Our holiday could eventually turn into a pure nightmare. A serious accident could ruin our trip, but the unfortunate event could get better if we are able to make claims on our travel insurance. In this case, we should make sure that we are properly prepared. Before leaving on our trip, we should make copies of our insurance documentation.

They need to be kept separated from the original documents. Copies of the insurance documentation should be carried at all times. Information that needs to be quickly accessed is policy number and the phone number of the Emergency Assistance. We should be aware that there’s a time limit for submitting the claim. As an example, we may need to report the incident 28 days after our return from holiday.

It is important for us to know what to do after suffering from injuries. The first thing that we need to do is to seek medical attention. If the treatment costs are quite high, it is a good idea to immediately contact the number of the Emergency Assistance service. We need to pay for the treatment with cash or credit card and keep the receipts.

Write down the information about the hospital, including its name, phone number and contact person. On our return, we should contact the insurance provider immediately to claim back our medical costs. Before contacting the Emergency Assistance service, we should write down questions that we plan to ask to them. They should be able to help and assist us quickly.

We may also require medical treatments as in-patient in the hospital. It is important to get fully prepared and get a list of approved hospitals in the destination country. If possible, we should go to one of these hospitals and give the hospital representative details of our coverage. The hospital may refuse to provide treatment beyond the first aid, if we can’t show them that we are insured.

After this, the hospital should contact our insurance provider for the payment of bills. After we arrive home, we should contact the insurance provider to get the claims form. If the insurance provider has an International network, there could be many local contacts in the area. We could get their phone numbers, so we our insurance matters can be resolved more quickly.

During a trip, we could also become victims of robbery or other crimes. We should obtain reports from the local police immediately. This is one of the most important documents to ensure that we are able to get claims. Our chance of getting a claim is improved if the local police is able to apprehend the perpetrator. We may also lose our luggage during the trip.

First, we should immediately notify the airline and get the Property Irregularity Report. We should keep our baggage receipts and flight tickets. If possible, we need to check teams of our travel insurance and we could be covered for specific emergency purchases. If the airline confirms that it’s their mishap, our chance is higher that we will get the claim.