Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is a type of insurance coverage designed to protect travellers from financial losses and provide assistance in various situations that can occur before or during a trip. Travel insurance policies can vary in terms of coverage and cost, but they generally offer protection in the following areas:

• Medical Expenses: Travel insurance typically covers medical expenses incurred while traveling, including doctor visits, hospitalization, prescription medications, and emergency medical evacuations. This coverage is crucial when traveling abroad, as your regular health insurance may not apply in foreign countries.

• Trip Cancellation: If you have to cancel your trip due to unforeseen events like illness, injury, death in the family, or work-related issues, travel insurance can reimburse you for non-refundable trip expenses, such as airline tickets and accommodation reservations.

• Trip Interruption: This coverage comes into play if you have to cut your trip short due to unexpected events such as flight delays, weather delays, missed connections, etc. It reimburses you for the unused portion of your trip and any additional expenses incurred while returning home.

• Emergency Evacuation: If you are in a remote area or experiencing a life-threatening medical emergency, travel insurance can cover the costs of evacuating you to the nearest appropriate medical facility.

• Lost, Stolen, or Delayed Baggage: Travel insurance provides compensation for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage and personal belongings. It may also offer coverage for essential items you need if your baggage is delayed.

• Travel Delays: Travel insurance can cover expenses like accommodation and meals if your trip is delayed due to circumstances beyond your control, such as severe weather, airline strikes, or natural disasters.

• Cancellation or Delay of the Trip by the Travel Provider: If your airline, cruise, or tour operator cancels or delays your trip, travel insurance can reimburse you for the non-refundable portions of your trip.

• Personal Liability: This coverage can protect you in case you accidentally cause damage to someone else's property or injure another person while on your trip.

• Adventure or Specialized Coverage: Some policies offer specialized coverage for activities like adventure sports or hazardous travel destinations. If you plan on engaging in such activities, you may need additional coverage.

In addition, some insurance providers offer:

• Cancel For Any Reason Coverage: this type of insurance is valuable for travellers who want more flexibility, are unsure about their travel plans and are willing to pay the higher premium (anywhere from 10% to 50% of the base policy premium)

for added peace of mind. As its name implies, it's especially useful when you want the option to cancel your trip for any reason (e.g. your pet is sick, you need to work, you don’t feel comfortable traveling alone anymore, or you simply changed

your mind). This insurance typically does not reimburse you for 100% of your trip costs. Instead, it usually covers a percentage of your non-refundable trip expenses, often around 50% to 75%. The exact percentage can vary depending

on the insurance provider and the policy.

To join our trips, it is compulsory to have Travel Insurance with medical coverage, including evacuation and repatriation coverage, personal injury and all forms of medical expense. Although not compulsory, we highly suggest that you include cancellation, interruption, and baggage and personal effects coverage in your Travel Insurance as well. At Locas Only, we will always suggest purchasing the most comprehensive coverage, as we like to be on the safe side but, at the end of the day, it is you who will decide what type of Travel Insurance is best suited to your needs.

Generally speaking, we advise that you purchase your Travel Insurance as soon as you make your first payment (deposit) for the trip. This ensures that you are covered from the very beginning, even for trip cancellation reasons that might arise before your departure. If you have to cancel your trip for a covered reason, you can typically get reimbursed for non-refundable trip expenses. If you're a frequent traveller, it might be more cost-effective to purchase an annual or multi-trip travel insurance policy. These policies cover multiple trips throughout the year, so you don't need to buy insurance for each individual trip.

The question here really is... why wouldn’t you need it?

If we all lived in an ideal world where no illness took place, where no wars and political unrest existed, where no human would lie, steal or even make a simple human mistake, where we could see into the future and predict everything that would happen... That’s the world where you could go through your life and off around the world without needing to have any sort of protection, reliability or insurance.

But we don’t live in such a world. Our world is getting more loco as the days go by (and so are we!) and, to be honest, we don’t even know what to expect of tomorrow. After all... could anyone predict the appearance of Covid-19 and the crazy effect it had all around the world?! We sure did not...

Investing in Travel Insurance is one of the smartest decisions you will make - especially if you LOVE to travel, just as we do! It will save you money, time and stress in the long term, and it will definitely be a great asset to have under your belt in case of an emergency or an unexpected negative event.

As long as you are being truthful and honest about your medical condition at the time of answering the medical questionnaire provided by the insurer, there is no reason at all why you wouldn’t be able to purchase Travel Insurance in this case. Medical conditions include chronic illnesses, past surgeries, ongoing treatments, and any medical conditions for which you've received medical advice, tests, or medication. Disclosing this information can help the insurance company assess the risk and determine the terms of your coverage (this can cost a bit more, but it will assure that you are properly covered!).

Same as above, you will have to fill out a medical questionnaire and declare any pre-existing medical conditions. Depending on your situation, the price of your insurance will most likely be slightly higher than that of people who are under 60 years old.

If for whatever reason you can’t join us anymore (bummer!), we will abide by Locas Only Cancellation & Refund Policy which you can find here. Depending on how close to the departure you are cancelling, we will assess which portion, if any, of your payment is refundable and will proceed with the according refund or credit.

For aspects of the trip that are non-refundable, we can happily issue, upon request, an official document with a summary of the cancelled aspects of the trip that you can submit to your Travel Insurance provider as evidence towards any additional claims. The same applies for your airfares: a part of it may be refundable and the rest you can file for a claim through your Travel Insurance.

Filing a claim through your travel insurance is a straightforward process, but it can vary slightly depending on your insurance provider and the type of coverage you have. On a general note, these are the steps you will need to follow to file a claim:

1. Contact Your Travel Insurance Provider: Notify your travel insurance provider as soon as possible after the event or incident that requires a claim has occurred.

2. Obtain a Claim Form: Your insurance company will typically provide you with a claim form, which you may need to download from their website or request from your insurance agent.

3. Complete the Claim Form: Fill out the claim form carefully and accurately. Be sure to include all the required information, such as your policy number, contact information, and details about the event, including the date, location, and circumstances.

4. Gather Supporting Documents: Collect all the necessary documents to support your claim. These may include:

a. Original receipts and invoices for expenses related to your claim (e.g., medical bills, travel reservations, accommodation costs).

b. Proof of the event or loss (e.g., police reports for theft, medical records for illness or injury, travel itinerary).

c. Copies of your travel insurance policy and any related documents.

5. Submit the Claim Form and Documents.

6. Follow up with your insurance provider to ensure they have received your documentation and to check on the status of your claim.

7. Once your claim has been processed and approved, your insurance provider will make a settlement offer. Carefully review the offer to ensure it accurately reflects the coverage provided by your policy and covers the expenses you incurred.

8. Dispute Resolution: If you have concerns or disagree with the settlement offer, contact your insurance provider to discuss your concerns and seek further review or clarification.

9. Record Keeping: Maintain a record of all communications and documents related to your claim, including emails, claim forms, and settlement offers.

The cost of travel insurance can vary widely depending on a variety of factors such as coverage type, trip cost, trip duration, destination, age and health, deductible payments, provider, add-ons, etc. For example, people with pre-existing medical conditions or people over 60 years old are more likely to pay a higher premium for their insurance. While all these factors can affect the cost of the Travel Insurance, the general rule is that an all-inclusive package will cost approximately 5%-10% of the cost of your trip.

A lot of customers have Travel Insurance thanks to their credit cards. Although we find this to be amazing and of extreme use, it is important to take the time to read through the fine lines of the policy, as they may or may not cover for what you and your trip require. You have got to remember that Locas Only requires a Travel Insurance that covers for medical and evacuation emergencies, so it is important to check whether your credit card provides you with that specific coverage in your Travel Insurance.