For people planning any travel, especially outside the home country, it is an absolute must to be covered by an international travel medical insurance package for a safe and secure trip. Any travel involves risks like stolen baggage, health complications and emergency scenarios demanding immediate evacuation. An insurance for international travel policy is the answer to all these possible nightmares during a trip.

Once you opt for an international travel medical insurance policy with global coverage, you are protected not only in your home country but also during your travel overseas across many countries in the world. However, in the case of medical insurance for international travel, you may have a predetermined waiting period to avail of certain benefits like maternity and preventive care.

In order to get the advantages out of your international travel medical insurance package, you need to comply with some minimum eligibility requirements irrespective of your age, status and nationality. These requirements would be mentioned by your insurance company in advance.

For example, many of the international travel medical insurance policies place restrictions on the time spent by the US citizens in their home country. Some of the plans state that US citizens must reside outside their native country or leave the United States on a particular date and live abroad for a period of at least 6 months. However, these restrictions are relaxed in the case of non US citizens.

You can apply for international travel medical insurance when you are as young as 14 days or even at the age of 74 years. But when you cross 74 years, you would be covered under the same plan if you have been covered continuously by the insurance provider in the past. Most of the providers do not allow you to apply for a new policy.

You can cover your entire family under a single international insurance policy plan. It works out beneficial for you if you cover your spouse and kids under the same plan as some of the international travel medical insurance providers offer free coverage for the children if both the parents opt for the same insurance plan.

You can also cover newborn babies for any illness right from their birth if the mother qualifies for pregnancy coverage under the international travel medical insurance plan she has applied for. You need to also include the newborn baby under the insurance plan within 31 days of birth.

Both individuals and families can be enrolled for an appropriate international travel medical insurance plan. In fact, if the family is insured as a whole, it would be highly beneficial as you would get a lot of incentives. However, some of the benefits like preventive care and maternity coverage require a minimum waiting period of 12 months before you can avail the incentives.