While on your vacation, you crash your car and get hurt. Guess what? You’ve got to foot all the expenses yourself and because you didn’t want to get international travel insurance. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, international travel insurance is a must have if you intend to travel out of your own country. Since you’re not familiar, right about now you’re probably asking what international travel insurance is. Simply put, it is a temporary insurance policy which you buy before you leave on your trip. Typically, coverage lasts the full duration of your trip but, depending on who you’re insured with, your international travel insurance can be extended for up to 12 months.

A lot of people couldn’t be bothered with the added expense but there is always the small possibility that something can happen. A good international travel insurance policy will provide three things: good coverage at a reasonable price, readily available emergency assistance and efficient claims processing. It should also cover most circumstances. Your international travel insurance isn’t adequate if it doesn’t cover medical expenses, medical evacuation, travel cancellation and deferment costs, loss of luggage, rental vehicle expenses, death expenses, personal liability and legal expenses.

There is most often a need for international travel health insurance, to cover medical expenses. This can include hospital stays, medication and doctor’s fees. However, international travel health insurance is a godsend in more critical situations as it also covers ambulance services and emergency-related travel expenses, which is especially important in third world countries where supplies are limited and you may need to be transported to another country.

While you may not think that the cost of such international travel health insurance coverage is justified for a short, weekend trip, if you’re going to be hiking through malaria infested forests over those two days, you might want to think again. Use your discretion. It’s much better to be prepared for a possible emergency than to fall ill or get injured and not have any international travel health insurance coverage

Travel health insurance is a type of insurance which provides health insurance coverage during traveling, usually in a foreign country. In this the insured pays an amount called the premium to the travel insurance company for the coverage. The coverage usually provides coverage for medical costs incurred during travel and in some cases also covers medical evacuation.

You can find many companies that provide travel health insurance policies online, and in many cases can actually apply via an online application. You might also check with your travel agent, or with the online web site where you booked your vacation to see what options for travel health insurance they offer.

Travel health insurance plans offer far more than medical benefits. Most will also cover many expenses associated with your illness. If your condition necessitates your immediate return home, for instance, your health insurance plan may pay for whatever is medically necessary for you to make the trip safely, including equipment, first class travel, or a nurse.

If you do have to be returned home, your health insurance plan may pay for a family member or other person of your choice to travel from home to travel back home with you. They may pay for your minor children to be returned safely home if you become ill and can’t travel with them, including hiring a caretaker to see to their safety, and, if a medical emergency or other catastrophe at home requires your immediate return, your health insurance plan may cover the cost of your return home.

The cost of travel health insurance depends on the length of time that you need coverage and the age of the person being insured. Generally, a healthy adult under 30 can get medical coverage overseas for as little as $1.25 a day for up to $50,000 in expenses. Increasing that benefit maximum to $1,000,000 will cost you only $54 a month. You can check online at travel web sites and health insurance web sites to find your best deal.

When you consider what a medical emergency overseas could cost you, $54 a month is a small price to pay to be sure that your health needs will be covered while you’re on vacation.