Backpackers are largely made up of young travellers and statistics show that they account for one-fifth of all international travel in the tourism industry. A growing percentage of these travellers are now getting backpacker travel insurance before they start out on their journeys. They have begun to realise that when going on such long travels, it is better to be safe than sorry.

As much as one might try to avoid it, there are times when these travellers do have to claim their insurance. Some claims, however, come up more frequently than others. Here is a list of the top 4 reasons why backpackers end up claiming insurance:

1. Medical Bills

This is by far the most common reason why backpackers claim insurance. The residents of the UK have the NHS, which helps keep medical bills in check. However, there are a large number of countries that do not have such medical support systems. In fact, many countries offer only private healthcare.

What this means is that medical bills can skyrocket. And if you are on a budget, that could mean the difference between life and death if you have a serious injury or illness and cannot afford to pay for treatment.

2. Belongings Stolen or Lost

Backpackers tend to stay within their budgets by hostels or other cheap accommodations. There is therefore the risk of their belongings being stolen. Backpackers can even end up losing their belongings when they are out and about.

While losing your clothes is not such a big deal, losing more valuable items like money or electronics is a much more troublesome. Besides the financial hit, most travellers – especially backpackers – are digitally connected nowadays. Bookings, routes and other information critical to their travels is on their smartphone or tablet. Backpacker travel insurance covers losses, so while you may not get your belongings back, at least you can recover your costs.

3. Unexpected Circumstances

According to the 2018 Tourism Survey, there has been a 22% rise in travellers visiting new destinations. However, some countries have been marked as more dangerous to travel to than others. And the number on this list has been growing in recent times.

What this means is that while you may have planned to visit a particular country, unrest there could lead to you being forced to avoid travelling there. If you have to do so, then your travel insurance will cover you for the money you because of these unexpected circumstances.

4. Delays in Travel

There are tons of stories about how people have missed their connecting flights for no fault of their own. There are also times when an injury or illness may have forced you to stay in one place longer that you had planned. This means that you would need to re-arrange your schedule – re-book flights, accommodation, and so on.

Travel insurance helps you recover a large part of your costs, thereby taking out some of the stress and added expense on your trip.

If you are planning a backpacking trip, ensure that you make a detailed schedule of what you plan to do so that you can get the right kind of backpackers travel insurance to give you the buffer you need on your journey.