Best Travel Insurance for Volunteer Work–HINT, It’s Volunteer Card
If you’ve traveled overseas for years, months, weeks, or days—you know travel insurance is an important topic! There is a wide range of coverages you could need, and it all depends on your travel style. Are you doing volunteer travel? Are you traveling for over six months–then you’ll need a long-term policy. Maybe you’re planning a short-term volunteer trip? Considering a specialized insurance provider in volunteer travel, like Volunteer Card is essential in getting the coverage you need.
One thing you have to keep in mind is most specialized insurance companies sell custom policies that are underwritten by another insurance company. This is extremely beneficial because companies like Volunteer Card can offer options designed for niche travelers, such as their volunteer travel insurance. Not only do you get a policy designed to fit your travel style, but you also have the added benefit of a third-party that will advocate for you if you end up needing to file a claim.
Travel insurance for volunteers
If you’ve traveled before or have volunteered abroad before, you’ll notice there are plenty of different volunteer travel insurance options for you and your team. Before you purchase a policy from any travel insurance company, you may want to consider these general facts about travel insurance:
What to know about travel insurance for volunteers:
MOST if not all travel insurance companies do not cover you at your destination unless you intend to return home. In other words, you cannot use “travel insurance” if your intention is to stay to live rather than to travel. That’s the purpose of travel insurance, to temporarily cover you while traveling abroad. You don’t exactly need your return flight booked, but you must intend to return home to your permanent residence to use travel insurance.
Your current health insurance plan probably doesn’t cover you abroad–that’s why you’ll want travel insurance with health and medical evacuation coverage.
Pre-existing conditions are typically not covered by travel insurance policies. What are pre-existing conditions? Basically, if you have an ongoing health issue, make sure to check with your insurance provider before you purchase to make sure you get the coverage you need.
Extreme sports are generally not covered in a general insurance policy. If you do intend to do some extreme sports while you’re abroad, consider Volunteer Card’s 365 Sport Plan.
Travel hiccups: Ideally, you’ll be grateful to have travel insurance if any of these situations happen during your travels:
- Your flight is delayed so you miss your next one,
- A terrorist attack happens in the city you’re in and you need to be evacuated,
- You or your traveling companion has a medical accident in a remote location
- The airline lost your baggage, or you lose your passport.
These situations, although they are not always common, they are directly impactful with whether you purchase travel insurance or not. Check out these 8 situations where it pays to have travel insurance.
What to keep track of IF you have to file a claim:
1. Document your valuables
The best way to make sure you get covered for lost or stolen items is to:
- Prove that you bought/own the item
- Save receipts from your purchase for proof of ownership
- Take a picture of valuables before you leave to prove you took them with you
- If your item was stolen, keep a copy of the official police report
2. Document your illness
If you are ill while traveling, call your 24/7 assistance provider ASAP! They will help you find the best providers in the region you are staying in. It’s important to call your insurance company, because your treatment may not be covered if the insurance company is not involved. Keep track of all your paperwork and receipts from this treatment!
3. Follow the host country’s local laws
This is incredibly important and will make your claims process much smoother! For instance, if you drive a motorbike in Thailand, but are not licensed to drive the vehicle on your own country, then you can bet you won’t be covered by your insurance in case of an accident.
Buy a card, give a meal with Volunteer Card
You’re making a difference abroad, and your insurance policy can make a difference at home.
One of the many benefits of Volunteer Card is our social mission. With every card you purchase, you provide a meal to a child in need in Southeast Asia through our in-house nonprofit, Venture. Venture meets the basic needs of refugees and trafficked/risk of being trafficked villages with meals, water, shelter, education, and much more.
In addition to giving a meal with every insurance card you buy, Volunteer Card is part of Venture Basecamp. Venture Basecamp is a group of businesses who cover the admin of Venture so when people donate to Venture, 100% of the donation goes straight to the projects and programs–not overhead, administration costs.
The US Ambassador to World Hungar Issues, Congressman Tony Hall DOES endorse Venture:
“I enthusiastically endorse the work of Venture. Their proven ability to get food to the Myanmar refugees is both unique and urgently needed.” – Ambassador Tony Hall
Venture was also featured on CNN True Heroes.
Distinguished watchdog in America, Charity Navigator, gave Venture a top rating of 4 stars putting Venture in the top 1% of ALL charities in the nation for fiscal accountability and transparency.
Ready to buy your travel insurance plan? Compare the insurance policies at Volunteer Card, starting as low as $29!
