InsureMyTrip Blog

Image Credit: FEMA (public domain)

Travelers have no doubt heard about the possible effects the forthcoming sequester, set to take effect in just four days, may have on their plans.  News outlets across the country have been covering Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s statements that the sequester’s budget-cutting measures will eat into the funds used to keep the FAA and TSA functioning at an optimal level.  LaHood noted that  the requirement to place nearly 50,000 travel-related government employees on furloughs would cause a ripple effect, leading to potential delays of up to 90 minutes at peak air travel times, and leaving many travelers stressed or stranded.

With such a dire impact on travel looming, we can only cross our fingers and hope that LaHood’s predictions don’t come true.  However, if they do, it’s worth reminding everyone of the benefits travel insurance can provide in situations of travel delay.

Reimbursement for expenses.  Travel delay coverage on most package policies allows you to file a claim to be reimbursed for necessary expenses, such as food and lodgings, that may result from a prolonged delay.  Note the word “prolonged,” however; while terms will vary by policy and provider, in general, your flight would have to be delayed for 5 hours or more before you’d be eligible for the benefit.  Secretary LaHood estimates delays of 90 minutes, which likely wouldn’t fall under the coverage on many policies, but then again, what begins as a delay of 90 minutes in one airport can end up as a much longer delay somewhere else down the line.

Baggage Loss and Delay coverage. Given the picture of understaffed, overworked, harried airport employees that follows on any talk of furloughs and budget cuts, it’s always possible that there may be a slight uptick in the number of bags that don’t quite end up where they should, when they should.  Likely, no; but possible, yes.  Just in case, it may be wise to review your travel insurance policy’s conditions surrounding baggage loss and delay.  In most cases, your bag will need to be missing for 24 hours or more before coverage kicks in; but once it does, you could potentially get reimbursed for incidental necessities and, in the worst-case scenario, for the replacement of the items lost with your luggage.

While it’s unlikely that the type of delays and inconveniences Secretary LaHood has forecast will cause most travelers to have to reach for their insurance policies, it’s never a bad idea to be prepared.  Situations like this one can, at the very least, remind us to educate ourselves on the benefits of having  travel insurance for unexpected events.  So while we all wait to see if the sequester becomes a reality, take a few moments to review your policy, make note of any benefits it could provide to help you in the case of a lengthy delay, and if you have any questions, feel free to give us a call.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Last night, the ill-fated Carnival Triumph finally docked in Mobile, Alabama after passengers had endured four days of discomfort following a fire that knocked out much of the ship’s power and left it bobbing listlessly in the water, requiring the vessel to be towed to port by tugboats in order to get passengers evacuated.  The deteriorating conditions aboard the ship have dominated travel headlines, and its ultimately safe (if odorous) arrival at port was greeted with a collective sigh of relief from most of the general public — to say nothing, of course, of the travelers aboard the Triumph and their loved ones at home.

By now, it’s been widely reported that Carnival Cruise Lines has made efforts to patch things up with the understandably shaken passengers of the Triumph.  The cruise line’s arrangements to charter buses and planes, book blocks of hotel rooms, and secure ways for all of the Triumph’s travelers to get home safely and quickly have been the subject of much scrutiny.  As is the case with almost any travel nightmare of this magnitude and visibility, no matter what the cruise line ultimately does or does not do for its passengers will invite opinions on all sides.  Debate is certain to rage — and is already, in fact, smoldering — as to whether or not cruise vouchers and refunds and passage home is really “enough.”

The trouble is, as consumer advocate Clark Howard aptly pointed out this morning, Carnival is not actually obligated to do anything to assist these unfortunate passengers.  Contracts of carriage aboard cruise ships don’t usually include any kind of language that barely hints at the cruise line bearing responsibility for passengers’ happiness, comfort, or transportation needs should something on board go awry.  To question, therefore, whether Carnival’s efforts in this case are “enough” for passengers is interesting, but it’s only an academic exercise.  By offering the assistance they have, the cruise line has already gone well beyond what it’s contractually obligated to do.  (Moral and ethical obligation may be another story, but that will ultimately be tried in the court of public opinion.)

Like it or not, if Carnival had chosen not to extend these offers of assistance, there wouldn’t be any legal need for them to do so — though there would, presumably, have been a resulting public relations snafu the likes of which no company aiming to stay in business would ever want to experience.  In the event that the cruise line had not taken care of its passengers’ immediate needs, what recourse would they have had?

Travel insurance may have provided solutions for many of the Triumph’s passengers in that circumstance.  A comprehensive travel insurance plan — one purchased from a third party, not from the cruise line — would very likely have covered most, if not all, of the difficulties experienced aboard the ship.  Among the possibilities:

• Damaged belongings.  If conditions aboard the ship — whether fire or flood — led to property damage, the baggage coverage included in a travel insurance package policy could have helped with replacing the affected items.
• Medical care.  If a passenger fell ill or was injured on board, the medical coverage on their travel insurance policy might have helped to cover the costs of their treatment, if those costs were not already covered by their primary health insurance carrier.
• Rebooking.  The Triumph’s passengers all ended up having to get home through alternate arrangements, not using the means they had originally planned.  A reputable travel insurance company would not only have assistance available to make the necessary arrangements for transportation and, if necessary, lodgings, but would also potentially reimburse those costs.
• Reimbursement for pre-paid expenses.  If any passengers had made arrangements for further travel beyond the scheduled return of their cruise, and had lost the opportunity to fulfill those plans, travel insurance could help them to recover any pre-paid, nonrefundable expenses.

It’s easy to assume that a cruise line, or any other travel supplier for that matter, will always do the right thing for its passengers.  We’d like to believe that they will.  However, situations like the one aboard the Carnival Triumph certainly give us a moment of pause as we consider what might have happened.  The only way to be sure you’re protected in whatever way possible against the financial toll of a travel disaster is to equip yourself with an appropriate travel insurance policy from the moment you book your trip.

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!