Posted on Monday, March 12th, 2007 at 2:08 pm

I remember spring break quite well. This is the most coveted week of the school year for students in the U.S. Many students look forward to this week of relaxation for weeks and with great anticipation. I know I couldn’t wait to go abroad on the trip I carefully planned out. I knew it was going to be the best week of my college experience. After studying every night for mid-terms, writing papers, completing research projects and working part-time I felt like I deserved this mini vacation. The only thing I didn’t think about was getting insurance for myself while I was abroad. Granted I knew I was still under my parents domestic insurance plan, however, you never know if domestic insurance plans will extend overseas and this is something you don’t want to leave up to chance.

So, before you go overseas I would highly recommend getting an insurance plan that will cover you outside of the U.S. There are so many cases where I’ve spoken to people who’ve had an injury or illness that they’ve gotten overseas and their domestic insurance plan only covers extreme cases. At that point, you don’t really have any other option except to pay the bill yourself. But, the lesson they learned the hard way is to have travel insurance. And although, medical expenses are cheaper abroad it still may be an expensive bill, especially for students. Wouldn’t you want to spend your hard-earned money on something other than medical costs?

If you are looking for a plan, then I would recommend the Atlas International plan. This plan is quite inexpensive and it provides excellent coverage. You could choose a $0 deductible plan with maximum coverage ranging anywhere from $50,000 to $1,000,000. Your cost for a 7 day trip would range anywhere from $8.75 to $13.13. This plan also offers great benefits, such as, BagTrak, Lost passport or travel documents assistance, emergency cash transfers, livetravel services, emergency medical evacuation, and so much more. So, even if you don’t end up using the plan at least you’re provided with a sense of security and reassurance that you are covered while you are abroad.

The U.S. Department of State provides more information on requirements for travelers, travel tips for students, tips for women traveling alone, etc. Another great site full of discount student travel information is found through InternationalStudent.com. It gives you great information for vacation planning, things to do before you leave, hostel/hotel room search, cheap airfare, etc.