Benefits of Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is the one thing you shouldn't consider travelling without. It should be right at the top of your 'to do list' when arranging your holiday. Failing to be sufficiently covered by travel insurance could potentially cost you thousands of pounds in medical expenses and untold stress.

It's a relatively simple thing to arrange and with a bit of searching it needn't be that expensive. There are a number of different types of cover available:

• Annual or Single

This is fairly self-explanatory; single-trip travel insurance will cover you for one specific holiday; annual travel insurance will cover you for several holidays over the course of a year. So, if you're planning on having a number of holidays in one year it's wise to opt for annual travel insurance. You can make quite large savings in comparison to booking single-trip cover each time you travel.

• Family Travel Insurance

This policy will allow you to insure both parents and children together. They avoid the hassle of taking out individual policies for each person and they are a great way of saving money, especially if you have a large family.

Family travel insurance can start from a little as £50. It's important to check the policy terms carefully to make sure it meets the needs of your family.

• Backpackers Travel Insurance

Backpackers or gap year travel insurance specifically caters for those who intend to travel for longer periods of time. They offer special features, with some companies covering most sports activities at no extra cost and also discounts for couples. They normally offer insurance that will cover you for up to 18 months but some companies have age restrictions. If you fall outside the age barrier, then you could opt for long stay insurance, with some companies offering holiday insurance that covers you for up to 2 years.

• Business Travel Insurance

Business travel insurance caters for the needs of those who travel regularly with work and is generally only available as an annual policy. Office related equipment such as PDAs and laptops are covered with some policies also covering sports equipment such as golf clubs.

Student Health Insurance From ISO

International students who visit USA for pursuing their studies had always faced a serious problem in dealing with medical emergencies. Medical treatment in USA is one of the most expensive in the world. Most of the international students who come here for studies are on shoe-string budgets and medical emergencies can be absolutely crippling.

Student health insurance program

And who will understand the difficulties of students if not students themselves? International Student Organization, established in 1958, has taken a proactive step and organized an affordable student health insurance program in collaboration with leading private health insurance providers. There are two plans, COMPASS and ISO. Both plans are open for international students as well as visiting scholars and faculty members.

Both student health insurance plans provide comprehensive coverage and benefits to the members in case of injuries and illnesses including medical evacuation and repatriation, if needed. This is a truly magnificent self-help program organized by the ISO which is commendable.