Having the right travel insurance protects you in case of medical emergencies and other troubles that a traveler may encounter. Learn more about the difference between a medical and a travel policy

An insurance policy is a guarantee of your safety and peaceful stay outside your home country

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Health insurance is mandatory for everyone who plans to travel abroad. There are two types of policies: international medical and travel insurance. The difference between these two types of insurance can cause enough confusion for travelers. Sometimes not understanding the difference can lead to you taking out the wrong policy and incurring additional costs while abroad.

What is the difference between a medical policy and a travel policy? Read in detail in our material.

The main difference between health and travel insurance

The main difference between travel insurance and international health insurance is as follows:

• You take out travel insurance if you go abroad on holiday, on a business trip or on any other trip that will last less than six months. Travel insurance covers emergency medical care and other accidents that may occur during a trip (loss of luggage, flight delay, etc.).

• Take out health insurance if you are moving to another country for work, study or plan to spend most of your time abroad. International medical insurance is long-term and covers most medical expenses you may incur while abroad, but does not cover trip interruptions.

Travel medical insurance

Travel medical insurance is designed to help with medical emergencies abroad and to protect you against unexpected financial losses while traveling, such as trip disruption or damage/loss of personal belongings.

Travel insurance usually covers:

Emergency medical care - medical assistance in case of illness, emergency medical care, inpatient treatment, burns, poisoning, emergency dental care and other accidents.

Medical evacuation – if you are involved in a serious accident or become seriously ill while on holiday, travel insurance will pay for your evacuation back to your country of residence or to another hospital that is better equipped to deal with the consequences of an emergency.

Trip interruption - compensation for part of the expenses, for example, the cost of flights, hotel reservations, if you have to cancel the trip unexpectedly.

Flight delay – in the event of a flight delay of several hours, travel insurance compensates for food and accommodation expenses.

Personal effects – travel insurance will cover some of the losses if your luggage, passport or other important items are lost, damaged or stolen.

Personal liability – if your actions cause damage to another person or property, travel insurance will cover these costs.

Features of travel insurance

Duration of travel insurance. Usually, the validity period of the travel insurance policy does not exceed six months. You can also take out an annual plan if you travel a lot, but the coverage is limited to a certain number of days per trip.

Geographical location. When taking out travel insurance, the traveler must choose a specific country or region where he plans to travel, for example, Europe, Australia, etc.

International medical insurance

International health insurance covers medical care for people living outside their country. It works similar to the health insurance that many people have in their home country, except that its coverage is international.

Most international health insurance policies usually cover: inpatient treatment (hospitalization, surgery, intensive care unit stay, anesthesia, laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.), outpatient treatment (doctor or specialist visits, psychiatrist visits, emergency care, etc.), prescription drugs , dental care, maternity, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, treatment of chronic diseases, evacuation and reparation. This type of insurance does not cover trip interruption, flight delay, loss of personal belongings, etc.

You can take out medical insurance for the entire period of your stay abroad. You can pay and continue health insurance monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually.

International medical insurance is valid worldwide - this means that even if you change several countries, you will be able to receive compensation for medical care based on the insurance policy.

Visit World offers various travel and international health insurance packages. Go to the "Products" section and choose the most appropriate insurance policy for your trip.

Products from Visit World for a comfortable trip:

Medical insurance all over the world;

Legal advice from a local specialist on visa and migration issues (to receive the service, select the country of interest and citizenship).

European Health Insurance Card. Read here how to get preferential medical care in the EU countries.

How to choose health insurance: step-by-step instructions.

Health insurance abroad: find answers to the most common questions here.

Travel insurance: 8 useful tips for travelers and expats can be found here.

5 important travel insurance services you may need.