Travel Insurance or travel assistance is a set of services offered by assistance management companies and/or insurance companies, in which a team of professionals acts 24 hours a day to solve any inconvenience that may arise during the trip. Generally, these inconveniences are usually illnesses or accidents; although many companies also offer other services such as: legal assistance, dental assistance, medicines, compensation for lost luggage, repatriation, among others.
Travel assistance services are not normally provided by insurance companies, but by travel assistance companies. When travel assistance is provided by an insurance company, it is called travel insurance.
In general, it is seen as a service, and does not constitute “insurance”; the basic difference between medical insurance and travel assistance services lies in the way coverage is provided. The products are very similar (they may vary slightly in the amount of coverage), assistance companies are not required to be insurance companies, and therefore are not regulated.
Services usually provided
The services vary according to the insurance company and the type of travel insurance to be contracted. Even so, several basic services can be identified:
- Medical expenses due to illness or accident
- Medical expenses for sports accidents
- Medications and dentistry
- Health transfers
- Repatriation of health and remains
- Compensation for loss of baggage
- Legal assistance
In Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Russia, China, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, among other countries, it is mandatory to have travel insurance in order to enter. The European Union requires a mandatory travel insurance called Schengen Insurance, which includes a basic coverage of 30,000 euros and health repatriation.The European Union requires a travel insurance called Schengen Insurance.
