Retirement is the perfect time to travel with your children already grown and a lack of work commitments, however finding suitable senior citizen travel insurance can be a challenge. Many people over the age of 65 plan their holiday only to find that most travel insurance policies will not cover them as people over this age bracket are considered to be higher risk than other applicants. The solution is to apply for specialist travel insurance for senior citizens which is specially designed to be suitable for retirees and pensioners.

So what should you be looking for when you are choosing senior citizens travel insurance? There are several companies specializing in insurance policies for people over 65 and this can take some of the frustration out of searching for a quote with general travel insurance companies. Normally you can choose from single or multiple trip insurance, just as you would with a regular policy, and there may also be special packages available for cruises or activity holidays.

You obviously need to ensure that the policy you choose covers your age range. Some policies have no upper age limit, whereas others will only cover up to age 75 or even younger. You can usually get an instant quote by putting your age into an online insurance calculator which will automatically find policies that are appropriate for you.

If you have any pre-existing medical conditions then you will need to make sure that the travel insurance for senior citizens you choose covers these conditions. You should also check that the level of cover is suitable for the country you are visiting. For example medical bills are very high in the USA so this usually requires a higher level of cover. Sometimes the policy premium can seem very low but this is because it has a high excess which you will have to pay yourself if claiming – this is also worth bearing in mind.

As well as medical expenses, you should also make sure that the policy you choose covers lost or stolen baggage and personal items, emergency dental treatment, cancellation and delay, personal liability and legal expenses. If you are planning to take part in any sports such as skiing or hiking you will usually have to add additional cover. Most insurance companies offer a few different ranges of cover to choose from at a different premium.

Buying a senior citizen travel insurance policy online is usually the best way to go about choosing your policy as you have the ability to compare many different policies from different insurance providers and can also read reviews of service levels before you buy. There are many websites to help you compare and contrast – all you need to do is put in your age, where you will be travelling to and the dates of your travel and the website will do all the hard work for you.

You may also wish to go through a broker. This can be useful if you have health conditions or any unusual circumstances which may make it difficult to find an appropriate policy on your own. A broker will search through policies available from different companies on your behalf and may often find you a cheaper option than you would have been able to find yourself.

Although senior citizens travel insurance can be more expensive than regular policies, you should not be tempted to risk going without it. A hospital stay, lost passport or even delayed baggage could turn your fun vacation into a miserable time and having good travel insurance will ensure than your inconvenience and expense is at a minimum.

If you’re planning on going travelling or even just taking a short holiday, you should always make sure you have adequate travel insurance. Pregnancy can complicate the issue a little as many travel insurance policies do not cover pregnant women or have restrictions in place that mean you will not be able to claim on your policy if you need medical care for a pregnancy related condition. It is important if you’re pregnant and planning to travel for any length of time that you choose appropriate travel insurance for pregnant women.

When you are planning a holiday or extended trip, you should consider the stage of pregnancy that you will be at when you go. The second trimester is the best time to travel as the major risk of miscarriage has passed and you will not be feeling as uncomfortable as you may in the third trimester. Many airlines also restrict travel after you are 26 or 27 weeks pregnant and either may not allow you to fly or may require a note from your doctor. This is extra important to check if you will be away for some time as you do not want to be stranded in a foreign country and not allowed to fly home!

Travel insurance during pregnancy will protect you if you need to cancel your trip because of a pregnancy complication or you need medical care in a foreign country which can be expensive. You should check the policy wording carefully as many travel insurance pregnancy cover will only apply up to a certain number of weeks of your pregnancy. You should always inform your insurance provider you are pregnant before buying any insurance to make sure that you are fully covered.

Different policies may also cover you for different aspects of your pregnancy. You will find that travel insurance in pregnancy varies a lot. Some policies will cover you for complications requiring medical treatment only and will not cover the cost if you go into labor early. This should be considered carefully as if you go into labor prematurely while abroad you and your baby are likely to need a lengthy hospital stay which can be very expensive. Some policies will only cover ‘normal’ pregnancy and premature labor is not covered by this.

Everyone needs travel insurance. Pregnant women however are considered high risk to the insurance companies as they are more likely to need medical care. This can make travel insurance while pregnant more expensive than normal policies. Even if you are not covered for pregnancy related conditions by your policy, you should still make sure to have insurance to cover lost baggage and lost or stolen money, passport, cameras and so on.

Keep a look out for specialist travel insurance when pregnant. Good policies will protect you up to the full term of your pregnancy, as long as the airline agrees to carry you; cover your full birth expenses if you should go into premature labor; and preferably cover the baby if it happens to be born while you are away from home. You can usually choose from single trip or annual insurance cover just as with normal policies. However be aware that if you do go into labor while you are away, your trip is likely to be longer than planned and the extra time may not be covered by your single trip policy. Do yourself a favor and make sure you have good quality travel insurance. Pregnancy is a great time for a holiday and you don’t want it to be ruined with huge hospital bills!

If you are a traveller who has to travel very frequently on business and at times leisure, then the annual travel insurance is a good insurance plan for you. A typical annual travel insurance plan provides comprehensive coverage to a traveller against injury or accidental death during the travel, comprehensive coverage for injuries and medical treatment, even coverage in case a trip gets cancelled, the baggage insurance being included and many other features which depend on insurance companies and differs basis the need of the traveller.

There are insurance companies which provide customized annual travel insurance plans where in from amongst a list of features and benefits that can be added to the insurance plan, a prospective customer can choose which covers he/she will want to opt for and then purchase the insurance plan.

This plan is the most beneficial for those travellers who have numerous trips in a year and in the long run it is much more economical than a single trip insurance plan. Consider the number of insurance plans that you have to purchase if you are someone who might have to travel to meet your clients overseas at all weeks of the month. For such a traveller, the annual insurance plan is the most viable and economical arrangement. No matter how many trips, the cover age remains and one will not have to renew it time and again.

There are several factors though that an annual travel insurance plan depends on. First of all, the mileage covered by a traveller in a year is considered to be a crucial factor. If the mileage of the traveller is more, then the insurance premium amount will also be more. This is considered bearing the logic of probability in mind. The more the distance, the higher the chances of claims and thus the insurance premium amount gets affected.

I’ve now been ‘traveling’ (ie away from home) for over a year and so time to renew my backpacker’s travel insurance policy. As I’ve been living in Bali for nearly 9 months I thought it was about time I got myself some proper health insurance, designed for expats. However, after researching several insurance comparison sites and emailing insurance brokers for quotes, I realized that a year-long health insurance policy was going to cost significantly more than I’d anticipated.

The cheapest quote I could find for one year’s health insurance in Indonesia (incidentally, Bali is more expensive, though I did not realise this at the time) was approximately 550GBP (approx 900$) for a basic policy. This was with William Russell through a broker – the quote I got directly from the William Russell website was higher. I know that this is a very competitive quote as everything else I’d found was nearly double that amount, if not more. However, I was hoping for something a little less expensive. I live very cheaply out here and £550 (or rather more as I’m in Bali rather than elsewhere in Indonesia) would be a big chunk out of my budget.

I looked through the policy wording of this quoted policy and wondered what the differences were between this and my normal backpacker’s travel insurance which covered emergency health care as well as lost baggage, flight cancellations and a whole host of other things. The differences between a basic health insurance policy and a travel insurance policy? Not a lot. They both only cover emergency inpatient care (ie a stay in hospital) and transportation out of the country if needed.

If you need comprehensive health insurance – outpatient care, dental treatment, maternity cover and so on then a travel insurance policy is just not going to cut it. However if you’re looking for basic emergency cover that will pay for expensive operations if you’re unlucky enough to need them, and you’re willing to pay for basic health care yourself then there’s a good chance that normal travel insurance will be sufficient.

But… and there is always a ‘but’ and this is a big one, nearly all travel insurance policies (including long-stay, gap year and backpacker insurance) require you to be a resident of your home country in order to take out the policy. If you’ve already been away for a year or more it’s likely that you are no longer legally ‘normally resident’ in your home country. Different policies have different wording but it’s not uncommon for them to state that you must have been in your home country for 6 months out of the last 12 – not much good for long-term travelers. Even worse, nearly all policies require you to be in your home country when you take out the policy. This means that if you’ve already started your trip, you’re stuck.

There is a solution. After many hours of research the only policy I found that will give you cover if you’ve already started your trip is World Nomads. The policy itself is excellent, you can extend your policy (up to 18 months) and even make claims online and you can choose to cover expensive single items such as ipods and laptops – perfect for us digital nomads! They have glowing reviews from a whole host of high profile travel bloggers and are recommended by Lonely Planet and more. I wasted no time in signing up for a new policy with them once I realised they covered my needs and the price is very competitive for what they offer (at least half the price of a basic expat health insurance policy).

So in summary, if you’re actually living in a country rather than just passing through, you’ve been away for longer than 18 months, or you want comprehensive health insurance cover for all eventualities – you need proper health insurance. Don’t risk taking out a cheap travel insurance policy and finding out you’re not actually covered when you need it. On the other hand if you’re a long-term traveller and just want some decent insurance to cover you in medical emergencies, sign up for a World Nomads insurance policy.