What to Know About Your Camera Equipment Insurance Before You Travel

Well, you’re finally getting out there! You got a sweet gig in another country! You’re excited to see new places, meet cool strangers, and eat things you’ve never tried. It’s all happening, and it’s very exciting.  

However, when you're traveling outside the US with your videography equipment or photography equipment, there’s more to international travel than just renewing your passport and getting your vaccines. And if you’ve read any of  our blog posts before, you probably know where this is going. That’s right, insurance! 

Before you travel abroad, you need to know how to insure your photography gear with international insurance coverage. Let's explore what kind of coverage you’ll need, what’s covered, and what’s not.

What Happens When You Run Into Airline Troubles?

When planning how to insure your camera equipment for travel, you need to check a few things beforehand. Make sure you're not traveling anywhere your insurance policy won't cover. 

If you're traveling somewhere on  the US Sanctions List, you might not be covered there. That’s something you’ll want to bring up with your insurance company agent when shopping for a policy. This list may include some places you don’t expect, so make sure to take a good look.

When photographers and videographers fly internationally, there are a few other tips to keep in mind. It’s always better to carry-on your gear versus checking it in. Keeping your camera gear close by makes it harder for the airlines to lose it (which they seem to LOVE doing). 

If your equipment is somehow mistaken for a security hazard, it could get confiscated by security. For example, if you have a boom mic that resembles a grenade launcher, maybe leave that one at home. 

If this happens, it’s unfortunately not covered by photography insurance or gear insurance. This is yet another thing to chat about with your insurance agent about. Call your insurance agent before you travel abroad.

How to Best Insure Your Camera Equipment for Travel

When you travel outside the US with your camera equipment, you should also know if there are any insurance exclusions for theft or accidental damages involving transit, like if it’s lost by an airline. Some policies sneak those in, so definitely talk to us about it when you call.

What To Do In a Worst Case Scenario

And if your gear DOES get stolen while abroad, you’ll have to file a police report in that city immediately. We know the last thing you want to do in Paris is talk to Officer Escargot, but once you get back to the US and report a theft in a foreign country, it’s going to be really difficult to submit an insurance claim. You’ll need that evidence of the police report from the city where it was stolen.  

Show ‘em How You Navigate Camera Equipment Insurance

So, when you finally get that dream gig to travel outside the US, or even if you’re just bringing your camera equipment to shoot some fun scenes on vacation, make sure you’re covered before you step on that plane. 

The last thing you want is to get your valuable camera gear stolen in a foreign land and not have camera insurance. Even travelers’ diarrhea goes away faster than the regret of being unprepared! Give us a call and our friendly agents can help guide you to the right plan for your trip. Let us help you do what you came to do!