Tips on travel insurance for your Sri Lankan holiday!

Depending on your personal situation, you may or may not need specific travel insurance when traveling to Sri Lanka. Checking if your insurance policy covers your trip to Sri Lanka is one of the basic things you must do when you have decided to take your holiday. Check if your home insurance or health insurance covers any costs that may arise due to sickness abroad (cost of treatment, cost of emergency services). The next spot to check is your credit card company. Most credit cards bear the cost or repatriation on medical grounds if this need arises. Some credit card companies bear the charge even if you did not purchase your air ticket using the credit card. Some others offer to pay a return flight to the spouse or accompanying minors.

There are however other expenses due to situations that may arise when planning a trip :

• You need to cancel your trip before you leave due to unforeseen circumstances. You want your ticket to be reimbursed.
• Your first flight arrives too late to catch the connecting flight. You need help to stay overnight and require help to book another flight.
• During your trip, your passport and other personal goods are lost or stolen. You need cash to pursue your travel.
• You lost your baggage containing jewellery and other precious items. Your airline reimburses only a fixed amount per lost luggage.
• The luggage that was lost by your airline contained medication that you need to take daily.
• Due to sudden mishaps (natural disaster, civil disorder, etc.), you need to cut short your trip.

Each of these above mentioned situations will be dealt differently by your insurance company or credit card company. You need to check with them if any or all of these situations, and many others, will be covered by them. You may in some cases want to make up for the absence of coverage and sign up for a specific insurance policy. There are many insurance policies available to travellers. Your travel agent or airline can offer you one tailor-made for your trip to Sri Lanka.

Please note that if you hire a self-driven car, you will need to check if you are insured for any mishaps that can occur to yourself, the passengers and the vehicle.

The simple act of sending to your own mail address scanned copies of your passport, visa, ID card and driver’s licence can be of great help if you lose them during your travel.

Note down your credit card number in a safe place in a jumbled fashion. Also write down the emergency number to be contacted in case of theft or loss.

In case you need money urgently and you are out of cash or have a problem using your credit card, you can use Western Union or MoneyGram to have cash wired to you from home in a matter or hours. Both have many branches all around the island.