I have quit my job and will be traveling throughout 2015 in Australia, New Zealand, SE Asia, UK, Spain, and then heading down to Africa. I will be getting travel insurance, but I am struggling with whether I should sign up for health insurance in the US and pay for that when I am not even going to be in the US.
Would love any thoughts on the matter!
Generally people buy travel insurance when they travel. Why would you want insurance in your own country when you're not going to be there?
Hey, I have been wondering the same thing lately. I am going to quit my job to travel soon in March. One option is COBRA from my existing job, but this is very expensive.
It is also possible to get and renew short term health insurance which is MUCH cheaper, yet doesn't cover anything out of the country. This theoretically shouldn't matter since I will get travel insurance anyway, but I would feel much more secure with the same insurance I have now, which I could get with COBRA. The short term health insurance plans are pretty much only for emergency care and require higher deductibles etc.
Any thoughts?
As #1 said, what you need is travel insurance that covers at least medical (emergency) care while you're abroad and repatriation to the US in case of serious illness or worse.
Optional coverage includes adventure sports (read the policy carefully, even relatively risk-free activities may be classified as "adventure sports" and excluded from coverage), loss or theft of your belongings (not worth it if the additional premium is on the same level as the costs for replacing any lost or stolen items) and cancellation of transportation, accommodation etc (IMO not really worth the extra premium as long as you don't book a lot of non-refundable flights and hotel rooms in advance).
Hello there, I've also posted a question about health insurance on the road, except I have a pre-existing condition and am unsure of how to best handle it. I have come across something called health insurance for travelers and expatriates via GeoBlue (under the Blue Shield wing). https://geobluetravelinsurance.com/
A lot of travel insurance includes issues when your family member dies and you need to visit home, or if you die outside of the US, your remains can be transported home, some medical coverage while traveling (lots of stringent requirements in order to file a claim and get reimbursed). I'm guessing the best method is to check head into clinics, but I have not embarked my RTW trip yet and am still looking for information. Maybe someone can shed some light here.
I have signed up with the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (www.iamat.org) and they send a booklet with a of clicnics/hospitals that offer medical care.
Boots n All www.bootsnall.com/travel-insurance/travel-medical-insurance.html offers Travel Medical Insurance and have a few plans to pick from, but I have not used any, so cannot provide commentary on it.
Hope this helps somewhat!
Would you mind sharing which travel insurance plan you picked?