Compare & Buy Travel Insurance For 2024
Compare Quotes With Over 22 Travel Insurers
Planning a once-in-a-lifetime vacation is very exciting and a trip to South Africa can certainly fit the bill. The country offers a blend of natural wonders, wildlife exploration, bustling cities and opportunities to discover the nation’s culture and history.
With the Omicron variant of the Covid virus causing chaos around travel to South Africa, it’s more important than ever to consider travel insurance. The right travel insurance can cover expenses related to treatment for Covid and also related quarantines.
A comprehensive travel insurance plan for a trip to South Africa will include coverage for:
- Trip cancellation: To protect your investment if you need to cancel your trip
- Trip delay: To reimburse expenses associated with a delay reaching your destination
- Trip interruption: To recover expenses if you need to cut your trip short and return home (make sure it covers Covid quarantines if you are delayed in returning home because of a mandatory quarantine)
- Baggage loss: To reimburse you for misdirected bags as well as personal belongings
- Medical expenses: Coverage if you need medical attention (make sure it includes Covid coverage)
- Medical evacuation: Payments and medevac arrangements to get you to the closet adequate medical facility
Travel Insurance With Covid-19 Cover
1
Cat 70
Travel Plan
$500,000
Yes
2
HTH Worldwide
TripProtector Preferred
$500,000
Yes
3
USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services
Diamond
$500,000
Yes
See more: Best Covid Travel Insurance Companies
Protecting Your Trip Investment
A standard trip cancellation insurance policy will protect non-refundable and pre-paid trip deposits if you need to cancel your trip. To make a claim your reason for canceling must be listed in the policy. Common reasons for cancellation include a death or severe illness, family emergency, job loss, terrorist action, military deployment, severe weather or a national emergency at home or at your destination.
For example, if you booked a non-refundable hotel stay at a boutique hotel within the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, and you need to cancel your trip because of the sudden death in the immediate family, you would be able to file a claim to get reimbursed for any pre-paid costs.
Your travel insurance benefits also cover tickets to experiences you will miss. For example, if you have booked and pre-paid for access to the Two Oceans Aquarium, you could be reimbursed by your policy.
Not all reasons for canceling a trip will fall under a standard travel insurance policy. For example, if you had a fight with your travel companion and changed your mind about going, that is not a covered reason under a standard travel insurance plan.
For those who want the highest-level of flexibility when making travel decisions, consider adding “cancel for any reason” coverage. This upgrade allows you to change your mind for whatever reason, so long as you do so at least 48 hours before you are scheduled to depart. This latitude for canceling will cost you about 40% more and will typically reimburse you 50% or 75% of your trip’s cost if you cancel.
Travel Insurance With Cancel For Any Reason Cover
1
AIG Travel
Preferred & Deluxe
50% or 75%
$75,000 or $112,500
2
C&F Travel Insured
Worldwide Trip Protector Plus
75%
$75,000
3
TravelSafe
Classic
75%
$75,000
See more: Best Cancel For Any Reason Travel Insurance
Delays During a South Africa Trip
A trip to South Africa may include more than one flight from the U.S. It’s very common for American travelers to stop in London and take a connecting flight to South Africa.
Connecting flights increase your likelihood of having travel delays. If your flight takes off late from New York and you arrive four hours late in London and miss your connection to Cape Town, your travel insurance policy can provide reimbursement for any added costs.
For example, you may incur expenses because of the delay, like transportation, a hotel stay, meals and other nominal personal expenses. Most policies have a required time of delay—such as six hours—before travel delay benefits kick in. Look for a policy with a short required delay time if you want to maximize benefits.
Compare & Buy Travel Insurance
More Trip Hurdles
Although highly unlikely, there’s always a small chance that you could experience civil unrest while in South Africa. If this happens, you may need to cut your trip short and travel back to the U.S. on short notice. This is typically a covered reason under a travel insurance policy for a trip interruption claim. This coverage will reimburse you for any pre-paid and non-refundable expenses, plus assist you in covering the cost of a one-way last-minute flight home.
Trip interruption insurance can cover other reasons for cutting a trip short, too. Check the policy for the acceptable reasons.
Getting Sick or Injured During Your Trip
Whether you are going to South Africa or any other international location, it’s imperative to consider how you’ll cover yourself if you get sick or injured. U.S.-based health plans generally have little or no coverage outside the U.S. And senior travelers should take note that Medicare does not cover health care when you’re abroad.
Without health insurance you would be personally responsible for medical expenses during your South Africa trip.
There are many opportunities to take in South Africa’s natural splendor, but they can come with some risk.
“Safaris are an extremely popular activity in South Africa,” says Scott Adamski, spokesperson with AIG Travel.
Even if your safari is well-organized and properly supervised, being out in the elements can create health issues, especially for at-risk travelers. For example, if you become dehydrated and disoriented, you will need to be seen by a doctor.
When you’re treated by a local medical provider in South Africa, the travel medical insurance benefits within a comprehensive travel insurance policy will cover medical care and prescriptions, and even an overnight hospital stay. Other risks of traveling on a safari include allergic reactions to insect bites or twisting an ankle during a walking tour.
Related: Best home Covid tests
Changing Locations for Medical Reasons
There are many sprawling national parks in South Africa to enjoy like Kruger National Park. If you are traveling in a tour vehicle that is involved in an accident, you could be in need of escalated medical care. Many trauma units are within the city, and you may need to be taken by medevac to a better medical center.
Not only can a travel insurance company cover the cost of emergency transport, it can act as a liaison to assist with arrangements. A call placed to your insurer’s 24/7 emergency assistance line can take the pressure off your travel party during an emergency.
Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison site, recommends at least $50,000 in emergency medical and $100,000 in medical evacuation coverage for South Africa. Travelers who are participating in adventure activities should consider at least $100,000 in medical and $150,000 in medical evacuation coverage.
Related: When should I use a home Covid test?
South Africa Baggage Troubles
Adamski of AIG Travel notes that getting to South Africa can be a bumpy trip for your baggage.
“You’re very likely to be taking a number of flights to get from home to the actual site of your safari, bringing with it an increased chance of lost or misdirected luggage,” he says. If your luggage becomes “missing in action” and doesn’t arrive in time for your safari, the baggage benefits in a travel insurance policy will cover the cost of essentials like some new beige attire, personal care items and walking shoes.
Baggage insurance also extends to personal belongings that are lost or stolen. If during part of your trip at The Golden Mile, a beachfront spot in the city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, your camera is swiped from your sun lounger while you’re in the ocean, your policy can reimburse you for the depreciated value. Be sure to file a report with your tour guide, hotel manager or the local authorities. This will be needed when you file the paperwork for your claim.
Special Considerations for South African Travel
South Africa has lots of opportunities for adventure sports, so travelers interested in these activities should be careful of exclusions to their travel insurance policies that might apply, says Adamski. If you’re planning adventure activities, work with a travel insurance agent to identify policies that won’t exclude your specific plans.
For example, AIG Travel has numerous optional policy upgrades that might be useful to travelers headed to South Africa:
- The Medical Bundle increases both the standard medical and emergency evacuation coverage offered in the base plan medical and adds “hospital of choice” coverage plus other evacuation benefits.
- The Adventure Sports Bundle waives the exclusions for adventure and extreme activities from all benefits on the policy.
- In case of riot or civil unrest, the Security Bundle adds coverage for security evacuation, Flight Guard and Trip Cancellation or Interruption
- The Travel Inconvenience Bundle provides benefits in cases of “travel inconveniences” such as flight diversion, a stolen credit/debit card, and baggage/trip delay.
- The Baggage Bundle provides increased baggage coverage and baggage delay benefits.
Compare & Buy Travel Insurance For 2024
Compare Quotes With Over 22 Travel Insurers
Compare & Buy Travel Insurance
via squaremouth.com
