Is having travel insurance mandatory to travel to Turkey?
No. Although some countries require travel insurance to enter their borders due to COVID-19, Turkey is not one of them. In any case, I recommend checking the latest information from the Turkish authorities to make sure that having travel insurance for Turkey is not mandatory.
Although it is not a requirement to have travel insurance for Turkey, it is still strictly necessary and recommended. If you travel to a place where you do not have medical coverage and you suffer health issues, not only will your trip be ruined, but you will have to cover all the necessary health treatment. On some occasions, depending on the country and the treatment you need, the bill can be very high.
If you are reading this post knowing that you need travel insurance for Turkey but you don’t know which company to purchase your policy from, I recommend purchasing a HEYMONDO travel insurance policy. I’ve used this company for years now and I highly recommend it. Also, for being a reader of this blog, you can take advantage of a 5% discount on your next HEYMONDO travel insurance policy.
When looking for travel insurance for Turkey, you should consider the following:
– MINIMUM COVERAGE. Your travel insurance should cover a minimum of $75,000 in medical expenses. Yes, it is a lot of money, but since we bought insurance, we better make sure that it will cover all our expenses no matter what happens to us.
– NO MONEY UP FRONT. Some companies make you pay upfront and then refund your money. My advice is to purchase travel insurance that pays the medical center directly so that you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket. In order to ensure that the insurance cover the costs directly, make sure you call your company first so they can tell you which center you have to go to and do all the paperwork for you.
– CORONAVIRUS. In these present times, it is very important that the insurance you purchase covers medical expenses related to the coronavirus. The insurance I recommend covers COVID-19 related issues.
– SUPPORT IN YOUR LANGUAGE. It seems silly but it is not. Purchase a travel insurance for Turkey that offers customer service in your language. If you have an emergency and you also have to explain your situation in another language, you will only complicate the matter.
– ADVENTURE SPORTS. Not all travel insurance policies cover all adventure sport. If you are going to carry out any risky activity in your destination, you will have to purchase travel insurance that covers that activity. Many insurances offer this as an add-on and increase coverage so that it also covers any accident doing one of the adventure sports mentioned in the policy.
Travel insurance for Turkey
↠ Purchase travel insurance for Turkey.
Now that I’ve given you a brief summary of the things to keep in mind when purchasing travel insurance, I will recommend the best travel insurance for Turkey.
Why purchase travel insurance?
Travel insurance, like any insurance, covers sudden and unforeseen risks. Unfortunately, misfortunes can happen at any time and place. Also, anyone can have bad luck. Investing in insurance is investing in health, safety and, if you finally have to use it, you will also save plenty of cash.
In addition, travel insurance doesn’t just cover health emergencies but also covers the following:
– EARLY RETURN. If you must interrupt your trip for the following reasons: hospitalization or death of a family member in your country of residency, the additional return expenses will be covered under your policy.
– TRIP CANCELLATION. Heymondo Provides reimbursement for non-refundable expenses should you need to cancel your trip due to one of the covered reasons. For this coverage to be valid it must be purchased no longer than 7 days after having made the first trip booking.
– DAMAGE TO LUGGAGE. Coverage for loss or damage to insured’s luggage or personal effects in the event of theft, total or partial loss attributable to the carrier or damages as a result of fire or aggression that occurs during the trip.
– PERSONAL LIABILITY. Heymondo covers monetary compensation for bodily or material damages to third parties. Legal costs and expenses are also included.
– TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR A FAMILY MEMBER. If you have to be hospitalized for more than 7 days and you do not have any relatives with you, the insurance will cover travel costs for a relative to your destination.
– MEDICAL COVERAGE. If you get sick, have an accident, get COVID-19, Heymondo has you covered. This coverage is the main reason why you should purchase travel insurance for Turkey.
Best travel insurance for Turkey
As I mentioned previously, the insurance company I’ve used over the past few years and that I always recommend is Heymondo. I am a huge fan of what the company has to offer, such as:
↠ VALUE FOR MONEY. Heymondo is one of the most comprehensive travel insurances on the market as far as value for money. The company offers great coverage at a fair price.
↠ 24-HOUR MEDICAL ATTENTION. I also love that HEYMONDO offers a 24/h chat where you can chat with a health professional who will answer all your medical questions. I’ve used the chat several times during my trips whenever I had questions about any symptoms I was having. Instead of browsing the web for answers, you’ll be able to chat directly with a health professional. You can chat through Whatsapp or through the Heymondo app.
↠ HEYMONDO APP. Once you purchase a Heymondo insurance policy, you’ll be able to have access to the APP exclusively for its costumers. Through the app you will be able to call using WI-FI, review your policy, make claims and chat with a health professional (including a pediatrician).
↠ COVID-19 COVERAGE. If you are looking for travel insurance for Turkey that offers COVID-19 coverage, HEYMONDO has you covered. HEYMONDO travel insurance covers COVID-19 related issues. Therefore, if during your trip to Turkey you contract the virus and need medical attention, the insurance company will cover all expenses. In addition, they also cover the costs if you have to extend your stay at the hotel due to medical quarantine.
↠ INSURANCE POLICY REFUND. Another aspect that I love about HEYMONDO is that if finally, for whatever reason, you are not going to your travel and you had purchase an insurance policy, you will be able to get your money back.
For these reasons and more, HEYMONDO is the best travel insurance for Turkey.
How much does travel insurance for Turkey cost?
In the following section, I’ll display some examples of the rates for a 10-day trips to Turkey. The rates vary based on coverage.
HEYMONDO offers 3 types of travel insurance policies: Heymondo Top, Heymondo Premium and Heymondo Medical.
↠ HEYMONDO TOP: $60.55
$250,000 in medical coverage, repatriation and early return, $1,700 in luggage coverage, $3,500 in cancellation and interruption, optional tech coverage, trip cancellation included, optional adventure sports coverage.
↠ HEYMONDO PREMIUM: $75.29
$500,000 in medical coverage, repatriation and early return, $2,500 in luggage coverage, $7000 in cancellation and interruption, optional tech coverage, trip cancellation included, optional adventure sports coverage, optional cruise coverage.
↠ HEYMONDO MEDICAL: $58.11
$5000,000 in medical coverage, repatriation and early return.
As you can see, the rates for Heymondo travel insurance policies are fair; however, for being a reader you can take advantage of a 5% discount.
Below, you can see different rates for several trip durations on travel insurance for Turkey:
– 1-week coverage: from $50.68
– 2-week coverage: from $69.89.
– 3-week coverage: from $88.29
– 1 month coverage: from $107.65
If you are interested in a more detailed review of Heymondo travel insurance, I invite you to read my post where I review the company.
Vaccines for Turkey
According to the CDC, there aren’t any mandatory vaccines to travel to Turkey. However, it is recommended to get an MMR vaccine. Other vaccines that are recommend by the CDC are COVID-19, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Rabies and Typhoid.
I did not get any vaccines prior to my trip to Turkey. I recommend consulting a health professional if you have questions or concerns about vaccines prior to traveling.
Safety in Turkey
You will not run into safety issues during your trip to Turkey. However, I always recommend to practice basic precautionary measures when traveling, regardless of the destination.
– BORDERS. It is totally inadvisable to travel to border areas with Syria, specifically to the provinces of Mardin, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Kilis and Hatay. It is also not recommended to go to the provinces bordering Iraq: Sirnak and Hakkari. Other dangerous areas are the following provinces in eastern/southeastern Turkey: Batman, Siirt, Mardin, Diyarbakir, Tunceli, Van, and Agri.
– PERSONAL BELONGINGS. Always keep an eye on personal belongings and valuable items. I recommend always being aware of your belongings. Be especially careful on public transport or in areas frequented by tourists as those tend to be pickpocket hotspots.
– ATTIRE. Remember to dress accordingly when visiting public and religious establishments. Always have respect for local culture.
– BE CAREFUL IN BAZAARS. Be careful in the bazaars, not only because they are places where there are usually a lot of people and pickpocketing happens often, but because there may be vendors who insist too much on selling you fake products.
I hope that this article about the best travel insurance for Turkey has been informative and very useful for you in planning your trip. If you have any other questions, I encourage you to leave a comment or email me. Until the next one traveler!
