Why Standard Travel Insurance Might Not Protect You Overseas
Many people assume that once they’ve booked a trip and bought travel insurance, they’re covered for anything that might go wrong. But if you’re working abroad, visiting a higher-risk country, or outside your home country for professional reasons, that’s often not the case.
Standard travel insurance is designed for holidays, not missions, assignments, or work in complex regions.
Here’s why it often falls short — and what you can do instead.
What Travel Insurance Typically Covers
Standard travel insurance policies usually include:
- Lost luggage and personal belongings
- Trip cancellation or delays
- Emergency medical treatment for illness or accidents
- Personal liability (sometimes)
- Some basic repatriation in serious emergencies
This works well for most tourists. But for people working abroad — or visiting places with poor infrastructure or higher security risk — it’s often not enough.
Where Travel Insurance Falls Short
1. It Excludes Work-Related Travel
Most travel insurance policies do not cover you while working. This includes:
- Site visits
- Consultancy
- Project work
- Research or assessment trips
- Volunteering
Even if you’re simply observing or attending meetings, you may be outside the scope of cover if you’re “working”.
Our Individual Overseas Policy is specifically designed for professionals working abroad.
2. It Excludes High-Risk Destinations
Many travel insurers won’t cover countries listed on:
- The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) “advise against all travel” list
- The U.S. State Department’s Level 4 advisory list
Even if cover is technically offered, it may not include:
- Medical evacuation
- Repatriation from conflict zones
- Hostile environment medical support
Our policies include cover in conflict zones and remote areas — with no hidden exclusions.
3. It Doesn’t Cover Evacuation from the Point of Incident
Standard travel insurance might arrange repatriation after hospital admission, but rarely includes:
- On-site medical response
- Evacuation by land or air from rural or hostile areas
- Extraction for security or medical risk
- Ongoing monitoring and crisis support
These are major gaps if you work in:
- Post-conflict or politically unstable regions
- Areas with weak medical infrastructure
- Rural or isolated environments
Our cover includes 24/7 evacuation from the point of incident to an appropriate medical facility.
4. No Accidental Death or Disability Cover
Most travel insurance doesn’t provide a lump sum payout if:
- You’re permanently disabled
- You lose limbs, eyesight, or hearing
- You die as a result of an accident
For individuals working without employer insurance, this is a serious exposure.
Our Group Personal Accident policy offers fixed-sum payments for accidental death and permanent injury.
Real-World Example
A consultant travelling to Sudan to deliver training was caught in unexpected unrest. He had travel insurance but no evacuation cover from the city where he was staying.
Result: The embassy could offer advice, but no extraction. His insurer declined assistance, and the cost of private air evacuation was over $18,000 — paid out of pocket.
Had he been covered under a specialist short-term policy, evacuation would have been handled and paid for.
What Does Specialist Overseas Cover Include?
Your policies provide:
- Accidental death and permanent disability
- Medical expenses for illness and accident
- Evacuation and repatriation from the point of incident
- Crisis response 24/7 (not just during working hours)
- Optional extensions like “follow-you-home” support after return
And unlike travel insurance, your policies are valid in hostile regions, during work activities, and for both local and international staff.
What If You’re Not in a War Zone?
You still need cover. We regularly see claims for:
- Road traffic accidents
- Food poisoning
- Sudden illness or infection
- Injuries on field visits
Standard travel insurance often limits claims outside hospital settings or in non-tourist regions. Our cover ensures medical costs and evacuation are handled — without complex exclusions.
What Does It Cost?
From:
- $11 per person per day (Group policies)
- $29.70 per week (Individual policies)
- $10 policy fee per policy
Flexible lengths — from 3 days to 12 months. You only pay for the time you need.
External Resource
UK FCDO – Travel Advice and Risk Warnings
Always check current government advice for your destination.
Summary
Travel insurance has its place — but it’s not designed for professionals working in complex environments.
For serious overseas work, you need a policy that:
- Covers professional activity
- Supports you in higher-risk locations
- Responds when things go wrong — wherever you are
That’s what our specialist cover is built for.
What to Do Next
