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Travel Insurance

Post By Mohit Mishra

Real-life Travel Insurance Story That Will Tug at Your Heartstrings

In this article, a newly-employed research executive at OneInsure shares one of her harrowing travel experiences while simultaneously detailing the event when she was introduced to the concept of travel insurancefor the first time. She writes...

When a Fun Trek Turned into a Nightmare

Just as we stepped into the New Year, I decided to take my passion for adventure to another level by going for the Chadar trek in Jammu, to which I was introduced in the year 2011 by the Human Planet series when I was still in high school. I had impulsively decided then that once in my lifetime I will go on this wild trek.

And there I was, exactly 6 years later, all pumped up to pursue this adventure.

Set at a height of 3,900 meters above sea level and coupled with a wild and icy 100+ kilometer stretch of the frozen Zanskar River, I certainly didn’t expect it to be a jolly walk. Moreover, the year 2017 was one of the warmest years recorded in India. Nevertheless, to satisfy my adrenaline rush, I reached the starting point of the river with my co-trekkers.

After having successfully made it up to a little more than halfway through the icy path, we accidentally landed on a large patch of thaw. And before we could realize the danger, I slipped and fell hard on the fragile crust of the river, making my way into an icy hole. As half of my body submerged in the freezing cold water, I made failed attempts at pushing myself out on to the ice sheet. Out of fear of being drawn away by the waters, I started hyperventilating. Everything was happening in split seconds and I started to lose consciousness. I remember my co-trekkers rushing towards me and trying to fish me out of the hole but my feet were stuck between the rocks underneath the ice sheet.

The next thing I knew I was waking up in a hospital on the 3^rd day since I was brought there. Severe hypothermia and head and back injuries would keep me under medical observation for a week. I was fed warm liquids all through the day. A nurse was assigned to look after me 24*7. Two of my co-trekkers had stayed back to take care of me. My parents were contacted and they would leave for Jammu the next day. I had obviously missed my flight while I was still unconscious.

The entire event took both a physical and emotional toll on me. I often wonder how I would have managed all that financially had I not bought travel insurance on my dad’s insistence. Amid all that was going on, knowing that the hospital expenses will be taken care of was a big relief.

I started to recover from the injuries and my body temperature became normal. On the 7^th day, I was discharged and allowed to fly back home.

That trip has become an unforgettable experience. The only good thing to come out of that was that I wasn’t financially damaged as I would have otherwise been in the absence of travel insurance. I would like to take this opportunity to advise all backpackers out there to never travel without a travel insurance policy. When things go awry, trust me, it acts as a very useful financial safety belt.

Travel insurance is indeed a very important financial safety belt that everyone must strap in before embarking on any journey. It provides financial assistance for a number of undesirable events during your travel, such as: