American tourists are discovering the host of lavish and cultural experiences that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) offers. The UAE has a mix of beaches, cosmopolitan luxury and historic enrichment for international travelers to enjoy.
“Travel to the United Arab Emirates has grown rapidly in the last 10 years, both for leisure and business travel alike,” says Lisa Conway, the chief underwriting officer of Battleface, a travel insurance company. “The UAE is a hub for modern architecture and design and is the location of the tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa). Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the hot spots which are most visited, and travelers are drawn to the opulence found there.”
While visiting the UAE, you can partake in an abundance of activities and revel in its cultural melting pot. “The UAE has over 800 miles of coastline, and is home to a very diverse population of expats and immigrants, making Dubai one of the most international cities in the world,” says Conway.
Planning a trip to the UAE will likely require large cash outlays for flights, hotels, tours, transportation and excursions. With so much financially riding on a successful trip, your best course of action is to purchase a comprehensive travel insurance plan.
Here are the types of travel insurance coverage to consider for your next trip to the UAE.
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Trip Cancellation Insurance: Putting the Kibosh on Dubai Creek
Despite the best planning and a robust itinerary for exploring the UAE, unexpected events could cause you to cancel your trip.
Standard trip cancellation insurance reimburses you 100% of pre-paid, unused and non-refundable trip expenses you forfeit if you need to cancel your trip for a reason listed in your policy.
Acceptable reasons usually include:
- Illness or injury to you, a travel companion or a close family member
- Death of an immediate relative or travel companion
- Serious family emergency
- Unexpected job loss
- Military deployment
- Jury duty summons
- Civil unrest
- Severe weather
- Bankruptcy of your travel supplier
- Acts of war
Acceptable reasons for a claim for canceling a trip vary significantly from one travel insurance plan to the next, so be sure to read the details of your policy so you’re aware of what’s eligible for a claim.
Not all reasons for canceling will be covered by your travel insurance plan. If three days before your trip you are having second thoughts about the long-haul flight to the UAE, you won’t be able to rely on your travel insurance plan’s trip cancellation benefits.
“Cancel for any reason” travel insurance
If you need the most flexibility for your travel plans, consider adding “cancel for any reason” travel insurance to a standard policy. This valuable add-on will give you the latitude to cancel your trip for whatever reason you want, as long as you cancel no less than two days before you’re scheduled to leave on your trip. But it will increase the price of your travel insurance plan by an average of 50%.
As long as you meet the requirements, you can generally recover 75% of your trip costs with “cancel for any reason” travel insurance.
Trip Delay Travel Insurance: See You Soon, Dubai Spice Souk
Traveling to Abu Dhabi from the U.S. will involve one or two connecting flights. An airline delay at any stage could derail your carefully planned trip.
If you are connecting in Amsterdam, for example, and your flight is delayed due to thunderstorms, you may miss your connecting flight to the UAE.
With trip delay travel insurance, if you do miss your flight, you can submit a claim for reimbursement for related expenses like a meal, a hotel stay and some personal care items.
Some acceptable reasons for delay include:
- Airline mechanical problems
- Severe weather
- Security issues
Not all reasons for travel delays will be covered by your policy. If you are in the airport lounge before your flight and miss your connection due to miscalculating the time difference, your travel delay insurance won’t cover your associated expenses.
It’s customary for travel insurance plans to have a waiting period before your travel delay benefits kick in. For example, it may be six or 12 hours, depending on your policy. Look for a short wait time when shopping for a policy.
If your delay causes you to arrive late and miss a pre-paid tour or the first night of your hotel stay in Abu Dhabi, you can file a claim for reimbursement for these financial setbacks as well. Be sure to keep your receipts, as they will be required when you file a claim.
Related: How To Get Reimbursement For A Travel Insurance Claim
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Trip Interruption Travel Insurance: Bye-bye Dubai
If you are riding a camel in Dubai and fall off and break your arm, you may want to return home after visiting a local doctor. Your trip interruption travel insurance will most likely cover a one-way economy plane ticket home plus any unused, pre-paid and non-refundable expenses you’ll forfeit by cutting your trip short.
Other reasons that may be covered by trip interruption insurance include:
- Family emergency, like the death of a close family member
- Sick or injured close relative at home
- Civil unrest
- Severe weather
Not all reasons will be covered if you want to depart early. For example, if your daughter is texting you that your in-laws are mean babysitters, your travel insurance company won’t offer a helping hand if you decide to return home early.
“Interruption for any reason” travel insurance
Consider “interruption for any reason” travel insurance if you want the freedom to return home early no matter the cause. It’s an optional upgrade sold by a few travel insurance companies that reimburse up to 75% of insured trip costs. You usually must buy it within 15 to 20 days of your first trip payment or deposit. It typically adds 3% to 10% to your travel insurance cost.
Travel Medical Insurance for Health Emergencies in the UAE
Travel medical insurance is very important whenever you travel outside the U.S. because your domestic health plan generally won’t be accepted abroad. Medicare is not accepted in foreign countries.
This valuable travel insurance can cover medical treatment if you’re ill or become injured during your trip. It compensates costs for doctor’s visits, medicine, labwork, X-rays and hospitalization, up to your policy’s limits.
Related: Best Covid-19 Travel Insurance Plans
Medical evacuation travel insurance
If your condition is more serious or if you are in an area where you need an air ambulance, emergency medical evacuation travel insurance covers these transport costs, up to your policy limits. You can be medevaced to the nearest adequate treatment facility, or even back home if medically necessary.
“I suggest travelers increase their medical evacuation coverage to at least $250,000 as transport out of the UAE could be very costly due to its geographic location,” says Conway.
24/7 travel insurance assistance services
When shopping for travel insurance, look for special offerings that may be included with a policy, like a 24/7 travel assistance hotline.
“Healthcare in the United Arab Emirates is of high quality with modern facilities, one of the reasons that Abu Dhabi and Dubai have become medical tourism destinations,” says Don Van Scyoc, vice president of individual sales with GeoBlue, a travel insurance company. “Even with this high-quality healthcare system, travelers should look for a travel insurance plan that includes 24/7 telemedical consultations so they can always get service quickly.”
Also, your travel insurance company’s assistance hotline offers other useful services.
“Another consideration is the cultural and language differences,” says Daniel Durazo, a spokesperson with Allianz Travel Insurance. He says Allianz’s TravelSmart mobile app features medical terms or basic medicine names in various languages. That way if you become ill, you have a resource to seek help. The app also has an AroundMe feature that shows nearby hospitals or embassies, if needed.
Travel Insurance for Baggage Loss, Delay and Personal Items
There’s always the possibility that your bags could be lost, stolen or damaged in transit, especially if you have several connections. Your baggage insurance can provide financial relief if this happens. You can file a claim and be reimbursed for the depreciated value of your luggage and what’s inside it as long as it’s covered by your policy. Just be sure to keep your airline’s report because you will need to present it to your travel insurance company when you file your claim.
If your baggage arrives at your destination after you do, baggage delay benefits apply. Keep in mind that there is usually a waiting period before coverage kicks in.
Your baggage travel insurance also protects your other belongings while you travel. If your backpack is stolen while browsing in an outdoor market, for example, you can file a claim. Be sure to notify your tour operator or local authorities of the incident. You will need to present this documentation to your travel insurance company.
Note that baggage loss coverage is typically secondary to other claims you can make, such as reimbursement from the airline (if they lose your bags), credit card or homeowners insurance.
With baggage loss coverage, you should also look for these common caveats and exclusions:
- Per-item limits
- Caps on reimbursement
- Excluded items like designer watches and artwork
- Lost or stolen cash will not be reimbursed
The best plan is not to bring any expensive possessions with you when you travel.
The average cost of travel insurance is 5% to 6% of your trip cost, a Forbes Advisor analysis of travel insurance rates found. The average cost for a $5,000 trip is $228, for a $10,000 trip it’s $512, so buying travel insurance can be a smart move to safeguard your investment.
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