Travel insurance is a must for any trip, regardless of what you're doing or where you're going. Having good cover before jetting off is one of our main tips for staying safe when travelling.
If for whatever reason something goes wrong during your trip, knowing you have travel insurance is really helpful. We experienced this first hand when Seb had to rush home for a family medical emergency. We were (thankfully!) able to make a successful claim on our travel insurance.
In some scenarios, travel insurance is not only important, but a necessary obligation, in particular for certain tourist visa applications and activities like scuba diving. Be sure to read the fine print, as some travel insurance plans do not cover scuba diving if you dive below a specified number of feet or dive without a dive master.
In the past we used to purchase our travel insurance as individuals. But since we got engaged, we regard ourselves as a family unit and completely expect others to do so as well, especially the company from which we are purchasing an insurance policy! Sadly, not all insurance companies do so, which is one of the many reasons why we believe seeking out gay friendly travel insurance companies is so important:
The importance of emergency medical evacuation
Having emergency medical evacuation for both of you as part of your travel insurance plan is vital. Imagine that for whatever reason, one of you needs to be evacuated for a medical emergency, you would want your partner to accompany you instead of going alone! A decent gay friendly insurance company will understand this.
We watched this video of gay couple, Felipe and Daniel, who took out travel insurance with Seven Corners on their trip to Myanmar. Sadly, Felipe became sick and had to make an emergency medical evacuation claim. The boys' initial fear was that Felipe would be left alone without Daniel during this evacuation. But thankfully, Seven Corners made sure Daniel could go with Felipe when he was evacuated.
Seven Corners is an example of a gay friendly insurance company that even has a designated section for LGBT travellers. Check out the video in full here:
No assumptions made
One of the most important things for us when making an application for a travel insurance policy together is being able to do so without feeling any shame or awkwardness for saying something like, “he's my husband”.
For some gay travellers, this can be such a sensitive issue that they side step completely, either by simply saying they are single, or speaking in more gender neutral terminology like, “my partner”.
A good gay friendly company will have trained staff who know how to deal with this in a way which does not make us feel judged and without making any negative assumptions about the sex of our partner. They should appreciate that a “couple” can be comprised of two men or two women.
Not having to justify your family
The same thing applies for gay families! The last thing a family applying for travel insurance wants is having to face awkwardness and judgment. A good gay friendly insurance company will avoid making negative assumptions or judgments when dealing with a family comprised of two daddies or two mummies.
On the subject of families, a good gay friendly travel insurance company will also ensure that any benefits or discounts it offers to families are also available to gay families. One of the best ways to do this is to clearly define a “family” in gender neutral terms, such as “two adults and up to five children”.
If you enjoyed reading, please pin me:
The post Gay travel insurance: reasons you should have one appeared first on Nomadic Boys.