Domestic Travel Insurance

What is Domestic Travel Insurance?

Domestic Travel Insurance is an insurance policy that provides cover against any unforeseen incidents such as loss of baggage, loss of passport, trip cancellation, medical emergency, and personal liability, etc. during domestic travel.

Travel insurers provide different plans with a different set of coverage to fit the policyholder’s needs. Domestic Travel Insurance has features such as medical treatment cover, loss of travel ticket as well as emergency evacuation cost cover.

What’s Great About Domestic Travel Insurance?

Why Buy Domestic Travel Insurance?

Most people buy travel insurance when traveling abroad, but tend to ignore it when traveling within India. It's necessary to invest in a comprehensive domestic travel insurance plan to eliminate all financial risks and unwarranted medical expenses. A domestic travel insurance policy will help you ensure a pleasant and relaxing journey and stay safe against all adversaries when traveling in your home country. 

Domestic travel insurance covers medical emergencies, accidents, flight delays, cancellation, damage or loss of baggage, etc. Domestic Medical Travel Insurance comes packed with the assurance that you won't have to spend a fortune for medical treatment and hospitalization expenses in order to manage and cope with unforeseen hassles. 

Features of Domestic Travel Insurance in India

• It covers the individual policyholder
• It is available only for the people above 18 years of age and below 65 years of age
• Domestic travel insurance is a cheap and hassle-free way to be prepared for eventualities when travelling in your own country
• It provides coverage against the loss of travel tickets and passport
• The coverage is offered for a period of one year and up to the limit of sum insured
• Covers the expenses due to the delay in flight and the missed connecting flight
• Domestic travel insurance Provides coverage for all the expenses incurred on repatriation and emergency evacuation costs will be covered
• Bears the loss or damage to someone’s property, that you are liable for
• Covers the emergency medical costs and expenses for anesthetic dental treatment
• Provides complete coverage against total loss of accompanied baggage

Domestic Travel Insurance Policy Inclusions

Majorly all travel insurers provide a medical or accident cover, cancellation or delay cover, and lost or damaged baggage cover. These domestic travel insurance covers are useful especially when your flight is unduly delayed due to any reasons or when you are travelling with valuable or expensive assets in your baggage.

There are also various covers, such as covers for that particular trip, family covers, or frequent business covers available in the market Let us look at some commonly provided covers under domestic travel insurance policy:

• Medical or Accident cover

  This cover helps to deal with the expenses incurred due to medical emergencies or accidents during the trip. This domestic travel insurance cover is extremely beneficial; especially if you do not have a medical cover or have one, but with a limited cover.

• Flight cancellation or delay

  From unpredictable weather conditions to technical glitches, there can be numerous reasons for a flight delay. Along with being troublesome, it can also cause additional burden on your shoulders due to a missed connecting flight. In such circumstances, the insurer covers you against the expenses incurred due to the delay or cancellation.

• Lost baggage

  Although most of the airlines have policies to provide compensation for the lost baggage, still the loss of baggage in transit is a fear of every traveler. In such circumstances, lost baggage cover under this domestic travel insurance gives you peace of mind and a feeling of security. It goes some way in ensuring that at least the cost of your belongings is recovered; if not value.

• Personal liability

  This is a newly introduced cover that is not offered by many but some travel insurers. It provides coverage against accidental damage to a third party's property and is your liability. This type of cover is especially beneficial if you are travelling with kids.

Domestic Travel Insurance Policy Exclusions

Besides understanding what all is covered under domestic travel insurance, it is also important to know the exclusions.

Domestic travel insurance does not provide coverage for any pre-existing medical criticalities and related complications. Any form of self-inflicted illness or injury, suicide attempt, non-adherence to medical advice of the doctor, and HIV/AIDS are also not covered under the travel insurance policy. Situations arising out of an act of terrorism or war are also excluded. 

Any harm to the insured due to drugs abuse, the influence of alcohol, and voluntary participation in hazardous activities and criminal acts is also not covered under this domestic travel insurance plan.

• Non-medical expenses are not covered by domestic travel insurance.
• If the insured is traveling against his/her doctor’s advice
• If traveling for medical treatment or detected with a terminal ailment
• The accident caused due to the consumption of alcohol or drugs
• Self-initiated harm, suicide, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, mental disorder like stress, anxiety, depression etc.
• If the insured is a member of Armed Forces and has not mentioned it earlier
• If the insured is a part of any criminal activities, civil commotion, riot etc.
• Any damage happened due to the participation in adventure activities or water sport, mountaineering, bungee jumping, scuba diving, race, hang gliding etc.
• No insurance is offered for the damage due to caving, hunting, horse-riding, surfing, rafting, canoeing, underwater sports etc.

Things to Remember While Traveling in India

Travelling within the country does not make you immune to unforeseen incidents that may cause loss or damage. This is why it is recommended to purchase a domestic travel insurance plan so that you stay covered for several things like loss of baggage, flight delay, trip cancellation, etc. Also, plan ahead of your journey and purchase domestic travel insurance from the right insurer that fulfills all your requirements. Since flight delays can keep you from reaching your destination on time that can cause you some kind of loss hence there are insurers out there providing you cover for situations like this.

Important Points to Note Before Buying Domestic Travel Insurance

There are several important points to note before buying domestic travel insurance plan. They are as follows:

• Explore different domestic travel insurance plans before settling for one
• Book your domestic travel insurance before you book you flight tickets.
• Make sure that the domestic travel insurance plan provide cover for the things you require
• Make sure to inform about the pre-existing medical conditions
• Check the insurers that provide multi-trip domestic travel insurance policies
• Check the feedback of the customer online

Myths about Domestic Travel Insurance Policy

People often do not realize the necessity of domestic travel insurance and consider it as a block on their liquidity. There are many misconceptions that prevent people from investing in domestic travel insurance plans in India. 

Mentioned below are a few myth busters to make you understand the need and importance of domestic travel insurance.

• Flying Time

  People usually have a misconception about not having a need of domestic travel insurance policy if their flight duration is small. Miss happenings or emergencies do not depend upon the duration of your flight; it is just a matter of a few seconds.

  • Delay in your flight, leading to a miss of your connecting flight
  • Cancellation of your flight, leaving you troubled
  • Theft or misplacement of your baggage
  • Medical emergency while on the flight

  All of these eventualities have no relation with your flight duration. Buying domestic travel insurance is the only way to face and tackle these circumstances. An appropriate domestic travel insurance plan can be your financial support in such circumstances and save you from stress.

• Expensive Plans

  As misinterpret by most people, domestic travel insurance is not expensive. If you understand the need and benefits, it wouldn't seem expensive to you any further. The best part being, nowadays you have numerous insurers and an array of customizable plans available in the market. You can definitely choose a plan as per your requirements and affordability.

• Complicated Process

  Gone are the days when the process of buying and renewing domestic travel insurance policies was cumbersome. Most of the travel insurance companies facilitate online purchase of policies and excellent post-sales assistance as well. Apart from buying and renewing your domestic travel insurance plan online, you can also file a claim online.

• Claim Settlement

  Mostly, as a result of mis-selling domestic travel insurance plans, people face challenges in claiming the right amount when in need. To prevent the same you should:

  • Never rely blindly on the agent
  • Buy your policy online so that you can be sure about the accuracy of the information that you provide
  • Compare wisely and then buy
  • Read the domestic travel insurance policy documents carefully before investing

When Do You Need Domestic Travel Insurance Policy?

When you are planning to go on a trip within the country then you need to be insured with domestic travel insurance. The trip can be related to business, solo or family holiday, you can consider purchasing a domestic travel insurance plan. You never know what kind of unforeseen incident might take place during your trip so it is better to be insured than sorry.

Eligibility for Buying Domestic Travel Insurance Policy

Any Indian travelling within the country is eligible to buy travel insurance. Any national from another country, traveling in India or working with a permit in India can also buy domestic travel insurance plan.

The eligibility age for domestic travel insurance is usually between 18 to 65 years and varies from plan to plan. The coverage provided by the travel insurer depends upon numerous factors such as you're the destination you are travelling to, medical conditions, the duration of your trip and many more.

Buying domestic travel insurance in India is certainly a necessity; because all the while you travel you are surrounded by risk and uncertainties.

How to Claim Your Domestic Travel Insurance

You can claim your domestic travel insurance plan by following a few simple steps. Some insurance companies offer instant settlement over the phone while others may require you to fill out a claim form, produce relevant documents, witness and so on. The claim process for domestic travel insurance depends on the type of claim and how you present it. 

We advise, keep it straight to cover the payment. The best part is that with the Internet booming so fast, you can make a claim online as well as offline, i.e. by visiting your insurer's office.

Let's take the example of flight cancellation or delay. A flight delay is the most annoying situation that you may face during your travel and may lead to an extra financial burden on you as you miss the connecting flights and hotel accommodations, or sometimes, important business meets. Buying another ticket is not everyone's cup of tea all of a sudden. 

Here, domestic travel insurance comes to your rescue. The travel insurer recompenses the entire interruptions, provided you have to produce valid proof of your claim or a certificate from the airline that you were supposed to travel, validating your claim.

How Does PolicyBazaar Help You?

Buying domestic travel insurance from PolicyBazaar is beneficial:

• Compare domestic travel insurance quotes to make an ideal choice
• You can choose a domestic travel insurance plan in accordance with your key requirement
• Domestic travel insurance policy benefits and coverage can be fully transparent
• Quick comparison of various features of various domestic travel insurance plans concurrently
• Effortlessly buy the most efficient domestic travel insurance policy as per your needs
• Easy and quick online insurance shopping
• Assurance of safety and end-to-end assistance

Domestic travel insurance not only provides safety assurance in terms of finance but also provides peace of mind. PolicyBazaar provides you with a global platform to make an efficient choice and that too within your budget.