Travel insurance based on destination & where you live?

Dear Cautious Traveler,

Here's a short blog to answer some questions about "home" country and "destination" country issues that come up in customer care fairly regularly. Our plans are for travel away from your home country.

They are short term international travel insurance policies meant to cover you only while on your vacation or travel abroad. They are not meant to cover you while you are "home". But what does "home" mean?

Your "home" country is often defined as where you have your true fixed residence where you receive mail. Easy, right? Well, this can be a bit more confusing for someone who has been a student (for example) for 4 years in a different country.

Their "home" country is still the country from where they left 4 years ago even though, presumably, they have been getting mail in the country where they are studying. You are still considered a "visitor" regardless of how long you have been in a country unless you are a legal permanent resident. In the US, this means you have a Green Card in hand.

There are many situations which arise and make the idea of "home" country, seemingly a simple question, more complicated. Sometimes a person who is a citizen of India may live and work in the UK and seek to get insurance to go to the US on a short holiday.

In that case, the "home" or "residence" country is the UK, the "citizenship" country or "passport" country is India, and the "destination" country is the US. Most companies will ask for each of these countries in their own way. Generally speaking, the "home" or "residence" country cannot be the same as the "destination" country.

On an application, however, if they ask for a "mailing" address, this often CAN be an address in your destination country. But please be careful in providing a "home" or "residence" country that is not the same as the "destination".

Oftentimes, a family or friend will be making the purchase for a traveler while sitting in the US. Still, they may need to provide a "home" or "residence" address for the person in their home country, a "passport" country, a "destination" country (often no address is needed there) AND there can be a separate "billing" address which CAN be the same as the destination country.

Sometimes, people say, well, I'm already in the US on my trip, so my "destination" from here is to go back home. While that makes logical sense, it doesn't work for the travel insurance application. You can make your purchase after are physically in your destination in many cases, however, your trip destination is where you currently are and your "home" is where you will return and mark the end of your trip.

The global travel is gradually picking up even though travel regulations vary from country to country. Whether travelers are leaving the home country or arriving to the home country, travelers should be very careful with the spread of the new Omicron and Delta variants.

Most countries now insist on an Covid test result taken within 72 hours of travel, many countries are insisting on international travelers buying travel insurance with coverage for Covid19 and for Covid19 related quarantine. There are several US companies that are covering COVID19 as any other illness on their travel insurance policies along with covid19 quarantine cover required by few countries around the globe.Travelers will continue to get Covid-19 coverage irrespective which variant ius caused the infecetion.

I hope that clears up some questions for you. Let us know if we can help you with other questions or issues. As ever, we wish you safe and happy travels!