Senior Citizen Travel Insurance - Travel Insurance for Over 70 and Other Age Groups

Don't we all dream of going for a long vacation after retirement? Isn't it a common sight for tourist spots all over the world to be flocked by elderly people, most of them senior citizens? We all deserve a nice vacation especially after long years of work. Some people may call it enjoying the fruits of hard labour.

One important thing to know about travel is not just the destination, the sights, the food or the souvenirs, but the safety of the travelers. Travel accidents, emergencies and mishaps can happen, and as travelers, it is important to know that there is travel insurance for all of us. For this article, we will focus on senior citizen travel insurance, the different travel insurance policies for different age groups, common insurance coverages, popular travel insurance providers, and at the latter part of the article, there are tips about anything and everything about travel insurance that you should know.

What is Travel Insurance?

Travel insurance is insurance intended to cover medical expenses and other losses incurred while traveling, specifically travel-related emergencies and expenses. Travel insurances apply both, within one's own country or internationally. Airline companies usually offer to arrange temporary travel insurance from the time you book your ticket, and this will usually cover the exact duration of your trip. However, there are more extensive and continuous insurance policies offered by travel insurance companies.

Common travel insurance coverages are: medical expenses, accidental death or injury, overseas funeral expenses, delayed departure, loss/theft or damage to personal belongings while traveling, delayed baggage, legal assistance and personal liability and rental car damage excess. Rates are generally lowest when you're traveling within the country or neighboring countries, and can increase when you travel across continents.

When considering your options before buying travel insurance, it is important to note that all travel insurance policies fall into three categories:

1. flexible travel insurance policies which allow you the flexibility to choose the coverage of your insurance policy
2. bundled travel insurance policies that includes baggage claim loss, medical expenses, accidental death, etc
3. custom travel insurance policies which are similar to bundled travel insurance policies, but allow you to customize the coverage depending on your needs.

Pre-existing medical conditions are usually included in most travel insurance policies, especially for those insurance packages that cover senior citizens. A pre-existing medical condition is defined as any past or current medical condition that has given rise to symptoms or for which any form of treatment or prescribed medication, medical consultation, investigation or follow-up/check-up has been required or received during the two (2) years prior to the commencement of cover under this policy and/or prior to any trip. It can also be defined as any cardiovascular or circulatory condition (e.g. heart condition, hypertension, blood clots, raised cholesterol, stroke) that has occurred at any time prior to the commencement of cover under this policy and/or prior to any trip.

Travel Insurance for Over 65s

In the United Kingdom, there are travel insurance companies like Quoteline Direct that specialize in arranging travel insurance for over 65's. For example, the Annual Multi-Trip Insurance is designed for senior citizens who want to travel out of the country on a regular basis. This type of insurance coverage is designed to protect you overseas for a year (from the date of your departure). This is regardless of how many times you want to travel abroad. This means that by arranging for this kind of insurance policy, you can travel as many times as you want and the insurance cover for each trip can extend up to 31 days.

Such policies offer the usual benefits of a travel insurance such as medical expenses, personal accidents, loss or damage to baggage, cancellation and delay of airfare, etc. If you wish to travel with the whole family and take your grandchildren with you, some policies offer free insurance coverage for grandchildren under the age of 18.

Emergency hotlines are also available 24 hours a day for your emergencies. Some policies can also cover whatever pre-existing medical condition you might have, and they usually do the simple screening process for this.

Travel Insurance for Over 70

There are travel insurance for over 70 coverages. They often offer a wide range of high quality comprehensive policies, usually at low prices. This wide range of insurance policies cover single trips, annual multi-trips, long stays, winter sports (ski insurance) and holidays (cruise insurance, backpacker insurance). There is a policy called Insure-All policy that provides coverage for single trips and annual multi-trip covers. For people not exceeding the age of 80, the coverage for pre-existing conditions have no extra charges or fees (for travel insurance for over 80 year olds, look below).

One provider for travel insurance for over 70 year old people, 1Stop Travel, provides single and annual travel insurance cover for those senior citizens with pre-existing medical conditions, a disability or a special need and they even offer travel insurance for the elderly's family and friends.

Travel Insurance without Age Concerns for Senior Citizens

You can be 65, 70, 85 or even 90 years old and you won't even have to worry which senior citizen travel insurance policy will suit you best. Unlike age-specific travel insurance policies, there are some insurance companies that provide insurance coverage no matter how old you are. You get the same insurance coverage and you don't even have to worry of paying additional fees or getting less (or more) coverage if you're older.

They offer the usual emergency medical expenses, loss of deposit and cancellation charges in case you don't make it to your holiday and coverage for special medical equipment which includes walking frames and wheelchairs. And as with most insurance companies, there are also guidelines for pre-existing conditions such as cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, HIV Aids, Stroke or any heart disease. For these pre-existing conditions, additional information will be provided by the insurance provider themselves.

Popular Travel Insurance Companies (For Senior Citizens Over 65)

Below are some of the popular travel insurance providers that can be found online that you can check. You can compare their rates and coverage policies for over 75 travel insurance (or your own given age group) in order for you to decide which one you will choose or acquire.

• Club Direct Travel Insurance – one of UK's fastest-growing travel insurance providers
• Columbus Direct Travel Insurance – aside from the usual single trips, multi-trips travel insurance package, Columbus Direct also offers backpacker coverage and adventure holiday travel insurance.
• Essential Travel – provides discounted rates for travel insurance policies.
• Insurance Choice Travel Insurance – they offer comprehensive coverages and keen rates to protect travelers.
• InsuranceBookers.com Travel Insurance – provides simple insurance products for easy comprehension of the customers
• Insure and Go Travel Insurance – provides instant online quotes and purchases.
• Insure For All – promises low cost and high quality travel insurance policies (single trips, multi-trips and annual policies)
• InsureFor.com – provides easy online travel insurance for UK residents with their easy-to-use systems for product/policy reviews. You can also buy you choice of insurance policies in minutes.
• Money Supermarket Travel Insurance – provides comprehensive comparisons of travel insurance quotations, policies and coverage. This is usually helpful for people who are still undecided and who want to get the most out of their insurance policy.
• Staysure Travel Insurance – provides insurance policies to cover travelers with the most medical conditions.

Tips: Anything and Everything About Senior Citizen Travel Insurance

1. Consider your options and know what other insurance companies offer before you make a decision. Consider their rates, insurance coverage and policies.

2. Buy insurance policies according to your travel needs and plans. You don't want to acquire the multi-trip insurance policy if you're planning to travel only once a year, do you?

3. Also take into consideration the benefits of each insurance policy. This way, you can be sure that it's all worth your money. Be cautious of vague statements because this might cause a misunderstanding in the future. Be sure that you understand everything.

4. If you want to travel with your whole family, check out if your insurance company provides insurance packages intended for family travel. These are usually cheaper and they cater to the needs of the family. Multi-trip and annual travel insurance usually offer the best deals for family travel.

5. Check your existing insurance policies to see if there might cover anything related to your travel. This way, you can opt not to purchase a separate travel insurance.

6. Consider the age limits of your insurance policy. Most insurance policies are based on statistical risk calculations that's why they usually have an age limit. There are some travel insurance policies with no age limit at all, but be sure to compare notes, because there might be a higher rate somewhere that can be easily overlooked. Look for the insurance policy that is best suited for you with the most affordable cover.

7. When it comes to pre-existing conditions, it is always recommended to be honest with you travel insurance provider because if you provide them with the wrong information about your health conditions, they will have the right to the cancellation of your insurance cover. Remember that it's not worth lying to a travel insurance provider about your pre-existing medical conditions just so you can get a special rate. It is important to note that most travel insurance companies have ways to ensure and check the consistency and correctness of your information.

8. There is always the risk (and the possibility) of a trip cancellation. When choosing your travel insurance policies, it is important to check the amount paid out for a cancellation. This amount should be sufficient enough to compensate you for the full cost of your planned holiday or vacation, should anything happen.

9. Most travel insurance companies offer discounts especially to senior citizens. Not only are they added incentives to potential customers, they also make the travel insurance market a lot more competitive. This is an advantage for travelers because it gives extra excitement in finding the best deals and the best discounts. However, you should keep in mind that not all things cheap are the best and most recommended. Sure, it is important to find the best discounts, but do remember that your safety and insurance as a senior citizen traveler should never be compromised.

10. Most importantly, when looking for the best travel insurance policy, keep in mind that they should provide you the protection and safety that you need in case something happens to you while you're on holiday abroad. This should take a considerable amount of time to think about. After you have chosen the appropriate policy for you and your family, then there's no need to worry. All you need to do is pack your bags and enjoy your vacation.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/craigcloutier/ / CC BY 3.0