Insurance FAQs - Worldwide Travellers

It is compulsory to obtain travel insurance for your trip with Jacada. To find out more, please see our terms and conditions.

Above all, travel insurance gives you the freedom to focus on enjoying your trip, knowing that you’re covered in case of unforeseen events.

Whoever you choose to use for your travel insurance, it’s important to understand what matters most – and the most important things to look out for in your policy.

Travel insurance is not designed to cover minor ailments or ongoing treatment of pre-existing conditions. It’s designed to provide medical and financial protection for major or urgent crises.

Whether you’re trekking in Patagonia, exploring the Amalfi Coast by boat or exploring Thailand’s temples, the cost of a serious medical incident is often far higher than you might anticipate. Incidents are, thankfully, extremely rare but unforeseen problems can occur.

Especially in more remote regions, helicopter evacuation may be necessary. Such operations are complex and require upfront guarantees of payment, often exceeding $30,000. This is rarely covered by standard health insurance and credit card policies.

You may also not wish to receive treatment beyond emergency care in your destination. This will necessitate a safe return to be arranged to the US. Standard commercial seats, even in a premium cabin, may not be suitable. Costs for medical supervision on a flight, known as a “stretcher repatriation”, or a private air ambulance can exceed $100,000.

At Jacada, we specialise in securing the best guides, properties and private experiences. To guarantee these services, in many cases we are required to pay in part or in full at the time of confirmation. 

Leading guides are in high demand and are typically self-employed. We ensure their time is reserved as far in advance as possible, and pay them a non-refundable commitment fee to turn away any subsequent booking requests on these dates. In the case of a cancellation, they may not replace that booking.

Some properties, especially small or family-run boutique hotels and lodges, also require strict, non-refundable deposits at the time of confirmation for the same reason.

This is why the deposits we make on your behalf are non-refundable – and travel insurance is the only way to ensure your finances are protected should plans change. If possible, we advise Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) cover, which encompasses every eventuality. It is important to note that CFAR policies typically need to be purchased shortly after the trip is confirmed.

We never plan to rearrange a long-planned trip. Sadly, Mother Nature can sometimes unexpectedly hamper our travel plans. Travel insurance will provide peace of mind if your adventure can’t go ahead, or needs to be rescheduled, due to anything from hurricanes to snowstorms to floods to volcanic ash clouds, 

Flights can also get cancelled, rerouted or delayed – with or without notice. Occasionally, planes or airlines can stop operating. Staff can go on strike. Good travel insurance will help cover the impact of these incidents, meaning that you’re not out of pocket if your itinerary can’t go ahead as planned.

Insurance available with your credit card can offer some protection – but may have significant gaps with regards to the bespoke and complex journeys we offer.

• Medical repatriation is not always covered. Where it is, in many cases you are required to pay the large cost up-front and claim back from the provider.
• Many credit cards have a limit on the level of coverage for trip cancellation. This limit can often be less than the cost of our trips which could leave you under-insured.
• Some credit cards accept only a narrow range of cancellation reasons. You may not be covered for all of the eventualities that you wish to insure against.

Your insurance must cover you for both local and international medical repatriation, cancellation and curtailment cover as well as standard cover for anything that might be lost or stolen (i.e. money, valuables or lost passports). It should also cover delayed flights. 

Your policy should cover you from the point of booking and for the duration of your trip. It should include the following:

• Medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad
• 24-hour emergency service and assistance
• Lost and stolen possessions cover
• Cancellation and curtailment (cutting short your trip) cover
• Extra cover for activities that are commonly excluded from standard policies, such as scuba diving

 

We recommend you check carefully to see if you are covered for the following reasons to cancel or curtail your trip:

• Accident
• Illness
• Pregnancy (unknown when you buy the policy)
• Jury service or witness summons
• Home emergency (fire, storm or flood, burglary)
• Redundancy
• Strikes
• Bad weather, which can affect the departure of flights and ships

 

It’s really important that in the event that you actually need to use your insurance, your policy covers all your expenses. Your insurance policy should be sufficient to provide the following should the need arise:

• A refund for the full cost of your trip
• Payment for all your medical expenses, as well as refunds for pre-paid expenses such as excursions, if you need to cancel or cut short a trip because you fall ill
• Cover for any extra costs incurred to get you back home