Why Travel Insurance is Important When Flying Abroad?

With the starting of a new year in schools, children have gone busy in planning their holidays, whereas, their parents are busy in making the arrangements for the travel. Some of you are maybe going on a foreign trip with family and friends, whereas, some others are going to visit their relatives several miles away in a different city, but no matter where you go, safety is a matter of concern for all of us. This is where travel insurance comes in the picture.

But when it comes to air travel, many of us tend to take it lightly, which can be a serious problem sometimes. For example, what if you lose all your cash or luggage in a foreign country, or you get sick on your trip, then the treatment alone can cost you very dearly. This is the area, where travel insurance can be a big help and this is what we will discuss in this blog today.

Importance of travel insurance

Whenever traveling, we all spend a great deal of time and effort in planning our vacations. But often it happens that we fail to see the importance of getting a good travel insurance policy. Whatever the reasons may be, but the consequences of an attitude like this always ends up in folly. The reason why is that so, is because, in an unfamiliar city or country, travelers are more prone to illnesses and/or accidents.

And though we cannot prevent unfortunate incidents from taking place, with travel insurance, we can offer the traveler some solace in terms of monetary compensation, which can be useful for him in certain situations.

Benefits from travel insurance

Insured traveling: To begin with, travel insurance protects you against trip cancellation and interruption. For example, in case of an emergency situation arising before or during vacation, travelers have to cancel or cut short their trips. Since they have already paid for the tickets and hotel bookings, they will stand to lose a substantial amount of money. But with a travel insurance at hand, you can get the compensation for losses from trip cancellation or interruption. Additionally, the policy also covers you from any kind of baggage loss or loss of personal belongings.

Medical insurance: Travel medical insurance offers financial recovery for medical expenses that are incurred during your travel, in case of an accident or illness. With medical insurance, travelers can get reimbursement of the total money spent during medical treatment. It also covers medical evacuation, which means that the travelers do not have to pay the expenses levied on medical emergency transportation.

Other benefits: There are various types of travel insurance policies that protect you against travel delays, accidental death, tour operator default, repatriation, emergency reunion, legal expenses, dental expenses, etc. A good travel insurance policy not only ensures that you will get coverage for unforeseen losses; it also allows you to avail of a number of services that can be invaluable during times of emergency.

Why TATA AIG?

Recently launched, TATA AIG's International Travel Insurance has gained a good amount of popularity in travel insurance policies in India. The company offers an exciting range of products and services to Indians traveling to the USA, UK, Australia, and Europe as well. The company operates out of 61 offices in India with the employee strength over 2200. It offers region-specific plans that will suit your needs.

Key Benefits:

• Offers Business Class tickets on return journey for insured in case of hospitalization from accident/illness
• Cover for Trip Delay, Trip Cancellation & Interruption, Compassionate Visit, Return of Minor Child and more.
• Region-specific plans to suit your needs
• Exclusive plans for senior citizens traveling outside India

Make International Travel Stress-Free With Five Simple Insurance Policies

Some months ago, the company I used to work with, held a conference in Hyderabad. It was a major event for the company and we being part of the media division, went to cover this gala event. All our equipment including the big Macintosh units were boxed and flown to Hyderabad, where the event was happening.

When it reached Hyderabad, it was found that some of the Macintosh units were missing because of the mistake of the airline’s baggage department. However, the mistake was soon realized and the same was informed to the airline in no time. The airline took note of it and delivered the computer units after a day’s delay. Now, for our department, it was a moment of respite as we got our stuff a day before the starting off of the event, but our company, on the other hand, slapped fine on the airline for the delay caused, which in the end, was settled by the travel insurance company.

Now, had we not bought it (the Insurance) in the first place, we could not have claimed for anything even though we had lost our units. Hence whenever you fly, it is always wise to have your travel insurance. But these days, there are various types of travel insurance available in the market. In that case, how would you choose which policies are right for your trip? In this blog, we will take a look at the five types of common travel insurance that can make your worries go away.

Trip cancellation and interruption: A trip cancellation or interruption may be a result of various factors that include sickness, natural disasters, a sudden death in your family, or instability in your destination country. Therefore, it is safe to have a travel insurance, which secures you from the risk of losing 100% of the money you have invested on your travel.

Medical: The domestic health insurance covers you from all sorts of a medical emergency, however, many of these policies don't cover international travel or only cover a portion of international medical expenses. If you have a medical condition, always check if your insurance company is providing you the adequate coverage. If not, then you’ll need to buy a travel medical insurance plan.

Medical evacuation: If you are traveling to a remote area without adequate medical facilities, it's advised that you have a medical evacuation insurance handy. A policy like this can be useful for situations like transporting an injured or person with illness, to a hospital, where he can be treated or provided services that he will need for his particular condition.

Lost checked luggage: Carrying valuables while traveling can often be a risk. If you're someone who carries valuable items in your luggage, then it would be in your best of interests that you insure your baggage. Some travel medical policies offer these services already. Some credit cards also offer baggage insurance as an add-on offer/service.

Flight cancellation: If your trip is time-sensitive, and your flight gets canceled or goes out of business, or the airline goes on strike, then it is best you have flight cancellation insurance, which can cover the expenses that arise when a flight is unexpectedly canceled.

Conclusion: A good travel insurance policy not only ensures that you enjoy your trip, it also sees that you stay worry-free while enjoying your trip. And this is where TATA AIG Travel Insurance comes into the picture. A trusted name in the international travel insurance segment, we help our clients identify the best travel insurance policies that suit their needs in budget price. The benefits include:

a) Medical cover: This includes in-patient care and day care treatment up to the sum assured.

b) Optional benefits – medical cover: This includes pre-existing disease cover in life-threatening medical conditions, additional sum insured in case of an accident, maternity and other optional benefits. The cover amount can be chosen up to a specified limit.

c) Other optional benefits: The policy provides a range of 38 other optional benefits. Some of these include loss of passport, loss of checked-in baggage, personal accident, trip cancellation and interruption, identity document theft, hotel cancellation etc. The cover amount can be chosen up to a specified limit.

Self-righteousness: Main Kyu Sunu Kisi Ki

“Main Kyu Sunu Mishra Ki, Main Kisi Nahi Sunta” (Why do I give any reason to Mishra (my father’s boss) to lecture me, when I don’t listen to anyone), said my father when I suggested him to take a day off from work after he damaged the recovery of his long-standing muscle tear condition once again.

After he left for office, I went into analyzing, understanding, and seeking an explanation for his this behavior, something that made me wonder about what I had not been thinking all those years in my relationship with him, i.e., he doesn’t like to be told, preached or questioned by anyone – an attitude that takes away from a man to reason with logic, and lead him to a false sense of self-righteousness. 

That has been the whole problem in our relationship as father-son that is he is not willing to debate on the nuances of any position or decision taken in any argument.

So this article is an attempt to dwell upon how we can live in peace with a man like that?

To begin with, a self-righteous person comes from a mindset, where he thinks he is more intelligent, more wise, and more fair to anyone present in the room. As a result, the other people don’t have any right to tell, preach or question them.

Now an attitude like that can be shaped by certain incidents happened in the person’s life at a tender age that stayed with him in his sub-consciousness, which he could never question or put to test. Nevertheless, he forms opinions about people, or situations, especially when their perspectives are well-informed. But when it comes to supporting self-righteous people, they are interested only to the degree that others support their image of rightness.

And when a self-righteous person is actually out-ranked, outsmarted, or outclassed, he usually shuts down and doesn’t know what to do.

Now, to answer the question as to how would you change a self-righteous man, the answer is you can’t. Well, at least until the time the person wants to change. Now, what you can do with a person like that is that regardless of their attitude –  

• Recognize and appreciate when they have a good point;
• Focus on the task at hand and ignore the self-righteousness;
• Accept their efficacy in the team, reject the bad ideas and move on and;
• Do not be intimidated or annoyed. 

Time Travel

Like many writers, it happened to me that when today in the morning I wanted to write something, I couldn't. The paper was right under my arm, and I was fully prepared to fill it with feelings. The pen was set in rest, but the mind was all wrenched.

I went up the house terrace to get into the zone where I can chew upon a thought before it can be given to writing. Sitting alone in that morning, when skies were dripping wet droplets of dew from its greying bluish hue, I was scaling the whole of roof from left, right, and center. I drew a chair and sat with a notebook on my lap. I was looking to latch on something... like an idea. Like a thought worth paying attention to, an inspiration worth writing about. Something with which I can satisfy myself. But I found nothing.

I wanted to come out of this dilemma. The dilemma of this hazy dullness of displeasure, where I am constantly looking in the search for a subject.

So, I brought out my scooter and drove around to see something worth inspiring. I drove on roads I've never driven before. But none of it added to the cause. 

At last, I came down to a park; let out my slippers and walked barefoot on the wet untrimmed grass and then in the muddy unearthed soil, which perhaps was dug by dogs. I sat on a bench and saw the skyline, which was absolutely clear, shining. The clouds were grey from water they were carrying. The weather was such lazy and romantic that it reminded me of my childhood days, when I would go to visit my Nani and Mama-Maami in Chaubatia, Ranikhet, in summers for holidays with my mother and brother. In that moment, images came out running from a celluloid and awakened the wonder-child in me.

I was seeing my younger-self gaping from heights of the mountains to their very trench, while the bus is crisscrossing with other automobiles to get through the narrow cuts-and-passages of the highways. Standing there, one thing led to the other and a whole motion picture started running about things like how my brother and I would fight for the window seat to catch a glimpse of a crispy early morning in the roadside forest, or of the clouds hovering below us as the bus would go further upward. 

On these roads, sometimes the bus would stop before these temples to pay their respect and to seek blessings from the gods for a safe journey. During these stoppages, generally a pujari (priest) would embark the bus carrying vermilion and holy fire in a plate. This resembled a gesture of good fortune or blessings for the safe journey. In monsoon, a variety of drums and instruments were used in praying seasons to keep the gods happy.

All these memories brought me back in time and all of it happened just by going to a park. Wonderful, isn't it? And in the end, I had an excellent piece.

Open your eyes of wonder

Two weeks after my trip to Agra, this time I was heading to Uttarakhand - a land where my parents and their ancestors were born. The train in which I was traveling, a thought catches me and SWOOSH... I was thinking - how wonderful is this thought of realizing the universe working all around us. 

 

Modern Science explains, since Big-Bang, the Universe or the Space as we know it continues to expand to till date. And with this expansion, the galaxies and our Solar System is entering further deep into the space. In this perspective, the planet on which we exist, is like a giant sphere that has water in 3/4 portion and land in one-fourth. And whether you live on North Pole or South Pole, or located on the Equator, you never fall-off the Earth into the space. There is water that flows and wind, that blows quietly. More to wonder, from Himalayas to Grand Canyon, it has all this much, of which you and I too are a part of - move, 24x7, with the moving of planet Earth in the space. And all this time, when I, you or anyone else eat, drink and sleep, or takes a train, or does anything; the laws and forces of this planet remains undisturbed, unperturbed. But at the same time, the planet itself goes more and more deeper into the space and travel unknown to its depths. 

 

So, I was sitting in the train and I realize this one particular thing: when the whole eternity is moving in time, I am sitting in this train that runs on two parallel tracks and is considerably risky to derailment or meet with an accident especially when it's going so fast. Yet it never fall off-tracks unless any outside factors are involved.

At the same time, I ponder in awe - the Universe is expanding. We are entering deeper and deeper in the space and yet how sitting so quietly, unaware and untouched from any of this. Isn't it kind of scary and ingenious too, that we are constantly moving into the space and yet how unaware of it? That we are time traveling and yet how unknown to this? And at this point your eyes of wonder open. Every crap-natured thought we think of - i.e. ego, politics, race, religion, success or wealth - all sorts of things, disappear. Our differences disappear. Our arguments sink and appear dwarf. In that moment, I felt great of to be alive to see through this nature of truth.

A Funny Story

I was waiting at a stall to seek my share of Puchkas from the vendor, while he was busy in attending me and some other customers. So I was waiting, when a man with his wife and kid come in. As he was busy in attending us, this family stood waiting. The man had the child sitting on his shoulder and the man was singing freely, enjoying without being bothered about anyone around. And on his face, it was apparent that he is having a good time. But I did not understand what badgered the wife in something as harmless as a song that she shut-up the man with a single blow of sarcasm.

"Is it important to be a singer here?" - she said and immediately the man goes off. I, who was seeing this from a distance, burst out with laughter so hard that I almost choked on the Gol-Gappa and coughed. It was in that awkward moment I suspect, they had caught me.

However, the man then asked the child, how did you get this injury, Beta. But before the kid could answer, the woman punched the man on the hand hard enough that I heard it; and the kid responded...

Umm... Papa main gir gaya tha. (Father, I fell-off). By this time, I had paid for my plate. So I grabbed my helmet, and took-off with a sheepish grin.

COME AGAIN FOR LOVE

I was here back then, I am here still today,
In this world…
Things were changing then, things are changing now
What has changed, continues changing, even now.
As the change is the eternal law.
This grinding in the soil, the tides in the water,
Is like the part of some great design

If yesterday was a history and future is a mystery,
Why waste time in worries unnecessary.
This blow in the air, this nomadic sky, the song in the rains,

Is like a whisper, calling us together for a dance,
As bees around blossoms, or birds in the sky,
And fish in water.
They want us to come together, closer,
And become one, with the existence,
Be the existence.

I want to fly like a bird, fall like the rain,
And rise like the sun, 
I want to live without regret,
Fear or good or bad. I want to live remorseless, 
Holding hands, wrapping arms, around you. 
Will you come and live this dream with me, together?
And come again for love?