Ah, road trips. From the wind in your hair to the sound of your favorite songs on the stereo, there’s nothing quite like the freedom of the open road. And if you’re a true buff of the blacktop, you know there are a few must-haves for hitting the highway: your favorite sunglasses, the perfect playlist, and travel insurance.

Did that last one surprise you? If so, you may be missing out on all the ways travel insurance can help make your road trips simpler and safer. Here’s how it can help protect you the next time you decide to get the show on the road.

1. You can save a heap on rental car insurance.

If you’re the type who likes to rent a sweet ride for your cross-country excursions, OneTrip Rental Car Protector is a no-brainer. Why? Well, let’s say you’re fueling up at a gas station, and suddenly a van backs up right into your rental. Sure, it adds some hassle to your road trip—but you were smart enough to get OneTrip Rental Car Protector, which provides primary coverage in the event of loss or damage to your rental vehicle. That means you don’t have to worry about using your personal insurance (and suffer the consequences of a potentially higher premium). Even better, you don’t even have to pay a deductible.

OneTrip Rental Car Protector doesn’t only help cover loss or damage to your rental vehicle—it also comes with a trip interruption benefit up to $1,000, so if you have to cut your trip short for a covered reason, you can get reimbursed for the unused, non-refundable portion of your trip, and for the increased transportation costs it takes for you to return home.

If you need just one more reason to get OneTrip Rental Car Protector, check out the price: at only $11 per calendar day, it’s a fraction of what you’ll pay for insurance at many rental car counters.

2. An annual plan can protect you every time you travel over 100 miles from home—including by car.

There’s nothing like the freedom of the open road. And if you have an annual Allianz Travel Insurance plan (also called AllTrips plans), you’ll have even more freedom to be on the go. That’s because an annual plan can protect all of the trips you take for a full year, including car trips over 100 miles from home. That gives you a lot more flexibility to pick up and go, and can definitely help you breathe easier if you’re going to make multiple stops on your road trip.

Annual plans come with Rental Car Damage and Theft Coverage* up to $45,000, and some annual plans can also give you trip cancellation and trip interruption benefits in case your trip gets derailed for a covered reason. Check out our options and see which one is the right fit for you.

3. If your plans go off the road, 24/7 assistance can help make things right.

Our 24/7 assistance is one of the best reasons to get travel protection before you hit the road. Why? Because it can help you with all kinds of medical and other travel-related emergencies.  

Let’s say you’re cruising down the highway enjoying your favorite tunes, and suddenly your car starts to make a noise you’ve never heard before. You don’t know what’s wrong, but by the sound of things, it can’t be good. So you pull over and…now what? You’re on the side of the interstate in an unfamiliar area, and you’re not sure what your next move should be. But because you’ve got an Allianz Travel Insurance plan, you have access to our 24/7 assistance, which can help with all kinds of travel-related issues. In this case, you call 24/7 assistance and one of our experts tracks down the name of a repair shop just a few miles from where you are, and even coordinates a tow truck to get you there.  

That’s just one scenario where 24/7 assistance can come to the rescue. You can also use it to help make new travel arrangements, get emergency cash, or even find a pre-screened hospital if you have a medical emergency on the road.

4. Our free Allyz® TravelSmart app can help steer you in a safer direction.

Picture it: you’re sitting in the passenger seat on a family road trip, enjoying a windows-down drive. After all, there’s nothing like fresh air—that is, until your allergies start to act up. You could stop at a gas station to see if they have meds, but your eyes are seriously watering, and you know you need the over-the-counter-strength stuff. You have to find a pharmacy, but you aren’t sure where one is, and you don’t want to waste too much time trying different exits.  

You open the Allyz TravelSmart app on your phone, and use the Around Me feature to locate a nearby pharmacy. Viola! There’s one just two miles away. Your family takes a quick detour to get you the medication you need, and then you can all get back to enjoying the wind in your hair.

That’s just one of the things our free Allyz TravelSmart app can do for you on the road. If you have an Allianz Travel Insurance plan, Allyz TravelSmart can give you instant access to your coverage benefits, help you file a claim on the go, and even connect you to our 24/7 assistance in just a few clicks.

Allyz TravelSmart also has some safety and security features you’ll love: Around Me can connect you to nearby pre-screened medical facilities, police stations, and pharmacies, while Alerts gives you location-based updates about events that may impact your travels (like inclement weather you may face down the road). So no matter where you’re headed, you can breathe easier getting there.

When the open road is calling, make sure you answer with Allianz Travel Insurance—with a range of plans to choose from, you’re sure to find one that suits your needs when you take to the highway.

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