InsureMyTrip Blog

Bri, Marketing

Much has been said, on this blog and elsewhere, about the unimaginable devastation that’s occurred in Japan over the past several days.   However, what no one seemed to anticipate, back on Day 1 of the crisis, was that we’d soon be discussing not natural disasters, but man-made ones; not earthquakes and tsunamis, but a tangible nuclear threat.  From where I sit, it seems that the entire travel community is embarking on a somewhat familiar, though entirely unpredictable moment in time — as the ongoing radiation crisis unfolds, there’s no telling how much of an impact it may have on flights, transportation, accommodations, tourism, and the confidence of travelers themselves. (more…)

The entire team at InsureMyTrip is greatly concerned this morning over the news coming out of Japan.  Our thoughts are with the residents of Japan, as well as any travelers who may be there at the moment.  We’re continuing to monitor the situation very closely and will update our customers throughout the day on our blog, Twitter feed, and Facebook page as any important details emerge.

Our Customer Care center is ready to assist anyone who has questions or concerns about coverage for travel to Japan and the surrounding region.  Customers who are currently in Japan should contact the emergency assistance line for their individual insurance providers; if you encounter any difficulty, you may also contact us so that we can assist you in connecting with your provider.  Those who have plans to travel to Japan imminently should make every effort to contact us with questions about their policies.

Again, we will be updating our information as necessary throughout the day; please feel free to connect with us to ask questions or share concerns.  We are here to help.

InsureMyTrip Customer Care Center: 800-487-4722 OR 401-773-9300 (Outside the U.S.)
customercare@insuremytrip.com

Editorial Update: We’ve added a related post about delays and damages resulting from the quake and tsunami.  Those who have more general questions about coverage may find this post helpful.

Unsurprisingly, our Customer Care representatives have been fielding quite a few calls over the past few days about the escalating civil unrest in Egypt.  While we covered the basics of the State Department’s travel warning and some other related topics in yesterday’s post, we felt it was important to cover in more depth a few of the most common questions and concerns our customers are voicing at this time.

I’m planning to travel to Egypt within the next few days, but I didn’t purchase travel insurance.  Can I buy a policy now?

Probably not.  There’s a reasonable likelihood that you’d run into difficulty with your plans due to the ongoing instability there; that makes this sort of akin to trying to get flood insurance for your house when the water is already trickling into the basement.  Situations like this one are among the many reasons we always urge travelers to purchase their insurance when they are making their initial trip arrangements.

I’m supposed to be traveling to Egypt quite soon, and I do have a travel insurance policy.  Why did your Customer Care Center tell me that I can’t get reimbursed for canceling my trip?

Civil and political unrest are not included in the standard coverage under most travel insurance policies.  While there are several policies that do cover expenses incurred if you’re delayed as a result of civil unrest, most do not allow you to cancel your trip because of current instability in the region.  Any exceptions to this rule generally come into play only if there is a terrorist act in your destination city or a city on your itinerary.  However, if you happen to have purchased a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) policy, then you should be able to cancel your trip and receive reimbursement.

I’m not actually planning to travel to Egypt, but I’m thinking about booking a trip either to another country in the Middle East or with flights that may connect through Middle Eastern cities.  What kind of travel insurance should I consider?

This is the question we hope all potential travelers are asking themselves right now.  Most of the major news outlets have been reporting for several days now that it appears that political uprisings, such as the one in Egypt, have been planned in many other countries — Syria, Jordan, and Yemen among them.  It would be wise for travelers whose plans may take them to, or through, any part of the Middle East to be proactive in the face of these reports and make sure that they purchase appropriate coverage for any upcoming trips.   We highly recommend calling our Customer Care center at 800-487-4722 to discuss the best coverage options for your specific itinerary as soon as possible.

I heard that it would probably be impossible from now on to get any kind of travel insurance for trips to Egypt.  Is that true?

Happily not!  Travel insurance is intended to provide protection for all different kinds of scenarios; civil unrest is only one small piece of the whole travel insurance puzzle.  In fact, the major take-away lesson from these events is that in general, civil or political unrest is the kind of “wild card” occurrence that most likely wouldn’t be covered anyway, unless you have a Cancel for Any Reason policy.  That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get travel insurance for a future trip to the pyramids, though — far from it.  The more likely causes of travel woes — illness, injury, delays, and other relatively routine but still unforeseen events — can still befall you in Egypt, or anywhere in the world.  Travel insurance is still available to cover you for those concerns, and will continue to be available, despite the current political situation.  Although it’s hard to think about the more mundane things that can happen when something major grabs the headlines, it’s just as important now as it ever has been to think about the big picture and protect yourself against every eventuality, even the things that seem small when compared to the cataclysmic events of the past few days.

As always, we urge all travelers to carefully review their needs and call us to discuss the best options for insuring any upcoming trips, regardless of where in the world they may be traveling.  While events like the civil unrest in Egypt certainly put travel insurance in the spotlight, our goal today remains unchanged from what it always has been: to provide every possible protection for your trip, so you can continue to explore the world with confidence.

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

Thanks, Mother Nature.  Happy Holidays to you, too.

Pardon us for the moment of sarcasm, but the current insanity that’s happening at Heathrow — at last check, the airport has announced that fully less than 1/3 of its flights (both inbound and outbound) will be operating until after Christmas — is just one more major upheaval in a string of weather-related travel nightmares.  The 2010 Holiday Travel Season is upon us, and since Thanksgiving, the traveling public has been peppered with gloomy announcements of delays and cancellations, all courtesy of what meteorologists the world over are euphemistically calling “events.”  Yes, Mr. Weatherman, it’s pretty eventful out there. (more…)

Bri, Marketing

If you’re reading this, I suspect you, like most of us, have been keeping up with the news surrounding this weekend’s State Department Travel Alert.  For those who haven’t yet heard, here’s a quick recap, from the government’s travel security website:

“The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe.  Current information suggests that al-Qa’ida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks.  European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions.” (more…)

Hristo, Web designer

There’s a little more than a month before the official opening ceremony of the biggest sports venue on the planet. The name of the sport is different around the world — most know it as Football, some call it Soccer –  but the whole planet is crazy about it.  If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of fans planning to flock to South Africa for this year’s World Cup, or if you’re planning to travel to South Africa for any other reason, looking into travel insurance may be a good idea for any number of reasons. (more…)

Becky, Insurance Analyst

An article posted on the BBC site today is titled “Travel chaos after Majorca bomb”.  As a result of a terrorist car bombing on the Spanish island of Majorca, airports and ports have been closed.   People who are on the island cannot get off, and anyone with plans to fly in now must make alternate arrangements.  Situations like this highlight one of the many reasons why travel insurance is so beneficial.  Nearly all package and travel medical plans on our site offer some protection for terrorism.  What does this mean for you exactly? (more…)

May 1Update: See our new Influenze H1N1 (Swine Flu) Information Page