InsureMyTrip Blog

Image courtesy of http://www.ForestWander.com, used under Creative Commons attribution

This Spring — such as it is — appears to be starting off as one big “whoops” moment.

Groundhog: Whoops.  Expected sunny skies: Whoops.  Warm Spring Break hopes: Whoops.

And then there’s all that pesky cruising news: Whoops.  Whoops.  And Whoops again.

Not to mention, of course, sequester-related shortfalls and furloughs affecting the TSA, FAA, and air travelers at large: Whoops.  We could go on, but you probably get the point by now.  Travel, at least right now (and probably not really ever), is not a simple and predictable experience.

Many people who come to us are asking some version of the question, “Do I really need travel insurance?“  We have lots of answers to that question — most of them involving multiple ways of saying “Probably” — but it seems as if there are moments in time that serve as their own answer.  Travel moments such as this one are examples we can hold up to remind everyone of why this industry exists, and why travel insurance has become increasingly popular as people become more and more aware of the very real meaning of the term “unforeseen event.”

We don’t expect that very many travelers each year are going to fall victim to a splashy, media-worthy travel snafu, or that large numbers of the people who buy their insurance through us will end up needing big-ticket services like emergency medical evacuation.  We don’t think very many of you will get caught up in volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, cruise ship sinkings, terrorist attacks, or any of the other incredibly scary, but also incredibly rare, events that tend to come to mind when we contemplate all the things that could go wrong when we step away from home and the comfort of routine.  But while travel insurance does provide some assistance that might prove useful in those horrific events, that’s not entirely what travel insurance was created for, nor what it does for the majority of travelers each and every day.

This stuff — this “whoops” stuff, this mostly inconvenient, non-disastrous, highly annoying, but not life-threatening stuff — is the real reason we sell travel insurance.  When rodents wrongly predict the weather, and serious snow tangles travel well after the first day of Spring, that’s what travel insurance is for.  When cruises get cancelled and people have to change their plans unexpectedly, that’s what travel insurance is for.  When security slows down and flights get delayed, that’s what travel insurance is for.  This everyday, travel-headache, wish-I-could-fix-it, just-want-to-get-there-already kind of stuff.

Yes, there are important benefits for the scary things like medical evacuation, and comforting benefits for the hard things like working around a pre-existing medical condition.  There are even Accidental Death and Dismemberment benefits to help you care for your loved ones if, by some awful twist of fate, you don’t make it home.  But in travel insurance, as in life, it’s often the little things that make a difference, and this moment in travel is about the little things.

Travel insurance, at this moment in travel, is about getting you there and getting you home.  It’s about helping you to rebook a cancelled flight, getting you reimbursed for non-refundable expenses you paid for a trip that fell apart, and making you more comfortable while you’re waiting at the airport for the next way out.  It’s about making sure that lost or delayed luggage doesn’t ruin that special event you’d packed for, and that a missed connection doesn’t have to mean an entire missed opportunity.  Travel insurance, at times like this one, is really for your comfort and your peace of mind as much as it may be for your safety and security. It’s there to turn the “whoops” moment around and respond with, “That’s okay.”

It may be too late, right now, to buy insurance for the current snowstorm or the latest cruise snafu, but it’s not too late to start thinking about insuring your next trip.  You never know when the “whoops” moments will come, and being prepared is the best way to relieve that worry altogether.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Today is Fat Tuesday, which gives us a good opportunity to talk about not just Mardi Gras, but celebrations in general.  It’s wonderful to experience a major carnival, street fair, or festival somewhere in the world; however, your carnival experience can also, sadly, bring with it a heightened possibility of misfortune.  Where there are large crowds of people, there are bound to be accidents and petty crimes.

Of course you’ll be careful.  Smart travelers will take every necessary precaution to protect themselves from the expected mishaps during Mardi Gras or any other festival.  But if your street smarts alone aren’t enough, you may find yourself having to file a travel insurance claim.  Here are a few tips and things you should know about the claims process before you need to navigate it.

Document your belongings.  It’s much easier to show your insurance company the value of any lost or stolen belongings if you have a record of what you’ve packed.  One smart and simple way to do this is to photograph the contents of your suitcase before you depart (or, if you’re a bit late in reading this, as soon as you arrive at your destination).  Anything that’s of particular value should also be photographed separately, and if you have a receipt for it, take a photo of that, too — just in case you lose the original document.

Don’t wait to ask for records.  Whether it’s a police report to help you document a theft, or a medical record that shows treatment of an injury, make sure to ask for these documents up front.  Too often, travelers think they’ll contact the police department or the hospital after they’ve returned home, and end up mired in endless red tape, phone calls, and emails, sometimes to no avail.  Don’t leave the premises until you have your requested documents firmly in hand or have made what you feel is a suitable arrangement to receive them.

Don’t invalidate your claim.  Did you know that your travel insurance becomes void if your claim arises as the result of something that happens while you’re drinking, using recreational drugs, or engaged in a crime yourself?  This falls under the category of using your street smarts, but it bears repeating: Don’t overimbibe, and don’t get caught up in something you’ll later regret.  While having your travel insurance claim rejected may be the least of your worries under the circumstances, it could certainly add insult to injury.

Remember that if you need to file a claim, you should contact your travel insurance provider directly using the  information provided on our Claims and Assistance page.  Above all, travel safely, and enjoy the experience.  Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Image from Wikimedia Commons

When you’re traveling with a significant other, things can get a bit complicated.  Besides the issue of who took up too much space in whose carry-on, and the ever-present armrest dilemma, there are more joint considerations you might need to take into account when booking your trip and buying your travel insurance.  Of course, since travel insurance is all about taking care of one another, it’s not only worth your while to do just a little extra homework to buy the right policy — it’s practically a romantic gesture in and of itself.

The considerations for already-married couples are fewer than for unmarried partners; as with other insurance and financial transactions, being legally wed means that buying travel insurance for you and your spouse will probably be no more complicated than buying solo travel insurance.  However, married travelers in particular — and especially those with children at home — may want to look into travel insurance policies that include Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage.  Since AD&D works similarly to life insurance, paying out benefits to whomever you’ve designated in the unfortunate case of a tragic accident while you’re traveling, it’s a smart (if depressing) way to show your love.

For those who are unmarried but traveling as a couple, it’s important to understand a few legal complexities before you buy your travel insurance policy.  If you live together and can be considered domestic partners, you’ll likely be able to purchase a travel insurance policy together; however, if you have to file a claim, you might have to provide proof of your partnership to the insurance company.  Usually something simple like documentation of a joint bank account or shared lease will suffice.  However, if you’ve just moved in together, you may not be considered partners in the eyes of your insurance company — ask before you purchase whether the company expects you to have shared a home for a specified length of time.  (Many policies will specify 6 months to a year, but it can vary.)

If you’re not living together at all, you may not legally be able to share a travel insurance policy.  While living in the same household is a preference, not a requirement, for most insurance companies, if you live across state lines from one another, variations in state insurance laws may prevent you from insuring together.  It’s best to ask before making any assumptions.  Of course, the other downside to insuring together if you don’t live together is that any documents related to your travel insurance — including claims paperwork — will only be sent to one of you.  The person listed as “primary” on the policy will therefore get to be in charge of all the papers, and if things get messy — either during your travels, or in your relationship — that may not be an ideal solution.  You can, of course, still get travel insurance for yourselves; to avoid any complex issues, consider purchasing separate policies, but deciding together which coverage to buy.  That way, you’ll be secure in the knowledge that should anything happen on your trip, you both have the same benefits available to you through your insurance company, but you’ll also get to be involved in your own claims process and handle the paperwork yourselves.

Traveling with a significant other should be a relaxing and memorable experience.  With a good travel insurance policy that properly protects both of you, it can be virtually worry-free.  While travel insurance may not seem as romantic as roses or champagne or a long walk on a secluded beach, it’s a true gesture of caring to take the time to fully protect you and your loved one.