South America Travel Insurance

Do you want to insure the cost of your trip, flights and hotels you already paid for, or do you want medical insurance, which is what most want.

Insurance is based on risk, meaning your age, the country/region you are going, and past medical issues.

So, most good travel insurance you can cover part or all of your travel expenses if you pre paid for them, just keep in mind the higher the amount you wish to insure, the higher the cost.

For Medical, which is most important IMO, you want Primary Insurance to cover a hospital stay/surgery etc, and you also was secondary insurance, if the country you reside covers your primary in a another country, rare but possible.

The other insurance you want with Medical, is Evacuation Insurance, this is what will be most beneficial should they need to transfer you to a good hospital in another country, region or all the way back home, as its a private medical jet with a DR and a nurse. $250K Minimum.

So, I use Squaremouth, a website broker for travel Insurance, you can list all the countries you plan to visit, the dates, and then pay with coverages.

I usually insure my air flights, say $1500.00 USD, then get Primary Insurance, usually $250K or more, and Evacuation Insurance $500K, once home, my insurance covers my medical.

For my age in the 50's, and wife in the 40's, ist usually about $100 each for 30 days...good peace of mind.

It also comes standard with Trip Interuption, Lost Baggage, Flight Delays/cancellation. Keep in mind all that these are paid via claim after the fact, you submit to be reimbursed.

The Medical is same type claims, if small, if major issue, hospitalization etc. the insurance takes over payment with the institution are are being treated at, and coordinates all medical treatment transfers etc.

UK multi-trip insurance often has trip limits. For example, it might say trips of up to 21 days and no more than 100 days a year, in which case you won't be covered for a 30-day trip. But the exact rules vary by company, so you will have to check the small print carefully. If your whole trip is covered, and it includes flight cover, the internal flights will be covered too, but again, exactly what is included varies. Cheaper policies often don't cover missed departure, or will only start paying out for delays after 48 hours. If you are planning to do anything like scuba or climbing, you'll need to check if that is included as well.

Most policies offer cover by region rather than individual countries. If you are only traveling to South America, you can get a policy that excludes the USA, which usually makes it significantly cheaper.

There's more info about the different types of policies here
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel-insurance/

I use World Nomads. They aren't the cheapest, but my situation is always complicated, and they are flexible. There are several broker sites that can help you get started. These are just a few of them:

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/travel-insurance/
https://www.comparethemarket.com/travel-insurance/
https://www.confused.com/travel-insurance
https://www.gocompare.com/travel-insurance/

You might find you can get a better quote going direct to an insurer, but the brokers are useful to give you a price range.

My insurance provider is Allianz but still everything depends on your needs. I've got a backpacker insurance plan for 60 days which covers cancellation, curtailment, delayed departure, delayed personal possessions, personal accidents etc. I'm quite satisfied with this insurance plan, but you can find yours at https://www.aardvarkcompare.com/ -- that's where I usually compare various plans
safe travels)

willchalloner426901, when you are looking for a policy, check that you are getting UK cover. If you buy a policy intended for US citizens (or any other country), you won't actually be covered.

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.