When Dary Merckens needed the name of a reliable doctor or the number for the U.S. embassy, he turned to an unlikely source: his smartphone's travel insurance app.
"It helped me out in numerous situations," says Merckens, the chief technology officer for a technology firm based in Las Vegas.
Travel insurance apps, which used to be simple programs that helped you contact an insurance company or file a claim, are coming of age. The best travel insurance apps for your next trip offer real-time access to medical and emergency travel assistance, extensive embassy and hospital contact information, and even the ability to buy insurance on the fly.
A stable and useful travel insurance app can make the difference between a bumpy trip and a smooth one. With the busy summer travel just underway, it's an excellent time to consider what may be an important feature of your travel insurance policy.
The best travel insurance apps could "literally be a lifesaver"
"All the travel insurance apps do a good job of helping someone keep track of their policies and helping claims get processed faster," says Kimberlee Leonard, an insurance analyst for FitSmallBusiness.com. "The better travel apps have additions for free, like where to find providers for medical attention or pharmacies, country emergency information, alerts, and other local travel aid information."
Leonard says one example of a travel insurance app that does more is the Allianz TravelSmart Mobile App.
"TravelSmart has a medical translation feature," she says. "Even if someone is fluent enough in a foreign language to get around, most people will not know complex medical terms and explanations. This tool could literally be a lifesaver when working with medical providers in emergency situations."
Exploring one of the best travel insurance apps
No one officially tracks the most popular travel insurance apps, but with more than 470,000 downloads, TravelSmart appears to be one of the most popular.
"One of the things people love about travel is the discovery of new places and people," says Daniel Durazo, a spokesman for Allianz. "TravelSmart helps travelers navigate unfamiliar territory and gives people the confidence to travel off the beaten path.
I'm a regular user of TravelSmart since I have an annual Allianz travel insurance policy. (It's free to download and available to anyone, regardless of whether they’re an Allianz customer.) Mostly, I use it to file claims -- I've had a few smaller ones earlier this year after suffering a minor medical condition on a trip to New Mexico and Arizona.
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