Travel insurance can seem complex. Here are some definitions of common terms, to help make travel insurance a little more simple.
A
- Accident
- A sudden, unexpected, unintended, specific event that occurs at an identifiable time and place, but shall also include exposure resulting from a mishap to a conveyance in which you are traveling.
- Accidental Injury
- Bodily Injury caused by an accident (of external origin) being the direct and independent cause in the loss and that 1) requires a physical examination and medical treatment by a physician and 2) commences while your coverage is in effect.
- Actual Cash Value
- The purchase price of an item, less depreciation of the item's value since you bought it.
- Additional Expense
- Any reasonable expenses for meals and lodging which were necessarily incurred as the result of a hazard and which were not provided by the common carrier or other party free of charge.
B
- Baggage (Checked)
- A piece of baggage that accompanies you for which a claim check has been issued to you by a common carrier.
- Bankruptcy
- The filing of a petition for voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy in a court of competent jurisdiction under Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code 11 L.S.C. Subsection 101 et seq.
- Bodily Injury
- Identifiable physical injury which is caused by an accident and is independent of disease or bodily infirmity.
C
- Common Carrier
- Any land, sea, or air conveyance operating under a valid license for the transportation of passengers for hire. Taxis and limousines are not Common Carriers as defined herein.
- Covered Reasons
- The specific situations and events that are covered by a specific coverage or policy.
D
- Deductible
- Means the amount of expenses for covered services and supplies that must be incurred by you before specified benefits become payable.
- Default
- A material failure or inability to provide contracted services due to financial insolvency.
- Destination
- A place more than 100 miles from your primary residence where you spend more than 24 hours of your trip.
- Domestic Partner
- A person with whom you reside and can show evidence of cohabitation (including the shared responsibility for basic living expenses) for at least the previous six (6) months and has an affidavit of domestic partnership, if recognized by the jurisdiction within which you reside.
E
- Economy Fare
- The lowest published rate for an economy ticket.
- Effective Date
- The date and time your coverage begins.
F
- Family Member
- Your legal or common law spouse, parent, legal guardian, step-parent, brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister.
- Financial Insolvency
- The total cessation of operations due to insolvency, with or without the filing of a bankruptcy petition by a tour operator, Cruise line, or airline provided the Financial Insolvency occurs more than fifteen (15) days following the Effective Date. There is no coverage for the Financial Insolvency of any person, organization, agency or firm from whom You purchased travel arrangements supplied by others.
H
- Hazard
- (a) Any delay of a common carrier (including inclement weather); (b) any delay by a traffic accident en route to a departure, in which you or a traveling companion is not directly involved; (c) any delay due to lost or stolen passports, travel documents or money, quarantine, hijacking, unannounced strike, natural disaster, civil commotion or riot; (d) a closed roadway causing cessation of travel to the destination of the trip (substantiated by the department of transportation, state police, etc.); (e) any delay in obtaining travel documents (passport, visa); (f) any delay due to quarantine at the airport of your destination.
- Hospital
- A facility that (a) holds a valid license if it is required by the law; (b) operates primarily for the care and treatment of sick or injured persons as in-patients; (c) has a staff of one or more physicians available at all times; (d) provides twenty-four (24)-hour nursing service and has at least one registered professional nurse on duty or call; (e) has organized diagnostic and surgical facilities, either on the premises or in facilities available to the hospital on a prearranged basis; and (f) is not, except incidentally, a clinic, nursing home, rest home, or convalescent home for the aged, or similar institution.
I
- Inclement Weather
- Any severe weather condition that delays the scheduled arrival or departure of a common carrier.
- Insured
- The person who enrolled for coverage and whose premium was paid under the policy.
L
- Land/Sea Arrangements
- Pre-paid land and/or sea arrangements made by the travel supplier
- Loss
- Bodily Injury, sickness or damage sustained by you, while coverage is in effect, in consequence of happening of one or more of the occurrences against which the company has undertaken to indemnify you.
M
- Maximum Benefit
- The largest total amount that the company will pay under any one benefit for you, as shown on the Confirmation of Benefits.
- Medically Necessary
- Treatment that's appropriate for your illness or injury, consistent with your symptoms, and that can safely be provided to you. It meets the standards of good medical practice and isn't for your convenience or the provider's convenience.
P
- Physician
- A licensed practitioner of medical, surgical or dental services acting within the scope of his or her license. The treating physician may not be you, a traveling companion, or a family member.
Q
- Quarantine
- Strict isolation imposed by a government authority or physician to prevent the spread of disease. Am embargo preventing you from entering a country is not a quarantine.
R
- Reasonable and Customary Charges
- Charges commonly used by physicians in the locality in which care is furnished.
S
- Scheduled Departure Date
- The date on which you are originally scheduled to leave on the trip.
- Scheduled Return Date
- The date on which you are originally scheduled to return to the point of origin or to a different final destination.
- Sickness
- An illness or disease of the body that: 1) requires a physical examination and medical treatment by a physician and 2) commences while your coverage in in effect. An illness or disease of the body that begins prior to the Effective Date of coverage is not a sickness as defined herein and is not covered unless it suddenly worsens or becomes acute after the Effective Date.
- Strike
- Any unannounced labor disagreement that interferes with the normal departure and arrival of a common carrier.
- Subrogation
- Steps the travel insurance company takes, after paying a claim, to collect from other available sources such as other insurance plans or travel suppliers.
T
- Travel Supplier
- A tour operator, participating organization, cruise line, airline, hotel, travel agency, etc. who has made the land, air and/or sea arrangements.
- Traveling Companion
- A person who has coordinated travel arrangements or vacation plans with you, intends to travel with you during the trip and is further described on the confirmation of coverage. Note, a group or tour leader is not considered a traveling companion unless you are sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader.
- Trip
- A trip or class of trips as described on the confirmation of benefits.
U
- Unforeseen
- Not anticipated or expected and occurring after the effective date of your coverage.
- Uninhabitable
- (1) The building structure itself is unstable and there is a risk of collapse in whole or in part; (2) there is exterior or structural damage allowing elemental intrusion, such as rain, wind, hail or flood; (3) immediate safety hazards have yet to be cleared, such as debris on roofs or downed electrical lines; or (4) the building is without electricity or water and/or is not suitable for human occupancy in accordance with local authority guidelines.
