Travel insurance a must have for trouble-free holidays

Amit Bhandari

It had been a hectic year for the Sharma family. Their elder son Pranay had been busy preparing himself for the final exams, which got concluded recently. At the beginning of the year, Pranay’s father had promised him a visit to Bangkok after exams to fulfil his dream of experiencing water sports. The time had arrived for Pranay to pack his bags and leave for a journey which he had been longing for.

Sharma had arranged for the tour and the family was en route to Bangkok. To ensure that they were protected from any unforeseen medical emergencies or any uncertainties, Sharma had opted for a travel insurance policy for each member of his family. On arrival to Bangkok, Pranay was excited to begin his holidays by visiting Pattaya beach and entrench himself in various water sport games. The family began the tour by visiting the Pattaya beach on the first day of their holidays. Amid the excitement, Pranay left his backpack on the beach while enjoying the water sport games. Pranay was encountered with a rude shock when he realised that his backpack was lost. The bag contained valuable items such as extra camera lenses, his portable music gadget and most importantly the original copy of his identity i.e. passport. With his critical document lost in a foreign land, Pranay was in a state of panic. The thought of his much-awaited holidays getting ruined made him burst into tears.

Sharma tried hard to console his son who feared his holiday dream turn into a nightmare. He knew his decision to opt for travel insurance was a wise one. He took immediate steps to intimate the claim to the insurance company apprising them of the loss.

Intimation call to insurance company

Sharma’s first step was to immediately make a telephonic call to the customer care number of the insurance company. A conversation with the customer care executive ensured that the information of the loss of passport was communicated to the insurance company and the claim intimated on priority.

Lodge a police complaint

The insurance company’s customer care adviser guided Sharma to trace the nearest police station and lodge an FIR about the loss of passport and obtain the copy of the FIR.

Embassy to the rescue

Sharma and Pranay then visited the Indian embassy situated in Bangkok city. The insurance company’s executive had already provided the address of the Indian embassy and the procedure to apply for the necessary documents to Sharma. The very next day, Sharma and Pranay reached the Indian embassy and applied for an Emergency Certificate (EC) to be issued on Pranay’s name. An Emergency Certificate (EC) is a valid legal document from the authorities of the embassy to help the individual to stay in the foreign land for the required duration. On providing the necessary documents such as the FIR from the local police station, the embassy issued an EC to Pranay.

Pranay raised a sigh of relief and regained his excitement. Though the trip continued with a slight hindrance, Pranay’s father knew the job was not yet over. On reaching India, he contacted the insurance company to seek further guidance on the claim process. With the help of his insurer, he got reimbursed for the cost of Emergency Certificate and applied for a duplicate passport for his son.

Uncertainties strike at any given moment of life. To face the challenges, one needs to be armoured with the pre-requisite knowledge and skills to overcome the hardship. In Pranay’s case, it was the judicious decision of his father to opt for a travel insurance policy which came to the rescue when it mattered the most. A travel insurance policy not only reimburses you for the monetary loss but also ensures that you do not miss out on the excitement of your trip under any circumstances.

The author is VP – Health and Underwriting, ICICI Lombard. The views expressed in this article are his own