InsureMyTrip Blog

It happens every year: the first official hurricane of the Atlantic season.  Somehow, even though we know it’s probably coming, it always takes us a bit by surprise.  As travelers, we do our best to be informed and prepared before it hits, and yet, when the first hurricane becomes a reality, there’s still that moment of mind-racing questioning, in which we ask ourselves: Do we have everything we need?  Is this going to change our plans significantly?  And if it does change our plans, does our travel insurance cover that?

As Hurricane Irene gathers strength, we encourage all travelers to re-acquaint themselves with their travel insurance policies.  (If you haven’t already purchased one, you won’t be able to get any coverage for Irene, but it may be advisable to take this storm as a sign of things to come and snap up an insurance policy for any upcoming trips you’re planning — since the chances of a one-hurricane season are pretty slim.)  Below is a quick reference guide to some of the hurricane-related topics we’ve covered on this blog recently, so you can refresh your memory on anything of which you’re unsure.  As always, we recommend that you call our Customer Care center at 800-487-4722 with specific questions related to your individual policy.

Read more about these topics on the InsureMyTrip blog:

Delays and Cancellations
Damage to your accommodations
Damage to your home or the surrounding area
Unique concerns

We’re pleased to welcome a guest writer to our blog today.  Eileen Ogintz is a travel writer who runs the wonderful site Takingthekids.com, which is an indispensable resource for families planning to travel with children.

Taking the Kids and Getting Travel Insurance
By Eileen Ogintz

For once I kept my mouth shut. I resisted the temptation to say “I told you so!”

When I heard about the couple’s honeymoon plans — a Caribbean resort during hurricane season – I suggested travel insurance.  I worried about a storm derailing their plans.

But they were too busy with the wedding to consider insurance that they were sure they wouldn’t need. None of us could have anticipated a power outage at Los Angeles International Airport that grounded all flights for several hours on the day they were leaving, causing them to miss their connecting flights and, ultimately, the first two days of their honeymoon. Their bags didn’t arrive until two days after they did.

The travel snafu ultimately forced them to spend several hundred dollars on airport hotels, meals and clothes — money that travel insurance would have refunded. Travel insurance may also have been able to get them rerouted and on their way more quickly.

Too many people think travel insurance is for seniors with serious medical problems. Not anymore. Not with volcanic ash, blizzards, hurricanes, terrorism and old-fashioned family emergencies causing travel plans to implode. These days, I like the idea of having a fairy godmother watching over my shoulder when I travel, even if I have to pay for it (typically 4-8 per cent of the trip.)

Even in the best of times, traveling with kids can be as unpredictable as hurricane season. A broken ankle, appendicitis, even an ear infection can force parents to delay departure. In other cases, families have to return from vacations early because of emergencies at home. Think of travel insurance as a way to protect your investment in your trip.  It can pay for hotels if you are stranded like so many were after last year’s holiday blizzard in the Northeast or out of pocket medical expenses—as it did for me when a scratched cornea sent me to the ER.  On a ski trip, my travel insurance picked up nearly $1,000 in costs that my medical insurance didn’t cover. Had it been necessary, the travel insurer would have arranged for medical evacuation and covered all of the costs if we’d needed to change our flights to return home earlier.

The key: Assess your needs before you sign on the dotted line, and read the fine print. Will your kids be insured free?  Once, we were delayed overnight without our bags when our connecting flight was canceled. I was annoyed to discover that, because our bags were returned to us within 24 hours, our travel insurance didn’t cover the essentials we had to buy.

Still, I think  travel insurance is worth it, especially if you’ve invested a lot of money up front — like for a cruise, for plane tickets to Hawaii, or for a ski condo during a holiday week — or if you’re visiting a country that might not have the best medical care.  It’s worth it for the peace of mind too, just knowing you don’t have to worry if your elderly mom gets sick and you have to return home or if your backpacking college student needs medical care far from home.

Most families opt for a package plan that will cover any costs incurred if they need to cancel or disrupt their trip because of a medical emergency, a hurricane, or a terrorist act. The insurance should cover the cost of changing your flight, as well as the unused portion of your vacation, if an emergency forces you to return early. If you’re traveling solo with a child and become sick or injured, some of these policies will even provide for a chaperone for your child.  But you can buy insurance just for what you need—medical evacuation, for example.

As for the honeymoon couple, their airline ultimately gave them some vouchers to make up for the inconvenience. They had a terrific time — once they got there.

Copyright 2011 Eileen Ogintz

For more on Eileen’s adventures and misadventures, visit www.takingthekids.com Her TakingtheKids  family travel guides are  newly updated and available for the NOOK and Kindle with individual sections starting at 99 cents.

When asked what the most common concern of travelers might be, during Hurricane Season, most of our reps immediately answered; “They’re worried that they can’t get where they’re going.”  Inclement weather can, of course, close airports and other travel hubs, or cause a domino-effect of delays and cancellations rippling outward from affected cities and wreaking havoc with the plans of travelers even in areas with clear blue skies.  During Hurricane Season, it’s not hard to understand why travelers would be somewhat nervous about getting from Point A to Point B, or at least getting there in a timely fashion.

If  you’re concerned about hurricanes affecting the travel forecast in your city of departure, your destination city, or really, anywhere — that ripple effect is a tough reality of air travel — then travel insurance is one of the best investments you can make.  We suggest you become familiar with these types of coverage:

Trip Cancellation: This coverage, which is included in all of the package policies sold on InsureMyTrip.com, will help you recoup any pre-paid, nonrefundable expenses related to your trip if you cancel your plans due to a delay of 24-48 hours or more (make sure you understand what the specific time frame is for the policy you choose).

Trip Delay: Again, this protection is included in our package policies, and allows you to file for reimbursement of unexpected expenses you might incur as a result of a shorter (but still significant) delay– usually 6 hours or more.  If you need to purchase meals, for example, or pay for overnight lodging to avoid sleeping on the airport benches, travel delay coverage can help cover those incidental costs.

Of special concern is the possibility that your home or destination – -and logically, your travel plans — might be damaged by storms.  While many policies do state that a home or destination rendered “uninhabitable” by a hurricane would be a covered reason for cancelling your trip, we also urge travelers who are especially concerned about this possibility to look into CFAR.  CFAR, or Cancel for Any Reason coverage, would allow you more flexibility to change your plans as you see fit.  In some cases, minor storm damage to your home or destination might mean that you’re uncomfortable traveling, but may not meet the definition of “uninhabitable.”  If you happen to have purchased CFAR, you’d be able to cancel and receive reimbursement for your travel expenses in that scenario, while you may not receive the same benefit from a standard package policy.

It’s understandable for travelers to feel nervous about making plans during Hurricane Season, but the good news is that most of the major concerns you probably have can be addressed with a simple purchase: the right travel insurance policy for your needs.  We encourage you to speak to one of our licensed Customer Care Representatives,who can assist you in finding that policy, so you can secure your travel plans with confidence.

One of the reasons we’re so adamant about trying to stay in touch with our customers is that it’s often the experience of one traveler that helps us better serve the needs of all travelers.  One person’s experience can sometimes help us to uncover unique questions and concerns about travel insurance that might help somebody else in choosing the right policy for their trip.  That’s why, for many of our Customer Care Representatives, the most memorable Hurricane Season stories are the ones that involved slightly less common questions from travelers.

“I had clients call who were in Mexico at the time of a storm, and their hotel mandated that everyone had to evacuate.  Luckily they made it to the airport before it was shut down, so they were able to get home.  They used their trip interruption coverage to help recover their costs.” Lynne, Customer Care Training and Communications Specialist

Why it was unusual: Although Lynne’s clients were told by their hotel manager that they had to leave the property, there was actually no mandatory evacuation from the city in which they were staying.  While some travel insurance plans state that a mandatory evacuation is a covered event, many travelers could be confused by what a “mandatory evacuation” really means.  In this case, while the term didn’t apply, the travelers were still able to recoup the expenses involved in cutting their trip short, because uninhabitable accommodations — i.e., a hotel that’s closed and evacuated due to the storm — are often covered as reasons for trip interruption.

Confused?  Here’s what to ask: What happens if  a hurricane hits while I’m on vacation, and I can’t stay in my hotel any longer?  What kind of coverage would I have if I left early?

“This is kind of an unusual one, but it’s something I think people should really be aware of.  I spoke to some travelers who were supposed to be spending the night on a sailboat while the hurricane was coming through.  They were covered, fortunately, because it was a charter boat – but I want to make sure people know that they have to ask questions about getting coverage for something unique like a stay on a sailing vessel, because it’s not the type of thing that is covered by every standard policy.” –Darryl, Customer Care Representative

Why it was unusual: Cruising might be a popular travel choice, but spending just one or two nights on a private boat isn’t for everyone.

Confused?  Here’s what to ask: If there is anything about your travel plans that you think may be somewhat unconventional — unusual accommodations, adventure sports, wilderness experiences, whatever it may be — please share that with a Customer Care Representative.  You may want to say something like, “I’m not sure if this is significant, but I’m planning to spend the night on a raft going down the Nile…what happens if the river floods unexpectedly and I can’t fulfill my plans?”  As Darryl’s experience with the charter-boat passengers illustrates, there may be specific coverage readily available for certain things, while others may require a bit more research, or may not be covered at all.  It’s best to know well in advance of your trip whether or not your exotic plans can be protected by travel insurance, so there are no surprises in the midst of your adventure.

“I do remember speaking with an insured that had purchased (one of the policies offered on InsureMyTrip.com).  There was a hurricane warning and she was able to cancel her trip and receive the cost of the trip back.  She wanted us to know how extremely happy she was that she had spoken to a knowledgeable customer care specialist who had suggested purchasing one of the policies that offered cancellation due to a hurricane warning. “ –Nancie, Customer Care Representative

Why it was unusual: As Nancie points out, not every package policy will cover you if you decide to cancel your trip based on a hurricane warning alone.  Many of them stipulate that a hurricane must actually occur, and cause certain complications for travelers, for coverage to kick in.  However, we do have some plans that extend the cancellation coverage to travelers who want to change their plans based on a warning, so this particular customer was fortunate to have made an informed choice.

Confused?  Here’s  what to ask: If you really feel that you’d be among the people who would want to cancel due to the threat of a hurricane, then it’s absolutely worth asking one of our Customer Care Representatives to explain to you about not only policies that will cover cancellation due to a hurricane warning, but also Cancel For Any Reason coverage, which provides a broader spectrum of protection and may be the most comfortable choice for some travelers.

The bottom line: We can never know too much about your travel plans.  The more information you provide to us as we’re helping you research your options, the better able we’ll be to provide you with a policy that truly meets all of your unique needs as a traveler.  Call one of our Customer Care Representatives at 800-487-4722 to receive personalized service and answers to all of your travel insurance questions.

The current situation in Egypt is of great concern to us, as it is to all of our customers and travelers worldwide.  We’re keeping a very close watch over the latest information coming from all channels regarding travel to and from the region.  As of yesterday, the State Department upgraded their recommendations from a Travel Alert to a Travel Warning; the details of that warning, as well as consistently updated information about the ongoing situation in Egypt, can be found here. (more…)

Bri, Marketing

It’s not uncommon for me to find, as I catch up daily on the blogs and news feeds of many in the travel industry, that there are people out there who have significant questions about travel insurance.  They range in specificity and validity, from the “Isn’t that some newfangled hoax?” variety to the “I’m puzzled, I’m frustrated, and I’m contacting a consumer advocate” category.  As with almost any industry or product imaginable, there are those who swear by travel insurance and those who steer clear.  I usually try to simply gauge the severity of the buzz around any particular message board or comment section and then move on to other things — often, other helpful consumers are already lighting up the same conversational arenas with very good answers or steering the chat in another direction before I can compose a response, and anyway, the best defense is a good offense. (more…)

Bri, Marketing

We were pleased to note that respected travel guru Arthur Frommer had mentioned, on his official blog, the existence of “hospital of choice” plans among the smorgasbord of travel insurance options available to consumers.  Having the ability to request a particular hospital in the event that you have to be evacuated for medical attention during a trip is certainly a benefit worth pointing out to travelers.  However, Mr. Frommer’s article only mentions one specific company.  In the interest of sharing the wealth, we thought it was important to point out that, as a comparison website, we offer several choices from a range of companies.  We also figured that, while we’re on the subject, you might want to know exactly what Hospital of Choice means when you’re comparing travel insurance. (more…)

Some important travel insurance terms you should be familiar with:

1. A.M. Best Ratings — Industry watchdog A.M. Best rates and assesses insurance companies’ financial strength and ability to meet their obligations to policyholders. InsureMyTrip.com features a user-friendly monitoring tool for consumers to check the A.M. Best Ratings of all the leading U.S. travel insurance companies before you purchase coverage.

2. Unforeseen — means not anticipated or expected and occurring after the effective date of the policy.

(more…)