InsureMyTrip Blog

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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.

Image courtesy of tvparty.com

At this time of year, it seems everyone’s traveling.  We’re all packing up to head off to Grandma’s house, or on that family ski trip, or getting ready to spend the holiday season someplace warm, tropical, and decidedly un-wintry.  I can’t help but notice that even iconic seasonal characters are all heading off on their own travels.  Frosty?  He’s got a refrigerated boxcar to catch.  Rudolph?  Only in charge of the fastest round-the-world trek ever.  Santa?  Not only Rudolph’s pilot, but traveling with a whole lot of luggage.  Even old Jack Frost is a nomad these days, showing up in the most unexpected places at the least convenient times, and bringing the winter weather along with him.

Fortunately, travel insurance really does have a solution for just about anyone, including our favorite holiday heroes.  Should any of them run into trouble on their travels, having the right insurance policy in hand could do wonders for them.  Dare I say…travel insurance could save the holidays?

If Frosty melts.  Let’s face it — he’s prone to this particular affliction.  If that refrigerated boxcar ended up in, say, Punta Cana instead of the North Pole, our frozen friend could wind up in a lot of trouble.  Medical Evacuation, preferably with the added Hospital of Choice benefit so Frosty could be quickly taken to a more Northern facility familiar with the needs of snowmen, might save Frosty’s life (not to mention his wallet, since evacuation flights are expensive; and as anyone who’s seen the television special knows, he hasn’t got money for a ticket).  Sadly, if it should happen that neither evacuation nor Santa’s December Wind could save our melted friend, we could only hope that he might have purchased an Accidental Death and Dismemberment policy to provide some financial help to Mrs. Frosty and the little snowballs.

If Rudolph’s nose goes out.  Even the brightest of LED lights doesn’t last forever.  While Rudolph might be most famous for having a nose that “blinks like a blinking beacon,” there might come a day when his signature feature is no longer so shiny.  Imagine the consequences of THAT grounded flight!  Fortunately for Santa and any elves who were also scheduled to be riding along as sleigh passengers, the 24-7 assistance providers at their travel insurance company would be able to help them with rebooking and more.  They could even potentially get reimbursement for an eggnog latte at the airport Starbucks, as long as the nose-related delay lasted longer than 5 or 6 hours.  Of course, if the flight were totally cancelled due to Rudolph’s malfunctioning muzzle,  Santa might be wise to check his travel insurance policy to find out whether or not he’s covered for “mechanical failures.”

If Santa’s sack goes missing.  Fortunately, a package policy would provide Santa with coverage for baggage delays in case the elves didn’t quite get things loaded up in time for take-off; if, unthinkably, the sack happened to be irretrievably missing, baggage loss coverage could help the guy in the big red suit replace all those toys.  Of course, gifts for every good child in the world might exceed the total coverage limit on your average travel insurance policy…but that’s another discussion.

If Jack Frost gets out of hand.  We like a guy with enthusiasm for his work, but sometimes, Jack’s a little TOO excitable.  If his antics have you snowbound when you ought to be traveling, or if his signature icy touch damages your cozy winter getaway lodgings to the point that they’re uninhabitable, travel insurance could help.  Trip cancellation coverage may be able to reimburse you for your lost trip if the winter weather causes airports to shut down, or if your home or destination are too badly damaged by storms.

Clearly, travel insurance has a little something to offer to just about everyone this holiday season.  If it hasn’t made it into a place of honor on your to-do list, it might be time to pencil in a phone call to our Customer Care Center in between baking the fruitcake and digging out your most festive theme sweater.  And yes, we’re even open on the holidays — just in case Santa needs to give us a call.

After the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011, our thoughts turned immediately to how we, as travel insurance professionals, could assist in the relief efforts.  While we can’t send the whole staff of InsureMyTrip to Japan, we can at least make sure that those traveling to the region as aid workers, or to visit and help family members affected by the disaster, are protected.

We’re partnering with HCC Medical Insurance Services to offer a 20% discounted rate on the Atlas International plan, which provides medical and evacuation coverage.  This discount is available only to travelers going to Japan for relief efforts or family reasons.  In order to redeem this offer, simply enter “Japan” as your destination in our quote form.  When your results appear, choose the “Atlas International” plan, and the discounted rate will automatically be shown.

Plan highlights include:

• Medical coverage from $50,000 to $1,000,000
• Emergency medical evacuation to $500,000
• 24-hour emergency assistance
• 24-hour accidental death coverage to $25,000 (for additional stand-alone AD&D coverage, consider our Travel Accident Plan)

Please be aware that if you are seeking coverage other than medical and evacuation benefits for travel to Japan, your options may be limited at this time due to the nature of this particular event.  We urge you to call our Customer Care Center at 800-487-4722 if you have questions about specific coverage options.

We continue to hold the residents of Japan, and all those affected by the earthquake and tsunami, in our thoughts.  We wish all those heading to that region safe travels.

Editorial Update: As of 4/7/11, this offer is no longer available.  Please contact our Customer Care Center to discuss other available policies for insuring travel to Japan.