Everything about TravelAssist
Enroll nowWhat is Good Sam TravelAssist?
Our imaginations run wild when planning our next vacation or trip. From choosing destinations, coordinating travel arrangements, and even planning meals, we’ll research, daydream, and go to great lengths to plan out our adventures, hoping to create incredible memories once we leave home. But how often do we plan for the unexpected?
Everything does not always go as planned. And we can face travel challenges as small as a blown tire, or as extreme as a life-threatening injury or illness. You’ve likely brought a spare tire, or have roadside assistance. Have you considered a medical emergency?
TravelAssist is an emergency medical assistance program to ensure you are prepared to get immediate care in the event of an injury or illness during travel, and to reduce or eliminate the burden of associated costs and logistics.
All levels of medical emergencies can occur when you’re away from home. TravelAsisst will step in to ensure you receive the medical care you need and your vehicle and travel companions are provided for. How do we we do this? That’s what separates us from any other medical assistance program—and we can prove it.
What’s the difference between emergency assistance and travel insurance?
Travel insurance covers losses that occur during the trip, reimbursing you once you’re back home. Travel assistance provides 24/7 emergency support during a trip.
Travel insurance only covers you for the duration of individual trips whereas an emergency assistance program like TravelAssist is an annual membership that covers all your travel for that year.
When it matters, travel insurance can save you from big, unexpected financial expenses. Canceled flights, lost luggage—with what it costs to replace these or to get your money back, travel insurance can end up paying for itself. But there’s a lot it doesn’t cover, including emergency medical transportation services.
Did you know your medical insurance doesn’t cover many of these expenses, either?
- Travelers unknowingly risk high out of pocket expenses if they were ever to suffer a medical emergency while away from home, especially when travelling internationally.
- Transportation costs to the appropriate care facility, transferring medical documents, getting you home—most medical insurance doesn’t cover these expenses. TravelAssist does.
When do I need emergency assistance?
Emergencies occur without warning. You never know when you’ll need emergency assistance when traveling—hopefully, you never do—but preparation is key to put your mind at rest and to be ready if something occurs.
TravelAssist gives you peace of mind that, should anything happen, you’ve already prepared as much as possible. And you know that TravelAssist has programs in place to get you the help you need.
Peace of mind.
You never know when you’ll need assistance, but travel with ease and peace of mind knowing you’re covered. TravelAssist acts like a safety net: far enough away you don’t have to think about it, but right there to help if something goes wrong.
Access to help.
International or rural travel can make finding the right care difficult. If the hospital where you’re receiving care isn’t adequate to meet your needs, TravelAssist will help evacuate you to the closest appropriate medical facility.
Non-medical assistance.
TravelAssist offers more than medical. Over 5,000 worldwide sources update our global intelligence database for security assistance services, should you feel threatened by political unrest, social instability, or weather conditions.
Hear stories from travelers who were thankful they had TravelAssist when the unexpected occurred on their trip here
How does emergency assistance work?
When medical emergencies like illness or injury occur during travel, Emergency Assistance helps with coordinating medical attention for you or your loved ones. And it’s a phone call away.
When you sign up with TravelAssist, you’ll receive an identification card and a Plan Description explaining all the services available, including terms, conditions, and limitations. In the event of an emergency—after calling 9-1-1—you’ll contact the toll-free number provided on your card to put you in touch with TravelAssist, and you’ll begin receiving the help you need.
Traveling in an RV or another vehicle on your excursion?
When significant medical emergencies occur, everything goes to the wayside except your health, including your traveling vehicle. TravelAssist handles getting your RV, auto, motorcycle, or non-commercial truck home, from wherever you are.
Your RV returned home.
When your vehicle is stranded due to a medical emergency, you have one of two options from TravelAssist: we’ll coordinate one of our professional drivers to the RVs location to drive it home, or we’ll fly a friend or family member to return the RV for you.
Dependents, family, pets cared for.
Depending on your plan and who is traveling with you, we provide safe means of return for travel companions and dependents. We can locate boarding and transportation assistance for pets as well.
Your trip home.
When you are healthy enough to return home, we’ll provide a one-way ticket to your home airport, or provide ground ambulance transportation. Under our TravelAssist Premiere program, a medical escort will be covered if your medical condition requires.
The logistics of planning to help in an emergency are extensive and detailed. To learn more about what happens when TravelAssist is needed to help travelers, read more
Are possessions covered with Good Sam TravelAssist?
TravelAssist can help replace items that are lost or stolen, especially if related to your health. For example, as a part of your plan, we will assist with replacing corrective lenses or medical devices if they are lost, stolen, or broken during travel.
Lost Items.
- When you lose something of high importance, TravelAssist Coordinators will assist you by arranging for the replacement of passports, visas, airline documents, birth certificates, and other travel-related documents.
Natural disaster.
- If weather conditions threaten you during travel, we will assist you in finding secure emergency transportation away from the affected area.
TravelAssist offers more than just medical. Read more to learn about how we can help create peace of mind when you travel.
What happens to my vehicle in the event of a travel emergency?
No matter where you’re at, TravelAssist will figure out a way to get your vehicle home. Whether you’re extended across the country with a motorhome or need your fifth wheel hooked up to your dually to be driven back, we can get your recreational vehicles—and your towing vehicle—back home.
If your vehicle is stranded after an emergency, we send one of our approved drivers to get to the RV or vehicle’s location and return it home. Our drivers are experienced professionals who can assure the safety and proper handling of your RV. But a second option exists: if you would prefer a family member or friend to drive back the vehicle, we will coordinate a flight from their location to the RV to ensure its safe return.
What happens if you don’t have TravelAssist?
Consider the options and the costs:
- Hire a towing company to drive to your camping destination to retrieve your towing vehicle and RV?
- Leave your vehicle for the duration of your hospital stay, accruing any additional fines?
- Rent a vehicle to get to your location to retrieve your RV?
- Fly a friend to your traveling destination?
These are just a few of the steps involved to retrieve your vehicle, let alone the hospital transportation costs. For the price of TravelAssist, why run the risk? For more information about what happens to your vehicle when you TravelAsisst, read here.
Does Good Sam TravelAssist work outside the U.S.?1
TravelAssist has you covered when you travel internationally—and that’s sometimes when you need it most.
Traveling outside the US is a dream to many, and a favorite for those who have already visited. Greece, Peru, Europe, Japan—these are destinations worth every bit of the time, investment, and planning involved.
When you’ve planned for the best trip possible, why have to worry about what would happen if an emergency occurred? Better to have a solution in place should the unexpected happen.
Some emergency solutions TravelAssist includes:
- Referrals for translators, attorneys, doctors to make sure you get the appropriate care.
- Assistance with replacing passports, visas, airline documents, birth certificates if lost or stolen.
- Transfer important medical documents to foreign hospitals, navigating different healthcare systems.
Have peace of mind when traveling abroad. TravelAssist can get you home and can navigate international emergency medical assistance when you need it most. Review your plan description to see what coverage and benefits it includes for international travel, and note countries not covered due to U.S. State Department advisory.
