The 6 Top Travel Emergencies and How To Deal With Them

Life is unpredictable and traveling even more so. The list of travel problems and travel emergencies that can ruin a vacation is long, but we’ve identified the big ones you should look out for.

If you’ve ever had a travel emergency, you might wonder if you’re experiencing something that no other traveler has ever encountered. The answer is no – by a long shot. Travel problems are all too common.

How do we know? We conducted a survey of travelers and asked them if they’ve encountered travel emergencies.

What sorts of emergencies do travelers most frequently encounter? Here’s what we found and how common the problems are:

1. Medical issues on a trip: 27% of travelers
2. Vehicle breakdowns: 22%
3. Lost belongings: 20%
4. Travel delays: 15%
5. Illness or other emergency back home: 15%
6. Natural disasters: 10%

Read below to see how travel insurance can help with many of these travel emergencies.

1.   Medical issues: 27%

You might be surprised to learn that medical emergencies top the list, but think about all the health problems that can occur on a trip.

Kids can get food poisoning from eating the wrong thing, preventing the family from taking or continuing their trip. Parents can cut their foot on a rock while swimming, or hikers can sprain an ankle during travel, which requires a trip to the hospital and some medical bills to follow. And that’s just the tip of the medical travel emergency iceberg.

The good news about travel problems is not necessarily that they’re preventable – they’re not, in many cases – but that they can be made a little less painful with travel insurance.

Generali travel insurance with medical coverage can help pay for medical treatment if you get sick or injured far from home.

Also, the Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption provisions in Generali plans can reimburse you for prepaid non-refundable expenses when certain medical issues force you to change your travel plans.

Also read: Why You Might Need to Buy Medical Coverage Before You Travel

2.   Vehicle problems: 22%

Car troubles, such as accidents, theft and vandalism, can be a real trip-wrecker. Those headaches can double when the vehicle is a rental car.

Fortunately, Generali’s travel insurance plans offer Rental Car Damage coverage as an optional add-on.

Learn more about insurance for rental car damage

3.   Loss of personal belongings (luggage, clothes, money): 20%

Lost luggage can ruin a vacation. Lost passports and personal documents can bring a trip to a grinding halt. 

Luckily, Generali travel insurance includes coverage for lost or destroyed baggage. Also, the travel assistance that comes standard with Generali plans can help arrange for replacement passports and other travel documents.

Also read: How to Keep Your Bags and Valuables Safe While Traveling

4.   Strikes and travel delays: 15%

Speaking of bringing vacations to a grinding halt, nothing does that with quite the panache of a European air-traffic-controllers’ strike.

Once again, here comes travel insurance to assist, with coverage for travel delays and the travel assistance you need to get around the roadblocks and other travel obstacles.

Also read: Your Travel Delay Expenses Can be Reimbursed with Travel Insurance

5.   Illnesses or emergencies back home: 15%

Everyone wants a vacation to be a carefree time, and even if everyone on the trip is doing the right thing, staying healthy and out of trouble, there’s no guarantee that things will be going along swimmingly back at the hacienda.

If and when trouble strikes back home, Generali’s Trip Interruption coverage can reimburse you for the unused portion of your trip and help arrange for transportation back to your loved ones at home in case of a covered event.

Also read: How Trip Insurance can Help if Your Trip is Interrupted

6.   Natural disasters: 10%

Severe storms, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes and more can happen without warning, wreaking havoc with entire cities or countries – not to mention your travel plans.

In cases like these, travel insurance with coverage for Trip Interruption and worldwide travel assistance services can help protect your trip and travelers.

Also read: Hurricane Travel Insurance – What You Need to Know

There may be little you can do to avoid some of the most common travel problems, but fortunately, with travel insurance from Generali you can Travel Smarter™ and there doesn’t have to be an unhappy ending. Generali has the resources you need to have on your side whenever you travel.

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