It is important to remember not only the potential health risks involved when buying travel insurance, but also the number of plausible, unwarranted, grave incidents that can happen while travelling, e.g. vehicular or accidental death, murder, a terrorist act engendering victims, a fatal injury while engaged in an extreme sporting event. It can happen to anyone.

Minimizing the Loss

In planning a trip, one should not merely weigh the likelihood of death during travel, but also ponder the consequences of leaving their surviving family vulnerable in an already emotional, dire situation.

The majority of foreign travel insurance policies tend to cater to claims concerning medical/hospital expenses, flight cancellations and misplaced luggage, with meagre attention paid to potential death and funeral benefits (if any at all). An overseas funeral expenses insurance policy however, is designed to assist with the organization and safe return of the deceased to his or her home country. If traveling as a group, the policy may cover the return transportation of anyone accompanying the deceased, whereas if traveling solo, the plan might offer a return ticket to allow an appointed family member to collect the remains.

An optimum overseas funeral expenses insurance plan will supply round-the-clock assistance for the duration of the trip. Should death befall the policyholder, their named beneficiary or family representative simply places a call using the given toll-free number in order to advise of the individual’s passing and where they can be located. The arrangements are taken care of by the insurance company, including the selection of a nearby funeral home to prepare the body for its journey back home, filling out the proper paperwork as required by the local officials, and organizing transportation for the body with due sensitivity and respect.

Best Laid Plans

For the traveler, setting off on a trip to a foreign country, be it for work, leisure or sport, should be met with as little anxiety and stress as possible. For the family, there ought to be a sense of security in knowing that even in the most unthinkable situation, there is an insurance plan in place to readily put their loved one’s affairs in order across the miles. In the end, a consultation with an insurance agent regarding an overseas funeral expenses insurance policy can help ease everyone’s mind.