Gap Year Travel Protection & Assistance Services

Gap years are popular among young people looking to take a break from education to see the world, pursue a hobby, and get life experience. If you've been saving up for student gap year travel, it's a good idea to budget carefully and set money aside for emergencies. Travel protection for a student gap year is something you should build into your budget to help protect you from the unexpected.

What Is Gap Year Travel Protection? 

Travel protection for gap years is designed for a long holiday with multiple destinations back to back.

What Coverage Is Available for Gap Year Students? 

In general, travel protection for a gap year may cover most of the same things that a traditional plan could, such as medical coverage, lost luggage, and issues with transportation. For students planning a long trip, this is helpful for getting greater peace of mind. Some thing that may be typically covered by gap-year travel protection include:

Trip Cancellation and Interruption

Help protect your whole travel itinerary with Trip Cancellation and Interruption coverage. This provides coverage against unexpected issues, such as canceled flights (due to adverse weather, mechanical, or organized labor strikes) preventing you from getting to your next destination or extreme weather interrupting one or more legs of your trip.

Travel protection can be invaluable for students who saved for a long time and prebooked each part of their trip to get the best possible prices. Rebooking hostels or hotels on short notice can cost far more than advance bookings and finding somewhere to stay when an airport closes or flights get canceled isn't easy. A good protection plan can help you make alternative arrangements if something happens. 

Medical and Dental Coverage

If you're traveling abroad, it's vital to have emergency coverage to help you access medical care if you fall ill. While everyone should think about emergency coverage, it's imperative if you're going to remote destinations or planning to engage in extreme sports.

Medical and Dental coverage may help you with evacuation if you become seriously ill and may also cover repatriation flights if necessary. The cost, level, and type of coverage will depend on your chosen plan, the activities you plan to participate in, and whether you have any preexisting health conditions.

Baggage Coverage 

If you're taking a gap year, you're probably traveling light, but every item in your luggage is likely carefully chosen. Even a relatively small backpack might carry thousands of pounds worth of gear in the form of laptops, tablet devices and your smartphone. You may also have other essential items, such as:

• Photo ID

• Travel tickets/documents

• Medication

• Sports equipment

• Clothing

• Sentimental items or souvenirs

Losing these things would be frustrating and could make onward travel difficult. Travel protection for a gap year may help you replace essential items and offset some of the financial cost of them going missing. Of course, travel protection doesn't help you replace your most sentimental items, but it can make the practical issues easier to cope with. Please review plan documents to review what certain items are excluded.

Assistance and Support 

For many students, a gap year is their first time on a long trip independently. Navigating new places can be scary when you don't speak the language. Knowing you have someone you can call when you're stranded at a coach station or an airport can be invaluable.

It's always a good idea to set money aside for emergencies so you can rebook the next train or spend an extra night in a hostel if your outbound trip is canceled. However, travel protection can be an invaluable lifeline when things goes wrong.

Add-Ons

Depending on your plans, you may want additional coverage. If you're taking a road trip across Europe and renting a car for the duration, you most likely want Rental Car coverage. The best gap year travel protection providers offer additional packages, so you can enjoy your gap year with peace of mind. Rental Car coverage is not available to residents of Texas.

Travel Tips for Gap Year Students

If you're planning a gap year, keep these tips in mind for an awesome experience:

1. Get off the beaten track: If you go to tourist-trap cities, you may spend a fortune and waste time in crowded places. Choose hidden gems to live like a local and return with interesting stories.

2. Hostels can be a lot of fun: Staying in hostels gives you a chance to meet like-minded people close to your age. It's also way less expensive than staying in a hotel. Choose hotels when you want time to yourself, but try the hostel or pod experience at least once to enjoy the social side of the gap year.

3. Working holidays can recharge your wallet: Consider working holidays as a chance to earn some money by bartending, tutoring or doing other part-time jobs to fund the rest of your trip.

At Generali Global Assistance, we offer a range of travel protection plans to help young people enjoy a gap year travel experience. Browse our travel protection plans today and contact us to help protect your next holiday.

Note: Trip Cancellation for Any Reason coverage is not available to residents of New York and other eligibility requirements apply.

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