The ABCs of Insurance – how to act in the event of travel loss

[Kaja Hints | 15.12.2017 :]

Travel is a fun and relaxing activity, but even away from home we may find ourselves struck by unpleasant surprises – from unexpected illnesses all the way to serious accidents. In such instances, the person who concluded travel insurance is often uncertain of how to proceed.

‘Travel insurance concluded in a timely manner, insurance coverage, and indemnity limits of sufficient scope provide a good starting point for a worry-free holiday. In the case of an accident one only needs to remain calm, since there is a solution to every situation’, confirms Kaja Hints, who has worked for 17 years as a travel insurance loss adjuster at Seesam.

Over the course of her career she has helped thousands of people who have run into trouble during their travels, and she says that it pays to know how to precisely behave in the event of an accident before heading off on holiday. This may help later on with the fast and seamless handling of losses.

To help make sure that an unexpected situation is resolved smoothly and damages are quickly compensated, Seesam’s representative is sharing instructions on how to behave in the event of a travel loss.

Conclude travel interruption insurance immediately!

To start with, travel interruption insurance cover should be concluded immediately after purchasing travel or plane tickets, in order to ensure that trip cancellation coverage is valid for a sufficient period of time.

The price of the policy is the same, but the cover is much longer. For example, if you fall ill before your trip, visit your doctor and ask for a certificate that includes the start date of your illness and a diagnosis, then cancel your hotel and plane tickets and ask for a refund at the first available opportunity.

In the case of illness or an accident, contact a local doctor

If you have fallen ill in a foreign country or had an accident and require medical care, you must turn to the nearest licensed doctor or hospital. Be sure to ask the doctor for a certificate that includes a diagnosis of the illness.

If you are unsure of where to obtain medical care, find your health insurance contract and call the number listed for the medical assistance partner listed therein. Even if you require hospitalisation, an operation, or are unable to pay for the treatment costs yourself, contact your insurer or medical assistance partner.

If the illness or trauma is less severe in nature, and the injured party is able to pay for treatment, doctor’s visits, etc., all receipts must be kept in order to submit a claim at a later date.

Contact the police in the event of a crime

If the assets of an insured person should fall into the possession of thieves, or if you have become the victim of a crime, you must immediately contact the local police and file a report. You should definitely ask them to prepare a report and submit it, along with other necessary documentation confirming the loss event, to the insurer. You don’t have to wait until you return home in order to submit claims; you can submit them from abroad via e-mail, along with the necessary documents.

Prove the incident and hold onto all documents

Regardless of what happens, you must always present evidence of the event along with expense receipts. Taking pictures is a good way to prove a situation – you can photograph the flight information display, broken auto glass in the case of a theft, and even visible bodily injuries.

In the case of damage to baggage, for example, pictures of the damaged object must be taken – in which the extent of the damage, the size of the object, the acquiring company and other important details necessary for its identification are visible – and sent to the insurer. Damaged valuable objects must be kept until the insurer has determined the extent of the damage.

In the case of baggage that is lost during air travel, a claim must be submitted immediately to the airline, but not later than within 7 days.

‘If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your loss adjuster. At Seesam, each case is assigned a specific loss adjuster, who will keep track of the situation and help the injured party throughout the process. And even though your insurance contact person is unable to fly to a faraway country, they are always available via telephone’, said Kaja Hints, encouraging people to call the insurer if they should have any questions.