Travel Insurance Saved My Trip
Only we travel lovers can understand what a TRIP means to us, Just the thought that your trip could get ruined can give you sleepless nights. Here is my account of a true incident that happened on my “Trip to Bali.” But thankfully, my decision to invest in a travel insurance plan saved the day. And that is why I thought of writing about travel insurance and how travel insurance saved my trip.
Mission Bali
Traveling out of India has always been on my wish-list and when I had saved enough money for a trip, I decided it’s time to break my silence and talk to my parents. Before Mission Bali could start, I had another mission to achieve, Mission CONVINCE PARENTS. Yeah!! Indian Parents, their kids struggle to convince them. I prayed hard that this mission could get over soon without any melodrama.
Mom and dad were having their evening tea, when I broke the ambient silence and told them about my plan to travel. They were okay with it, but when I told them that I wanted to go to Bali and that too all by my lonesome, there was a silence and then came a loud SCREAM – “WHAAAAAAAAAAT” “ALONEEE? Bali? Have you gone mad?”
I could hear my heartbeat loud and clear! I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I told myself that I need to have some patience, and work to make them understand my point of view. After two hours of pleading and promising to adhere to all their instructions, I somehow managed to convince them. Ensuring my safety was their priority and getting a YES from them was mine. So, we started planning for my trip. We finalized my travel itinerary, selected a safe good hotel for me and booked air tickets. Like most people even I thought it’s illogical to spend money on travel insurance. Who buys a travel insurance?? But my father was adamant that I need to get the insurance or my trip will be cancelled. Aaahhhh! I had to buy a travel insurance plan. The cost was nominal, so it didn’t eat into my budget.
Yaahooo!! Now I was going to Bali and that too all ALONE!! I so wished I could have saved the money spent on travel insurance, which I was convinced was wasted on travel insurance. Anyway… now I was all set and ready for my first solo trip.
Tickets – Check, Hotel Room – Check, Itinerary – Check and Travel Insurance (Just for my parent’s sake) – Check
Butterflies in my stomach didn’t let me rest even for a second until I reached Bali. The first thing I did after reaching Bali was that I called my parents and informed them that I had reached safe and sound. As was the plan, my hotel’s cab was waiting for me outside the airport. I hopped in and enjoyed every single bit of the ride. From roads to vehicles, and from the sky to the buildings… I stared at everything like a small baby who had gone out for the very first time. After reaching the hotel, I was told that breakfast buffet timings were till 10.00 am only, so I needed to hurry up. I got ready and rushed to the restaurant. I started filling up my plate with all the beautiful looking dishes. I was trying to remember the names but failed miserably. I enjoyed my first meal at Bali, especially all the seafood. The food was yum and the buffet was a feast for any seafood lover. I am not a hardcore non-vegetarian, and this was the first time I tasted the seafood. I loved it! Then I left to explore Bali. But, before I could reach my first destination – Tanah Lot Temple, I had to go back to my hotel. I was literally shivering in pain and it was unbearable. I came back at the hotel and asked for help at the reception. They called the doctor and I was rushed to the hospital.
On the way to the hospital, I was thinking about the medical expenses. I was cursing myself for planning a solo trip. Tons of questions fought for my attention – What if I didn’t have enough money to pay at the hospital? How will I survive with so less money in Bali even if I manage to pay the hospital bill? I was all alone amid strangers in this country.
After reaching the hospital, I got to know that it was a seafood allergy and I needed to be in the hospital for at least 24 hours. I did not want to inform my parents about this development, but the thought of medical expenses was scaring me way more than the anger of my parents. I called my father and told him everything. To my surprise, he was calm and he consoled me and reminded me of my travel insurance plan. I love you, dad, I love you so much. I opened my travel kit which had all the important papers and passport. I told the nurse about the travel insurance, and she left with the papers. She came back and gave the papers back and informed me that they have informed the insurance company which will take care of the expenses. After spending a day at the hospital, I was allowed to go back to the hotel without spending a single penny. Indeed, Travel insurance saved my trip.
I went back to the hotel and made sure to stay away from seafood. I enjoyed my trip to Bali and loved the beaches. All thanks to the travel insurance plan and my parents who forced me to opt for it. Or else, my trip would have got ruined completely.