Do I Need Travel Insurance For Thailand?

If you’re wondering “Do I need travel insurance for Thailand?”, the answer is a very loud YES. Protect yourself against the cost of medical care, missed connections, lost or stolen items and other common travel annoyances.

Thailand is a safe, friendly and welcoming country. However, it’s far from uncommon for people to injure themselves while in Thailand, especially in parts of the country where drinking, parties, motorcycle riding and other high-risk activities are popular.

To keep yourself safe, it’s worth purchasing a travel insurance policy before you leave. It’s also important to check that your policy covers you for everything you plan to do while in Thailand.

Below, we’ve listed five of the key reasons to make sure you have travel insurance before you depart for Thailand, from personal safety to common annoyances and setbacks for travellers in Thailand.

You won’t have to pay huge medical bills

• Injuries and accidents are alarmingly common in Thailand, although your risk of hurting yourself while travelling is fairly low if you don’t ride a motorcycle or participate in extreme or adventure sports.
• However, it’s still worth protecting yourself against the cost of medical care with insurance. A good travel insurance policy will cover most or all of your medical fees, meaning you won’t be stuck with a huge medical bill to pay if you hurt yourself while on holiday.
• When you purchase travel insurance, it’s important to check that it provides medical coverage for all of the things you plan to do while on holiday. If you plan on renting a motorbike, it’s also important that you have the right license.
• If you plan on scuba diving, you should also check that your policy provides covers for medical bills and evacuation in the event that you’re injured while in the water.
• The vast majority of people have safe, peaceful and injury-free experiences in Thailand. For the few that don’t, travel insurance makes dealing with the stress and costs of medical care a much easier process.

Your baggage and possessions will be protected

• Luckily, the vast majority of trips to Thailand don’t involve lost or stolen possessions. However, for the few that do, travel insurance makes replacing your lost or stolen items, delayed bags or other personal property-related much easier.
• If you’re worried about losing your baggage on the way to Thailand, it’s important to purchase a travel insurance policy that includes coverage for lost or delayed bags. You’ll also want to make sure you’re protected in the event that your bags or belongings are stolen or go missing.
• Theft is rare in Thailand, although some forms of transportation such as long-distance bus trips can occasionally result in missing items. Likewise, while it’s rare for items to be stolen, spending time in nightlife areas and crowded markets can attract the occasional pickpocket.
• It’s always better to be prepared ahead of time for lost or stolen items. With a travel insurance policy, you’ll be able to replace lost, stolen or delayed items without taking a financial hit.

You’re insured for cancelled and missed flights

• If you’ve ever missed a connecting flight before, you know how easily it can affect your entire travel plans. From other flights to bus, train and taxi trips, a single missed or delayed flight is often all it takes to throw off an entire day of travel.
• Likewise, if your flight is cancelled at the last moment, booking another flight can often be a seriously expensive and stressful process that requires you to replan several days worth of travel.
• Travel insurance makes dealing with cancelled, missed and delayed flights easier by taking away the financial costs of rebooking travel. Make sure your policy has trip interruption and missed connection coverage to make sure you’re fully protected against unpredictability.

You’re safe in emergency medical situations

• Thailand is home to several excellent hospitals, but most of them are found in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and other major centres. If you’re injured while visiting the countryside or trekking in the rainforest, there’s a good chance you’ll need to be airlifted to safety to receive treatment.
• A good travel insurance policy will include coverage for emergency medical evacuation, letting you trek, explore and adventure with confidence that you’re in reliable hands if anything goes wrong during your holiday.
• Although medical evacuation is available even without insurance, you could be stuck with an extreme bill — often in the tens of thousands of dollars — in the event that you face a serious injury while trekking or exploring and aren’t covered by travel insurance.

You don’t need to worry about politics

• Although Thailand is a safe and peaceful country, government instability is a major problem that can occasionally affect tourists.
• In 2008, protesters shut down Bangkok’s main airport, resulting in hundreds of delayed and cancelled flights. In 2014, there was a coup d’état that resulted in the establishment of a new government in Thailand, resulting in some disruption to normal business.
• With a comprehensive travel insurance policy, you’ll be protected against sudden political events that can affect your trip. If there’s an airport riot, coup or terrorist attack, you can cancel your trip without having to worry about costly fees and penalties.
• It’s important to remember that Thailand is a safe country, and that events like the ones listed in the paragraphs above are rare. However, they do happen, and it’s worth making sure that you’re ready and prepared in the event that you get caught up in politics while travelling.

In summary: make sure you have travel insurance. Even the most careful and well-prepared traveller cannot foresee every eventuality. Don’t take the risk of travelling without insurance – the downside is simply not worth it.