All clients must have comprehensive travel insurance cover while travelling with us. Find out more about how much cover you need for your tour and where you can purchase it in your country.
Why do I need travel insurance?
Travel insurance is an essential 'must-have' when you travel - it is a necessity, not a luxury. You need it for protection against the unexpected, to protect yourself against financial losses and for peace of mind. Still, many people think purchasing travel insurance isn't that important, that they're prepared to take a risk and think they can save money by avoiding it. In reality, if you can't afford travel insurance, you really can't afford to travel.
It is important that you know that travel insurance is mandatory for all clients whilst on a tour organised by AITO Iran Tours. You and your personal property including baggage are at all times solely at your own risk and you are wholly responsible for arranging your own insurance.
How much cover do I need?
A suitable insurance policy should provide adequate cover for medical expenses arising through illness or accident prior to or during the holiday and loss of holiday monies through cancellation or curtailment of the holiday for insurable reasons. If you are travelling on an AITO Iran tour you must be in possession of a travel insurance policy that includes a minimum of 100,000 USD (or equivalent currency) in cover for any medical expenses that you might incur when travelling, and for repatriation to your home country in the event of a medical emergency.
If you are making your own arrangements you should ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities in your tour, including optional excursions. Many insurance companies will allow you to arrange extra cover for activities not covered by a particular policy. In addition to cover for medical expenses and repatriation, we strongly recommend that policies should include cover for personal accident, cancellation and curtailment, and loss of baggage and valuables. It is also advisable to cover yourself for personal liability in case you are sued for causing injury or damage to property. AITO Iran Tours will not be held liable for any claim arising out of failure to take out sufficiently comprehensive insurance.
You must present the tour leader with your insurance policy and provide the 24 hour emergency contact number and the policy number, on arrival. Any client who does not have a policy or is unable to provide this information will be obliged to purchase one before they can join the tour. Residents of the European Union should note that although a European Health Insurance Card can cover the cost of some medical treatment in European Union countries, it will not cover the cost of you returning to your home country after an accident or medical emergency. We strongly recommend that you carry a copy of your full policy document with you at all times, together with any certificate showing the policy number and emergency contact details. Please remember: no two travel insurance policies are alike. Make sure you read your policy thoroughly before purchase and make sure that it covers you for medical expenses, repatriation and other criteria described above.
Will I be covered by my credit card?
The travel insurance cover automatically provided with credit card purchases does not provide adequate cover as standard. Proof of adequate insurance will be requested at the start of your tour and failure to provide this will result you being prevented from joining the tour. There are essentially three different kinds of credit card insurance policies:
- The standard 'free' cover provided when someone takes a basic credit card - this generally provides insurance for all travel that has been paid for with the credit card, for the time between when the client leaves home and when the client arrives in their destination. Once they arrive, the insurance ends. So, basically the insurance covers almost nothing and is not acceptable for our tours.
- Travel insurance that can be 'purchased' through a credit card company – generally most credit card companies offer very comprehensive travel insurance policies to their clients for payment of a fee. These policies are generally very similar to those provided by travel agents and are acceptable for our tours.
- 'Free' comprehensive travel insurance that may be provided to people with gold or platinum type credit cards - basically as per (2). Again these policies are generally very similar to those provided by travel agents and are acceptable for our tours. In order to ensure that clients do not join our tours with the inadequate cover provided under (1), if you wish to use your credit card insurance you must be able to prove to the tour leader that our minimum requirement has been met. That is, you must be able to prove to the tour leader that the policy includes a minimum of 100,000 USD (or equivalent) in cover for any medical expenses that you might incur when travelling and for repatriation to your home country in the event of a medical emergency.
The easiest way for you to prove this is to produce a copy of the detailed insurance policy, in which this cover will be specified. If you are unable to prove this you will be obliged to purchase an acceptable insurance policy before being allowed to join the tour. We strongly recommend that you carry a copy of your full policy document with you at all times, together with any certificate showing the policy number and emergency contact details. If you are unsure about whether your policy provides you enough cover, contact your credit card company directly or for further information, please contact us.