What is Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance compensates covered, unforeseen travel costs, assists you in case of an overseas emergency, and protects your prepaid travel costs. So what is travel insurance?
- Compensation for emergency travel costs
- Assistance during travel emergencies
- Protection for money already paid toward travel
Volunteer Card offers exclusive travel insurance policies for volunteers and nonprofits traveling internationally. If you’re a traveling volunteer, you can compare our travel insurance plans here.
How Does Travel Insurance Work for Volunteer Travel?
Travel insurance works to protect you and your financial investments toward travel costs. Travel insurance will cover unexpected travel emergencies including:
- Accidental Injuries
- Medical Emergencies
- Emergency Evacuations
- Baggage Loss
- Trip Delays
- …and more!
➡ Check out when it really pays to have travel insurance.
When would I use Travel Insurance?
You can activate the monetary benefits of your travel insurance policy if two things happen:
- A covered, unforeseen emergency occurs, and
- You file a claim
Filing a claim allows the travel insurance provider to investigate the travel emergency and confirm the incident is covered. Volunteer Card makes filing a claim as simple as possible with their online form.
Your travel insurance policy also provides access to 24/7 travel assistance. Volunteer Card connects you with a real person who can help during a travel emergency.
Advice from Travel Insurance Experts
✅ Read your description of coverage (DOC)
If you want to ensure you get the most use of your travel insurance policy, it’s best to understand exactly what it covers–and what it doesn’t. Each plan comes with a complete description of coverage to explain insurance terms and caveats.
✅ Take proactive steps in case you need to file a claim
If you need to use your travel insurance by filing a claim, you can take proactive steps to make the process as smooth as possible. Check out these tips for filing a claim.
Travel Insurance is NOT
A replacement for primary health insurance.
Most travel insurance policies act as a secondary health insurance policy. It compliments and compensates in the areas your standard health insurance wouldn’t otherwise cover if you got sick or injured while traveling abroad.
An add-on travel expense.
Travel insurance is more than an optional check-box when booking airfare. This small, upfront cost could save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in unforeseen travel costs if you experience an overseas emergency.
An immediate, money back guarantee for any travel expense.
Travel insurance will only compensate covered reasons up to a certain dollar amount, as listed in the description of coverage.
A trip cancellation refund
If you’re interested in trip cancellation coverage, you must add on Trip Cancellation and Interruption coverage to your basic, plus, or premium travel insurance policy. This additional coverage costs 5% of your total trip costs. Learn more.
As complicated as it sounds.
The description of coverage will lay out your coverage completely. If you take time to read it, you’ll know exactly how you’re covered. If at any point you have any questions about your description of coverage, you can contact our customer care team, and they will address your questions as quickly and concisely as possible.
