passport loss, personal accident, accidental death & disability and medical evacuation. Comfort Option offers coverage for emergency medical; accidental treatment, flight delay, missed connection, trip cancellation, trip abandonment, personal accident, emergency cash, personal liability, bail bond and passport baggage loss. |
| IFFCO Tokio Travel Insurance | Travel Insurance designed by IFFCO Tokio covers you from a wide range of exigencies during your travel or stay abroad. The insurer offers two types of plans- International Travel Insurance and Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana. |
| New India Assurance Travel Insurance | New India Assurance Travel Insurance offers adequate protection from any critical situation during your international trip. It gives you a choice to select worldwide coverage including or excluding the USA and Canada. The company offers two types of travel insurance plans – Overseas Mediclaim (Business & Holiday) and Overseas Mediclaim (Employment & Studies). |
Apart from the above travel insurance companies, there are many other insurers that offer travel insurance with comprehensive coverage. These insurers are National Insurance Travel Insurance (Overseas Mediclaim Business and Holiday and Overseas Mediclaim Employment and Studies), Oriental Travel Insurance (Overseas Mediclaim – Business and Holiday and Overseas Mediclaim – Employment and Study), Religare Travel Insurance, Reliance Travel Insurance, Royal Sundaram Travel Insurance, SBI Travel Insurance, Shriram Travel Insurance, Star Travel Insurance and many others.
Key Features of the Best Travel Insurance Plans
- Medical expenses – Coverage available for any emergency or surgical treatment on being away from home.
- Curtailment – Coverage is available for any trip that is shortened or canceled because of a valid reason. It saves a lot of money on the cancellation of flights or hotel accommodation.
- Personal liability cover – It covers the damage to someone else’s property or are answerable for bodily injuries due to an accident.
- Loss of passport – Another feature of the best travel insurance in India. Under this feature, the coverage is available for expenses to replace the original passport if robbed during your travel.
- Terrorism – The insurance policy provides cover for your medical and insured losses that occur due to terrorist attacks while your trip.
- Repatriation of remains – Coverage under this feature includes expenses to take the insured’s mortals or human remains back to the home country.
- No Medical Check-up – Many insurance companies do not ask for a medical check-up before you buy a travel insurance policy.
- Cashless Hospitalization – Travel insurance allows you to get treatment without spending even a single penny. You can easily get cashless treatment at network hospitals across the globe.
Over to You
Keep in mind that every travel insurance company is different from others. So, their travel insurance coverage is different. Based on your requirements, the insurer can customize and accordingly zero down the best travel insurance plans. It is always good to choose the best comprehensive travel insurance cover from a reputable insurance company in India.