The following is important information about purchasing your travel insurance policy
Please read this page in its entirety.
Travel insurance provides coverage in the event of medical expenses due to sickness, accident, and/or emergency medical evacuation abroad. Travel insurance may also include coverage for loss of baggage or personal effects, personal liability, and trip cancellation or trip curtailment. It is good practice for all travelers to purchase insurance prior to traveling internationally, but it is especially pertinent for travelers with known medical conditions like diabetes. Utmost safety is always our goal, yet emergencies can arise unexpectedly, and we want our travelers to be protected, physically and financially, in the event of an emergency. While we work hard to ensure the safest experience possible for travelers, travel is never without risk. As such, T1WT requires all travelers to have a comprehensive travel insurance policy for the duration of the program.Β
Proof of travel insurance must be supplied to the T1WT office prior to the program start date by emailing a copy of your confirmation from the insurance provider showing: your name, policy number, and dates of the policy. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we require your travel insurance policy to cover medical, trip cancellation, and trip interruption.
It is essential that your your travel insurance policy cover diabetes as a pre-existing condition.
It must also cover all of the adventure activities listed in your program itinerary.
You must purchase the travel insurance policy within 21 days of paying your program deposit.
Most travel insurance policies consider diabetes a pre-existing condition excluded from coverage; HOWEVER, many policies offer a pre-existing coverage waiver so long as you purchase the policy within 21 days of making your first trip-related payment (i.e. enrollment deposit). Some travel insurance policiesβ waiver includes a stipulation that, in addition to the 21 days, you must be βmedically fit to travel on the date of policy purchase.β We recommend, prior to purchasing your policy, that you get a letter of medical clearance to travel from your endocrinologist. For example, if you enroll in a T1WT program on January 3rd, we recommend securing a letter of medical clearance to travel from your endocrinologist by January 10th, and enrolling in a travel insurance plan by, at the latest, January 20th.Β Β
T1WT's preferred travel insurance partners are
AIG Travel Guard & World Nomad's Explorer Plan.
When buying your travel insurance policy, itβs important that:
- Your policy covers you from the date you depart your home, until the date you return home, not just your T1WT program dates.
- Your policy offers coverage for the adventure activities included in the program you are participating in (see vetted recommendations below).
- Declare T1D and any other medical or mental health conditions in your application. To be insured for any preexisting condition, it is essential to inform the insurance company. They will advise you if they can cover the condition or not.
- Please read the insurance policy thoroughly to become familiar with the cancellation circumstances that may be covered. These vary greatly from policy to policy.
- Policy terms and coverage vary by state in the USA and by country. It is important that you check your policy carefully.
Please note: Type 1 Way Ticket Travel is not responsible for any travel insurance actions, exclusions, or omissions.
Insurance advice
Before you do anything else, speak to your existing healthcare insurance about whether they offer coverage abroad and, if so, what they cover. Many mainstream insurers in the U.S. offer international coverage at an additional fee. If this is the case for you and your healthcare insurance providerβs coverage meets the above criteria, great! You will need only a basic insurance policy to cover trip cancellation and interruption.Β
If your existing insurance provider does not offer international coverage, or if you would like to look into other plans, below are some questions to ask that could save you lots of time, money, and stress.
Key considerations/things to ask when speaking with travel insurance providers:
- Is Type 1 Diabetes a covered pre-existing condition under this policy?
- What is the specified time frame for purchasing coverage (must be purchased within X days of initial program payment)?
- What is the specified time frame for cancellation (e.g. 48 hours prior to scheduled departure)?
- What % of non-recoverable expenses is covered? (75% reimbursement of non-recoverable expenses seems to be the standard.)
- Can the coverage be purchased as a stand-alone policy or is it only available as an add-on or upgrade as part of an overarching travel insurance plan?
- Does the policy provide benefits for interruption for any reason (after the program has already begun) or only cancellation for any reason (prior to departure)?
- Is there a cap on the dollar amount for covered expenses?
- Does this policy apply to my state of residence? Policies can vary greatly depending on which state you are from.Β
- Does this policy cover the adventure travel activities listed on my itinerary?
- For Thailand SCUBA participants: be sure to ask specifically about SCUBA diving.
DIABETES + OTHER HEALTH DISCLOSURES
It is essential to inform the insurance company of diabetes and any of medical or mental health conditions. If you do not, your travel insurance is unlikely to pay for medical treatment or costs to get you home if needed. Diabetes is covered by many travel insurance providers. Unfortunately, most travel insurance providers do not cover claims for expenses related to mental health conditions.
OTHER DISCLOSURES
Policies will often pay for you to cancel your trip or come home early if a close relative becomes ill. If you know of a relative’s condition before the trip, you must tell the insurance company before you travel so they may decide if they will cover this or not. Check carefully to see who the policy defines as a βclose relativeβ, as policies differ.
T1WT Insurance Provider Recommendations
AIG Travel Guardβs policy & World Nomad’s Explorer Plan cover diabetes as a pre-existing condition as long as you inform them of it AND purchase the policy within 21 days of paying your program fee deposit. They also cover all included activities on our programs, including SCUBA diving.