American author Herman Wouk once said, “When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.” Surely this is a tremendously exhilarating suggestion to pursue at home, but it may not be the best one to follow if you are stuck and suddenly fall sick in a frozen and chilly mountain peak with little or no immediate assistance! 

As you already understand what the context is: hazard always comes unasked, be it on a comforting tour or an adventurous trek through the mountains. And if you fall ill while trekking at higher altitudes, the treatment, and further care can cost painstakingly huge amounts of cash.

But it is not only your own health that can be jeopardized. Landslides, avalanches, snowstorms, and even equipment failures are some of the less probable and yet most dangerous mishaps that can go wrong on a trek. 

On the other hand, having valid travel insurance completed beforehand will not offend you at any charge, and can rather save your life. Spending extra money on a declaration can help save you a thousand times more of your money at a later stage of the treks, multicountry tours, peak climbing, or mountain expeditions.

What is Insurance?

We all may have thousands of spam mails in our inbox or receive phone calls that constantly force us to buy insurance for our new house, new car, mostly for our trips, and sometimes even our lives! But many of us do not know what it refers to. 

Insurance is an agreement policy with a company, comparable to a legal and binding contract where you pay regular amounts of cash at specified intervals. The company assures you full coverage of the scheme you are investing in house, car, or life- if your health is jeopardized, or you have experienced theft/damage/natural calamities for your car and/or home. This article focuses on travel insurance and why it is important while on the go.

Travel insurance is a similar contract you make with the insurance company which in turn gives you coverage for any loss/theft/damage/natural calamities/hijacking emergencies/trip delays when you are traveling domestically or internationally. 

Trek or Trekking insurance, too, is an equivalent of the policy which covers you for any mishap during the trek- your medical emergency, natural catastrophes, evacuation emergencies, and so on and so forth. Travel and trekking insurances are short-term contracts that generally end when your trip/trek has ended.

Why is Travel Insurance Important?

Accidents can occur at any time. While mostly these may be under smaller excusable injuries like slight sprains or cuts, or mild altitude sickness symptoms; the much bigger risks include frostbite, amputation, and even death. 

Human beings usually think twice before jumping on top of something that has potential consequential life risks. It is always better to be informed about a guarantee of an affirmation that can protect their lives and that of their families. 

Most trek insurances cover a maximum of the medical expenses from evacuation to even bearing the hospital costs. Theft is also covered under it; you shall get safety if any of your personal belongings are stolen.

Natural calamities like earthquakes, landslides, etc. can deter your trek, and in these cases, your insurance agency can be helpful to pay and cover the majority of the flight and/or train costs as well. The insurance company also acts as your local aids from time to time, in case anything on the trek or the trip goes hay ware. 

Compare several insurance plans before you make a decision to purchase. Also, make sure to go thoroughly over the terms and conditions of the plan before you make a signature and/or payment. 

More often than not, look to see what the plan DOES NOT cover, than what it actually covers.

Check to see if what the plan offers matches your demands or not. This method will help you eliminate the less useful insurance claims and make you beware of fraud companies. Remember, little assurances of safety never hurt anyone! 

Read to find out where you need basic travel insurance for treks and trips. This article shall look into whether different countries require travel insurance for their treks, and what the conditions of the insurance are. It is now time to know why trek insurance is required; and if you need insurance to trek the mountains of the following countries.

Travel Insurance For Nepal

Travel insurance is mandatory if and when you go hiking in Nepal. While there are a lot of different plans to compare, choosing what is best for you is essential. You can choose a group plan, a family plan or any other suited to you (like a solo.) 

Indian nationals do not need a visa to purchase insurance. The ideal time to compare and buy insurance would be roughly a fortnight (fourteen days) after paying the first installment money for your trip. 

While in your plan for the trip to Nepal, specifically looking for any plans that cover passport losses, flight delays and cancel due to bad weather in the mountain, emergency medical expenses, emergency evacuation services, accidents or injuries of the physical body. These will come in as very effective while you are on your trek.

Bhutan Travel Insurance

It is mandatory for all travelers to have valid insurance for visiting Bhutan. For motorcyclists, it is COMPULSORY to hold insurance that allows them to ride a 2500 cc Motorbike in Bhutan. This is majorly for road safety, as hilly jagged roads are prone to innumerable accidents. Please ensure basic driving safety if you are pursuing a road trip through Bhutan. 

Many insurance plans do not cover up treks within their travel scheme, so make sure to separately opt for one that does.

Travel Insurance For Tibet

Tibet is situated in a plateau region and hosts one of the most breathtaking mountain peaks, staggering wildlife flora and fauna, altitude treks, and numerous shrines and monasteries.

It is necessary and mandatory to have insurance if you are planning to visit Tibet or other places around Tibet. Foreign nationals must also apply for the Tibet Travel Permit to travel, and for trekkers, there are more such permits that should be taken care of. 

You can refer your queries to the insurance agency to make sure the plans are valid throughout. The insurance also helps you get out of danger in overseas travel. Make sure it covers passport loss, thefts, hospital costs, and reimbursement to due trip delays.

Insurance For India

Trekking in India exposes one to several varied geographically elegant landscapes and serves to be in memory forever. The vast Northern Plain foothills give one the ease to trek easily while ascending higher up would become challenging gradually. 

Since India is an enormous country with unlike weather and rainfall patterns in different states, the temperatures of different trek routes vary on where it is geographically located and how you want to travel. All of them have different attractions visible at different times of the year. Hence it is safe to associate and read in detail about each and every trek route individually.

Trekking in itself is considered a dangerous activity and many are intimidated by the inaugural stages. India does not have any mandatory insurance policy but it is essential and highly recommended that you make one, especially for trekkers who have just begun their journeys and are now aiming to trek higher and more perplexing altitudes than they have traversed before. 

There is no single Indian agency that can look into all the requirements of the trek or travel, and definitely no single important or reputed insurance company to choose from; hence read up all of whichever online insurance companies you can find.

Accidents can occur anytime and at any place. Many times, if you take one single general travel insurance, it might not cover treks. Trek insurance covers the time period from where you are picked up by the team and till the time you are dropped off. 

Make sure you take separate trek insurance or try to obtain insurance that covers both your trek and trip stay. Make sure it covers passport loss, thefts, hospital costs, and reimbursement to due trip delays.

Conclusion

Have a safe and contented journey while you trek through the elegant mountain trails, long winding up loose gravel roads, and enjoy the adventure with a fresh peace of mind. 

Himalayan Trekkers always let you have the safest and most secure experience. So, there isn’t any reason to be tensed about it. Happy trekking!