Can I Buy Travel Insurance After Departure?

Ideally, if you’re going on a trip, you should purchase travel insurance right before you leave. However, it is perfectly understandable that for some people, this might not be that case. There are many travelers who ask whether they can purchase travel insurance after departure. This might happen when your travel insurance has run out because you have overstayed in a certain place, your policy has expired, or you just forgot to take out travel insurance.

If you’re already abroad and you decide to buy insurance, you can still get coverage. Look for a reputable insurance company that offers an Already Traveling Policy. The good news is that some insurance companies are already offering this to travelers.

There are certain conditions for getting this type of travel insurance. Leading travel insurers provide this type of coverage subject to certain conditions. If you are under 65 years of age, you should not exceed 18 months outside of your country of residence. If you’re between 66 to 74 years of age, you should not exceed 6 months outside of your country of residence. You can also get this type of insurance when no claims or any occurrence leading to a claim has previously happened. Here’s an example of the latter scenario: If you lost your laptop yesterday, you are not allowed to take out this type of insurance and make a claim for it.

What coverage will you actually get when you get an Already Traveling policy?

• 24/7 emergency medical assistance

If you fall ill or get injured, you can get emergency medical assistance 24/7, 365 days a year. Just call the emergency hotline provided in your policy. This also covers medical expenses and emergency medical transportation.

• Coverage for adventure activities

There is standard coverage for adventure activities specified in the policy. Make sure that you read what types of activities are covered and that you understand the terms and conditions.

• Valuables

You can get this extension option to your Already Traveling policy. You can get protection for your belongings while you travel including your bags, technology gear, jewelry items, and important travel documents.

Obviously, pre-trip cancellation is not covered in this type of insurance. This is because you have already left your home country. We feel that we need to stress this because some travelers still ask this question even though the insurance is especially meant for people who are already traveling.

Buying travel insurance after departure is possible. You can still get the coverage that you need as a traveler. This is a convenient way to get travel insurance while you’re already traveling. You need to remember, though that if you purchase a policy while traveling, waiting periods and certain conditions do apply. Many travel insurance companies have 36-hours before full coverage can apply after the policy has been purchased. However, some policies provide coverage straightaway. Check the policy and make sure that you know when coverage is applied.