When you need Worldwide travel insurance

Worldwide is the broadest territory in the travel insurance calculator. In the Cherehapa service (Polis Re's partner), through which policies are purchased on polisre.ru, it includes every country without exception: the USA and Canada, where treatment is especially expensive, and Russia as well.

Travellers choose this policy when the route does not fit into one country or one region:

  • multi-country trips, for example Asia and Europe in a single holiday;
  • round-the-world journeys and long routes with several flights;
  • connections in third countries, when you may get stuck at the airport or in the transit city;
  • cruises, where the ship calls at ports of different countries during one trip;
  • frequent travel during the year, for which an annual multi-trip policy is convenient.

If you are flying to one country and staying there, a policy for that country or its region is usually enough. Worldwide makes sense when you want to cover everything at once and not guess where the route will take you next week.

Is insurance required and what the policy must include

There is no single rule for the whole world: each country decides for itself whether insurance is mandatory and what it must look like. So start by checking every country on your route, including transit ones. Details on popular destinations are collected in the travel insurance section.

Pay special attention to the Schengen visa. If your route includes a Schengen country and you need a visa, the policy must meet consular requirements: cover of at least 30,000 EUR and validity for the whole trip. Worldwide fits in terms of territory, but check the sum and dates separately. More on the Schengen insurance and insurance for a visa pages.

Rules of other countries change, so before you travel check the requirements on the embassy or consulate website and the transit conditions with your carrier.

How to choose the sum insured

The sum insured is the limit within which the insurance company pays for treatment, hospitalisation and transport. For a route that includes the USA or Canada, take a higher sum: private healthcare there is expensive, and even a short hospital stay can cost a great deal. In the calculator on polisre.ru you can choose cover of up to 100,000 in the policy currency for this territory.

If North America is not on your route, look at the country with the most expensive healthcare on your trip and at the requirements of visa countries. A higher sum also helps on long journeys: the more days on the road, the higher the chance you will need a doctor.

Which options to add

  • flight delay and baggage for routes with several flights and connections;
  • trip cancellation if you have prepaid non-refundable tickets, hotels or a cruise;
  • active leisure: mountains, trekking, diving; check the policy terms for which activities the basic programme includes;
  • personal liability in case you cause harm to other people or their property;
  • accident cover, a payout for injury; more about this type of insurance in accident insurance;
  • chronic conditions if you have diagnoses that may flare up on the road;
  • emergency dental care: acute toothache on a long trip happens more often than you think.

What to do if something happens

The procedure is the same in any country. First call the assistance company, the insurer's service partner: the phone number is in your policy. Explain what happened and where you are. The assistance company will find a clinic and approve treatment.

Do not pay for treatment yourself without approval, otherwise the costs may not be reimbursed. Keep all documents: medical reports, invoices, receipts and, for a flight delay or lost baggage, the carrier's certificates. Step-by-step guidance is in what to do when an insured event occurs.

How to buy a Worldwide policy online on polisre.ru

  1. Open the calculator, select the Worldwide territory, your travel dates and the number of travellers.
  2. Choose the sum insured and tick the options you need.
  3. Compare offers from 16 insurance companies: the quote is provided by the Cherehapa service (Polis Re's partner).
  4. Enter traveller details exactly as they appear in the international passport.
  5. Pay online, and the policy will be sent to your e-mail.

The policy is issued by the insurance company you choose. The comparison includes AlfaStrakhovanie, Ingosstrakh, Zetta Insurance, Sovcombank Insurance, Renaissance, RESO-Garantia, Soglasie, Russian Standard, Absolut Insurance, Sberbank Insurance, VSK, Energogarant, Luchi Insurance, PARI, Euroins and Rosgosstrakh. More about each of them is in the insurance companies section.

If you are already on the road: some insurers have programmes for people who are already travelling; check the conditions (for example, a waiting period) in the calculator. Polis Re specialists can help if you still have questions about choosing a programme.