The pandemic has been around since the beginning of the year. With transcendental changes in how we live, work and play, we all await eagerly to see how 2021 might pan out. One of the biggest changes is in the ability to travel itself. Without a doubt, the tourism and hospitality industry itself has suffered major blows, not to mention businesses that have regional and international presence. 

Covid-19 has induced a slew of travel restrictions to and from countries, so travelling for business or leisure itself was disallowed. However, despite the restrictions and uncertainties surrounding the possibility of travel, one thing remains clear. Having adequate health cover and insurance is nothing short of a priority, even if you have yet to travel. And with talk around the reopening of Phase 3, travel bubbles indicate the possibilities of travelling again in the near future, albeit under controlled conditions. 

How has the world changed since the pandemic? Read more here. 

Also known as corona corridors, travel bubbles are essentially an exclusive partnership between specific countries that have somewhat considerably maintained control over the spread and management of the coronavirus within their borders. Without the need for quarantine, these travel bubbles are an attempt to ease business and leisure travel again. 

Now that travel bubbles are forming, there is no better time than now to review and purchase travel health insurance – be it for business or personal vacations. 

Find out how Singapore managed healthcare during the pandemic here. 

Why Does Travel Health Insurance Matter?

Unlike domestic expat health cover, travel business insurance keeps you protected in the event of accidents or illnesses while you are overseas. Domestic health cover only covers your for wellness check-ups, vaccinations and illnesses while you are within the borders of your country of residence. 

As leading health insurance brokers, we recommend getting yourself a travel health insurance plan to protect yourself against incidents incurred overseas. Here’s a guide to ensuring that you’re as prepared as you can be prior to embarking on a trip – especially during a tough and sensitive time like today.

Top Tips For Travel, Health Insurance & Safety

We recognise that the travel industry itself has significantly changed the way that we travel. Before we can fully immerse ourselves in travel yet again, it can be helpful to know what to look out for, how to prepare and the steps to take. 

We’ve put together some considerations below:

1. Before your trip

Not all countries have opened up their borders or entered travel bubble arrangements. Spend some time understanding what this new form of travel entails. We urge you to conduct a risk assessment prior to buying tickets. Some questions to consider include:

• What are the entry requirements? and re-entry requirements for Singapore?
• Are there mandated quarantine restrictions?
• Will you be required to test for Covid-19 before flying or once reached? 
• What are the lockdown or curfew measures like in that country? 

Upon evaluating these questions, you can then consider the trade-offs before deciding to fly. If you’re moving forward, the most important thing you need to check for is the validity and coverage of your travel health or business insurance. Travelling is now made more unpredictable, given the tumultuous environment. You don’t want to be caught in an emergency abroad, without any coverage. 

Not travelling? Get savvy with pandemic staycations to get the break you deserve – all within reasonable safety and management of your health.

What Sort Of Travel Health Insurance Should I Get?

Getting a comprehensive travel insurance policy is well worth its weight in gold. There are a variety of travel insurance plans that you could probably choose from. If you live in Singapore, getting Annual Travel Insurance is recommended. It makes not only financial sense, but also logically ensures that you and your loved ones are covered if holidays are a common occurrence for you. 

There are many uncontrolled circumstances during a trip – having your luggage stolen, falling ill or running into an accident and flight cancellations are all burdensome to deal with. Couple that with the risks of travelling during a pandemic and you’ll soon discover the benefits of international travel business or medical insurance far outweighs the nots.

2. During your flight

As you embark on your journey, you need to keep in mind that everyone is experiencing different levels of comfort with regards to the pandemic. It is absolutely vital that you adhere to the social distancing and safety precautions of sanitisation and mask-wearing for your own good. 

It might also bode well to pack extra snacks as the airline may not be serving due to hygiene restrictions. When you’re abroad, take extra precaution to avoid overcrowded areas and eating food from unlicensed places.

Post-Trip

End your trip safely by self-isolating yourself to protect the people around you. If you’re feeling unwell, you should phone in to the hotlines provided in Singapore to book a check-up before turning up at the clinic. 

Keeping Safe During Travels in a Post-Pandemic Era

No matter the amount of precaution taken, we can all admit that the pandemic has definitely shaken up everyone’s feelings around travel. 

Despite anxieties surrounding the new era of modern travel, we urge you to take charge of the things that you can control – that being your health. Acquire and review the validity of your travel and domestic medical insurance plans every 6 months and especially before a trip. 

A little proactiveness and preparedness goes a long way. To see how we can arrange expat health cover for you, get in touch with our team.