You’re about to go on your first trip overseas! You’re excited. You’re a little anxious. Well, to be totally honest, you’re freaking out.

First, take a deep breath. Then, buy travel insurance. Here are a few tips to help you protect your big adventure.

The #1 reason to buy travel insurance for an international trip: medical emergencies.

Many travelers think that insurance just reimburses you for lost luggage and trip cancellations. While travel insurance can help in those situations, it’s far more important to have insurance in case of medical emergencies.

Wait— isn’t medical care overseas free for tourists? In some countries, visitors can access the public health care system. But in most, you’ll have to pay out of pocket for care you receive in an emergency. Some medical providers won’t even treat you unless you pay in advance. Your American health insurance card will not be accepted overseas. That includes Medicare, which does not provide coverage when you’re traveling outside of the United States.¹

Travel insurance with emergency medical and dental benefits can reimburse or even pay in advance for your care following a covered medical or dental emergency that occurs during your trip. Emergency transportation benefits can cover the enormous costs of a medical evacuation, if you need to be airlifted to a hospital.

The best time to buy travel insurance is right after booking your trip.

Why? The earlier you purchase insurance, the sooner you’ll be protected. If you wait until something happens to disrupt your plans, it’ll be too late to buy it.

Also, you must purchase your plan within 14 days of making your first trip payment or first trip deposit to be eligible for the existing medical condition benefit. This benefit means that you, a traveling companion or family member can have an existing medical condition and still be eligible for all applicable benefits and assistance services. You must, however, meet certain requirements.

If you’ve already made all your travel arrangements, don’t delay! Get a quote for travel insurance right now.

You need travel insurance even if someone else paid for your trip.

True story: A couple was given a cruise vacation by their realtor after purchasing their first home. This was their first time traveling abroad; they had never been on a cruise ship before, or even seen the ocean. Because the trip was a gift, they didn’t think they needed to buy insurance.

Then, one traveler suffered an unexpected seizure and was seen by the shipboard doctor. He had to pay the cruise line more than $2,000 for his medical care before he could be evacuated to a hospital on land.²

It’s important for first-time travelers to buy insurance, even if you don’t need to protect the cost of your trip. OneTrip Emergency Medical is an affordable travel insurance plan that works really well for situations like this. It includes only post-departure benefits: emergency medical and emergency transportation, as well as benefits for travel delays, missed connections and lost, stolen or damaged baggage.

Travel insurance can help you solve problems when the U.S. embassy can’t.

It’s a common misconception that if something major goes wrong while you’re traveling overseas, you can always get help from the U.S. embassy. (The embassy is the official office of U.S. diplomats and government representatives in a foreign country.)

Embassy staff will do their best to assist American travelers, but only in certain situations. Here are a few helpful things embassy staff can do:

• Issue an emergency passport
• Provide a list of local attorneys, hospitals, or funeral homes
• Assist U.S. citizens with emergency situations
• Provide a loan (in some circumstances) to repatriate destitute U.S. citizens
• If you’re arrested or detained: visit you, advocate for your rights under local law, make sure you gave access to the prison’s healthcare system, and help you contact your family or loved ones
• If you’re the victim of a crime: help you make a police report, contact family, friends, or employers, and connect you to resources for further assistance
• Assist with evacuation in a crisis³

The U.S. embassy can’t assist you with travel, pay your bills, authorize or pay for emergency medical treatment, help you find or replace lost or stolen property (except for passports), or provide emergency transportation within the country. If you need help in a hurry, contact 24-hour assistance. Included in all Allianz Travel Insurance plans, 24-hour assistance can provide guidance and services almost anywhere in the world.

Learn more: What the U.S. Embassy Can — and Can't — Do for Travelers

First time cruising? Travel insurance is an absolute must-have.

You’re on a big, luxurious boat with all the comforts you can imagine. What could possibly go wrong?

Well… Here’s the thing about cruises: There’s not a lot of room for error. If your flight to the cruise embarkation port is delayed, you’re going to miss the ship. If you get seriously ill or injured on board, you’re going to need an expensive evacuation to the nearest hospital. And if you have to cancel your cruise at the last minute, you probably won't get any money back.

That’s why travel insurance for cruises is key. And make sure you read the fine print! Cruise lines’ insurance plans may only give you a credit or voucher for cancellations instead of reimbursing your money. You want robust travel protection that can cover not only the cruise, but your flights, excursions, and other travel expenses.

Learn more: Travel Insurance for Cruises

Travel insurance only covers situations that are named in the plan.

My dog got sick. I caught a bad cold. My car broke down. It’s going to rain all week. My fiancé broke up with me. I’m anxious about flying for the first time.

These are all valid reasons you might decide to cancel a trip, but they are not covered reasons for trip cancellation.

Inexperienced travelers often get frustrated when their travel insurance won’t reimburse them for a canceled trip. Travel insurance can only reimburse losses that occur because of the reasons specifically listed in your plan. Also, insurance only covers situations that are unexpected and unforeseen. If you buy insurance after a hurricane is forecasted to strike your destination, for instance, that storm wouldn’t be a covered reason for canceling your trip.

Our best advice for anyone taking their first international trip: Before you go, read through your plan documents. That way, you’ll understand exactly when and how you’re protected! And if you’re worried you might have to cancel for a non-covered reason, consider getting the Cancel Anytime upgrade. This optional add-on can reimburse up to 80% of lost non-refundable trip costs if you cancel your trip for almost any unforeseeable reason your plan does not already cover.

In order to get reimbursed by travel insurance, you need to file a claim.

Filing a claim means sending us proof of the covered loss you experienced. It’s not enough to simply tell us what happened, or submit a single credit card receipt. Send everything you can find that documents what happened: invoices, medical bills, doctor’s notes, photographs, emails from your travel carrier, etc. Here’s a list of required documentation.

Don’t stress! We make filing a claim as easy as possible, even if you’re a first-time traveler. You can do it on our website or on your phone with the free Allyz TravelSmart app. For help, you can call Allianz Travel Insurance claim representatives 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-888-497-6992.

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