If you’re planning a trip to the Emerald Isle, be sure to book travel insurance. People often think they don’t need travel insurance when vacationing in destinations with high levels of security, temperate weather and political stability. What could go wrong, right?

Wrong — anytime you travel internationally, you should purchase travel insurance to protect your investment in case of covered trip cancellation, trip delays, emergency medical care and more. Did you know that most health insurance providers in the U.S. won’t fully cover you abroad?

An Allianz Travel Insurance plan with emergency medical benefits can help reimburse you in the event of a covered medical emergency while traveling, when your health insurance might not. The U.S. Department of State also recommends travel insurance that covers medical evacuation — which can be a significant expense — if you’re visiting Ireland.  Inconveniences such as canceled reservations and significant weather-related delays, can also become nightmares without travel insurance.

Here are some very relatable scenarios that show why it’s essential to purchase travel insurance for your next trip to Ireland.

Medical Emergencies

You love the outdoors, so after you’ve taken in the sights and sounds of Southern Ireland’s capital, Dublin, you head 50 miles south of the city for Wicklow Mountains National Park. You and your friends are hype for your second week of exploring in Ireland, which will include a week of camping and hiking in Wicklow. The largest of Ireland’s national parks, Wicklow showcases some of the nation’s most iconic — and of course green — mountains, woods and valleys.

As you tiredly descend a big summit on your first afternoon on the trail, you fall after snagging your hiking boot on a large tree root growing on the trail. You’ve badly twisted your ankle and can’t continue your journey. Your hiking companions help you splint the ankle, but you need more medical attention. Luckily, you’re able to hobble off the trail to your car and head to the nearest hospital in County Wicklow.

Ahead of such incidents, the purchase of travel insurance with emergency medical benefits is essential.  Allianz Global Assistance offers benefits for a range of budgets, some of which are critical in emergencies. We can help provide medically necessary emergency transportation to the nearest healthcare facility, and emergency medical benefits for losses due to covered emergencies.

Trip Cancellations and Interruptions

You’ve finally got your bags packed for a bucket list trip to Ireland. You’ve been planning and saving for an epic, three-week road trip for months. Popular spots such as the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula are on your list, along with less-traveled spots.

The night before your trip, your preschooler spikes a temperature and your family doctor confirms it’s the flu, recommending that she shouldn’t travel. You have to cancel your trip, but hotel reservations in several of the cities along your route are non-refundable.

Or, imagine this alternative scenario. You’ve booked a two-week group tour of Ireland and you manage to make your flight, but severe winter weather has significantly delayed landing at Dublin airport, after a previous delay during your layover. You were scheduled to meet with your tour group shortly after landing but you can’t make the tight schedule, and the group has to get going without you. On top of that, the cost of your spot on the tour is non-refundable.

An Allianz Travel Insurance plan with Trip Cancellation benefits can reimburse non-refundable expenses if your trip is canceled before you leave or interrupted midway, due to covered reasons. In either scenario, your Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption benefits would apply if you purchased your policy prior to when your daughter was diagnosed or before the storm was forecasted. 

Baggage Loss

You’ve touched down at Dublin Airport and you head to the baggage claim and after standing there long enough to see the carousel go around for the ump-teenth time, you realize your luggage didn’t follow you to the airport. Your bag has been lost by the airline. The most frustrating part of that is you checked your favorite outfit and the boots that you need for your hike.

The U.S.-based airline you flew with says it won’t reimburse the total cost of your lost items. Airlines are not required to reimburse the total value of lost luggage. For international flights, the maximum liability for lost, damaged or delayed bags is about $1,780. The maximum baggage liability for domestic flights is $3,800.

Travel insurance may make up the difference. If your baggage is lost or damaged, an Allianz Travel Insurance plan with baggage benefits can reimburse you for the actual price, cash value, repair or replacement of your luggage, – whichever is less, based on the limits of your policy.

Convenience

Travel insurance with Assistance services can really be helpful in a pinch. Let’s say your delayed flight landed late at night and your Airbnb host is nowhere to be found. Our 24/7 travel experts can quickly help you find nearby room vacancies for the night. If you’ve rented a car for a Dublin to Belfast road trip and experience car trouble, give us a call and we can help you get the car towed to the nearest repair shop. Also, you can quickly file and check the status of insurance claims with a thumb swipe with the Allyz® TravelSmart app.

Get a quote for travel protection for your next trip.

What do I need to travel to Ireland?

Related Articles

• Do I Need Travel Insurance for Europe?
• The Simple Guide to International Travel Insurance Benefits
• New Fees for Americans Traveling to the European Union