Five Things to Know About Trip Protection
As a travel professional, I have always recommended trip protection, especially for international travel. I always purchase it for my international trips. Below are some things you should know about trip protection before you make your decision on whether it is right for your next trip.
1) Medical Coverage and Medical Evacuation - When traveling internationally, I strongly recommend purchasing insurance for no other reason that providing medical coverage and evacuation. Trip protection policies will typically offer 24 hour service to help you find a medical facility in addition to interpreters. Medical evacuation is another key coverage in any travel policy. Medical evacuation allows you to be moved to another hospital or to be transported back to the US. This is key in the event that more professional care is needed than what you can receive in that country. For cruises, this comes into play when you need to be evacuated from the ship. Moving a traveler from a country or a ship can be an extremely costly endeavour. Finally, in some countries, proof of travel insurance is a requirement for entry for the very purpose of medical coverage.
2) Insurance through a Hotel or Online Tour Operator (OTA) - It is becoming increasingly common that hotels, cruise companies and OTAs are offering their own insurance. Be sure to review these policies as coverage is typically not as comprehensive as insurance purchased directly from an insurance provider. Insurance offered through these other providers typically have lower amounts of coverage. Additionally, if a hotel, cruise line or OTA goes out of business, you will likely not be covered. Lastly, any travel expenses (eg. air) incurred outside of that company providing the insurance is likely not covered if you need to file a claim.
3) Classic Insurances versus CFAR - Two of the primary types of insurance I offer is a classic type of insurance and a cancel for any reason (CFAR) policy. Both policies will typically cover things such as trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, emergency transportation, emergency medical/dental coverage. One of the main difference is the type of event that triggers the coverage of the insurance. Most insurance is set up to protect your trip investment if you, a travel companion or immediate family member becomes ill before or during the trip; a death in the family; military assignment; mandatory evacuation among other scenarios. These events are described as "covered reasons" for your insurance to activate . In the event you need to cancel your trip, you would submit a claim to recover those trip expenses. If you purchase CFAR insurance, it is intended to provide coverage should you have to cancel a trip and it isn't for a "covered reason". Finally, Be sure to review coverage amounts for each type of event (delay, interruption) as coverage amounts can vary across policies.
4) Review What is Excluded - Every policy has situations where coverage will not be extended in the event of a claim. For example, if you are going to be doing adventure sports on your trip , you may not be covered if you get injured doing these excursions. Some insurance does offer additional add ons to include adventure sports as a covered activity. Additionally, things such as cancellations due to pandemics may also not be covered in a classic travel insurance policy. Again, it is important to look at your plan through the lens of what you will be doing on your trip and reasons why you may need to cancel your trip to be sure you will be covered.
5) Pre Existing Medical Conditions - In the event that you have a pre existing medical condition it is important that you purchase your insurance right away when booking your trip. Most insurance will offer a small window (can be as little as 24 hrs from booking trip) that requires you to purchase insurance to cover claims due to preexisting conditions. If you delay in purchasing your insurance, your claim may not be approved if you had to cancel for a pre existing medical reason.
No one wants or expects to have to cancel their trip or need to use their insurance for a medical event. Deciding on whether to purchase insurance is a personal decision. When making a decision, I encourage all my clients to take into account various factors such as the cost of the trip, likelihood that you may need to cancel, cancellation terms for the various components of your trip. If you are wanting to travel, schedule a complimentary consultation or submit a quote request so we can get started planning your tirp right away!
Happy Traveling!
Tammy
Tammy@grandglobalvacations.com
317.800.5654.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed insurance agent. The above comments are my opinion on travel insurance. If you have specific questions on a travel policy, I recommend reviewing your policy to see how various claims will be handled or contact the insurance provider directly. I also do not review or approve claims and therefore, can not speak to whether a claim would be approved or denied.
No one wants or expects to have to cancel their trip or need to use their insurance for a medical event. Deciding on whether to purchase insurance is a personal decision. When making a decision, I encourage all my clients to take into account various factors such as the cost of the trip, likelihood that you may need to cancel, cancellation terms for the various components of your trip. If you are wanting to travel, click on the button below so we can get started planning your trip right away!
Happy Traveling!
Tammy
DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed insurance agent. The above comments are my opinion on travel insurance. If you have specific questions on a travel policy, I recommend reviewing your policy to see how various claims will be handled or contact the insurance provider directly. I also do not review or approve claims and therefore, can not speak to whether a claim would be approved or denied.
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