Travel Insurance Blog

In the case of a travel emergency, the often overlooked non-insurance benefit of 24/7 travel assistance is your best friend. I’d like to share with you an experience that I had in which I was able to test out travel insurance firsthand, and why I’m so grateful I purchased it.

Before a work conference in Croatia was to begin, my fellow staff members and I were enjoying a quick break from our conference duties to take a lovely walk around the walled city of Dubrovnik. As we headed back to the hotel, we gathered near the water’s edge, waiting for our water taxi. The next thing I knew, I stepped off a ledge that was hidden by a shadow, falling four feet and landing on my right hip. I could tell something wasn’t right immediately, and an ambulance was called. The reality of what had happened and what was before me began to sink in.

Hospital staff performed an X-ray and a CT scan, determining a fracture of my greater trochanter, which would require surgery. The emergency department asked if I had travel insurance. I’ve spent countless hours explaining travel insurance benefits to our members and encouraging them to purchase a travel insurance policy – and I am so thankful I took my own advice! Even before the call to my family to let them know what was going on, I called the number listed on the policy for On Call International (OCI), the provider of the 24/7 Emergency Travel Services plan that is included with the policy. From my smartphone, I was easily able to send them the email confirmation that I received when I purchased the policy. That was exactly what they needed, and from that point onwards, they took care of everything for me.

As my week-long hospital stay progressed, it was determined that I would not need surgery after all. Physical therapists had me using a walker 3 times a day but it was very painful and still very hard to even sit up. Further x-rays showed I could be discharged from the hospital as soon as I had plans in place to get home. Thankfully, the hospital had been in communication with the folks at OCI and they were arranging for a nurse to fly to Croatia from the US to accompany me home. This was a benefit available to me according to the policy I had purchased. My liaison with OCI kept me informed every step of the way. My assigned US nurse, Dianna, would leave the US on Saturday and arrive in Dubrovnik on Sunday evening. We were booked on a 7:45 a.m. flight on Monday morning, which was a quick turnaround for Dianna I was nervous about the fact that she wasn’t arriving until almost 9:00 p.m. on Sunday and we needed to leave the hospital by 4:30 a.m. to get to the airport in time. Where would we find a taxi at that hour?! I had nothing to worry about. On Call International had arranged for a taxi, and Dianna had already been in touch with them.

On Call International had also booked flights for me and the nurse through Frankfurt and Paris in business class, necessary because of my limited mobility. Dianna advocated for me along the way, standing firm when TSA wanted me to walk through the scanner and convincing the mobility assistant in Frankfurt that taking me on an escalator because of construction was NOT going to work. I still shudder imagining me, in a wheelchair, being tilted backwards on an escalator!

Due to the layout and logistics in Charles de Gaulle airport and needing help from their Mobility Assistance Team, we missed our flight. No problem! Air France put us in a hotel, and again, I was so grateful to have my nurse with me. I definitely couldn’t have done it alone, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with a family member helping me.

OCI had arranged for a driver to pick us up at the Atlanta airport on Monday when our flight was supposed to arrive, but once again, I had nothing to worry about because Dianna was in touch with him and let him know we had missed our flight. And just like clockwork, the car was waiting for us when we exited the airport on Tuesday evening. Dianna accompanied me all the way to my house, got me settled comfortably, and then headed to her hotel, where she would spend the night before flying home the next day.

Most travel insurance policies are considered secondary policies in that they cover anything that your primary insurance doesn’t cover. In my case, I was able to email a copy of my health insurance card to my case worker at On Call International, and they were able to verify that I did not have coverage while traveling out of the country. Therefore, OCI was able to guarantee payment to the hospital from my insurance policy, and the only thing I paid for was a walker to bring home with me. I didn’t pay for the ambulance transport, any of the X-rays or CT scans, or for any of the 7 nights I spent in the hospital. I also didn’t pay anything out of pocket to fly home business class accompanied by a nurse.

In addition to being secondary policies, travel insurance policies are often referred to as “pay and submit” policies. You pay for your medical care or travel emergency, and then submit receipts for reimbursement. That’s another important point – always ask for receipts and reports from the doctor who treats you. I forgot to get a receipt for the walker I purchased, so I wasn’t able to submit a claim for reimbursement. Forty-three Euros was a small price to pay, considering everything else.

So, what are my takeaways from this experience?

• Accidents can (and do) happen.
• It’s important to have a smartphone that has an international data and calling plan activated when traveling.
• The “24/7 Travel Assistance Services” is a benefit that is often overlooked and could be the most important benefit there is.
• Always ask for receipts, proof of payment, and medical or accident reports.
• Never travel without travel insurance!