SURVIVING WINTER TRAVEL WITH INSURANCE FROM INSUREMYTRIP.COM
Feb 1st, 2011WARWICK, RI, February 1, 2011— According to FlightStats.com, a leading provider of worldwide flight on-time performance information, more than 28,000 flights were canceled nationwide due to weather in December, 2010. “The week between Christmas and New Years will loom for millions as the worst season ever,” says Meara McLaughlin, Vice President of Business Development at FlightStats. “From December 26-29, 15% of all U.S. flights were excessively delayed upwards of 45 minutes and nearly 13,000 were canceled completely.”
Since then, a snowpocalypse of storms have blasted across the country with no sign of stopping anytime soon. So short of hibernating like a bear what’s a weary traveler to do? “Travel insurance, travel insurance, travel insurance,” advises Jim Grace President and CEO of online travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip.com. “Travel insurance provides personal and financial protection if things go wrong during the stormy winter months when travel delays, trip interruptions and cancellations become more of a rule than an exception.”
Coverage for weather-related trip cancellations and interruptions differs by insurance company and plan, and there are many products and options to choose from:
Package Policies: Trip Cancellation Package Policies offer the broadest protection, including coverage for trip cancellation, interruption, baggage and travel delay, as well as medical and emergency evacuation. To receive the most benefit from the travel insurance policy including financial default and terrorism protection as well as coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, the majority of the policies require that you purchase your policy within 10 to 30 days of your first trip payment.
Travel Delay: A delayed flight can strand a person for hours or days and cause them to miss a connecting flight to a vacation cruise. These events occur often and can wreak havoc on your itinerary not to mention your wallet for hotel accommodations, meals, and transportation caused by weather-related delays and cancellations. In the event of a travel delay lasting 5-12 hours (varies by company and plan), travel delay coverage can provide from $150 to $250 a day up to $1,500 maximum (varies by company and plan) for covered expenses you may incur while stuck in limbo.
Missed Connection: In the event you miss the boat, plans with this benefit cover missed cruise departures resulting from a 3+ hour cancellation or delay of all regularly scheduled airline flights due to inclement weather or any common carrier-caused delay. Maximum benefits up to the covered amount are provided to cover the additional costs of transporting you to the en route cruise, reasonable accommodation and meal expenses, and nonrefundable trip payments for the unused portion of your cruise. Coverage is secondary to any compensation provided by a common carrier, if any.
Trip Interruption: Emergencies big and small have a way of happening when you least expect them to. But the cost of cutting your trip short to take care of the problem can create a crisis of its own. Most Package Policies will reimburse your trip cost (per/person) plus 50% more to get you home quickly in the event of an emergency.
Cancel For Any Reason: This is an optional benefit that empowers travelers to cancel trips for any reason including sudden unemployment, schedule conflicts, even bad weather, up to two days prior to departure. Cancel For Any Reason policies vary by company and must be purchased within 10-30 days of your first trip payment date.
Providing high-level personal assistance, InsureMyTrip.com’s Customer Care team is a knowledgeable force of licensed insurance representatives well-versed in the complexities and nuances of travel insurance. They make the travel insurance buying experience easy, quick, and enjoyable by making sure all of your questions are answered, all of your choices are clearly explained, and all of your travel insurance needs are met. If you have questions about travel insurance plans and benefits call InsureMyTrip.com today at (800) 487-4722 to speak with a licensed insurance Customer Care representative or visit www.insuremytrip.com. The Customer Care team is available by phone and online seven days a week, 365 days a year, Monday through Friday 7 AM to Midnight, Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM ET.
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About InsureMyTrip.com
InsureMyTrip.com is the leading, consumer-oriented online travel insurance aggregator worldwide. Featuring insurance comparisons from the top industry providers, InsureMyTrip.com is a unique, one-stop resource designed to meet consumers’ comprehensive travel insurance needs all in a secure environment. InsureMyTrip.com also specializes in providing integrated technology solutions for the travel insurance industry, with over 2,000 private-labeled and co-branded travel-related websites around the globe. InsureMyTrip.com is headquartered in Warwick, RI with additional offices and data centers in Connecticut and Oregon.