Travelers with unsuccessful claims become frustrated because they feel they have been cheated (see Five “Loopholes” and How to Avoid Them).

This frustration can be avoided by understanding what is covered and what is not. This information is provided in the policy certificate, which you should review during your free look period.

Travel insurance does not cover cancellations for ‘everything’

Cancelled trips are a primary concern for most travelers.

Travel insurance provides coverage for cancellation and interruptions, but the reason for the cancellation makes a difference because not everything is covered.

Travel insurance policies provide a list of covered reasons for trip cancellation. If your reason is not on the list, you will not be covered.

Any cancellations for medical reasons need to be recommended and documented by a doctor. You cannot simply cancel a trip because a family member is sick…you need to have them see a doctor and have that doctor make that recommendation.

Note: See Cancel for Any Reason coverage to avoid these issues.

Pre-existing conditions require special attention

A pre-existing condition is something that happened (or started to happen) before you had insurance coverage.

When you file a claim due to a medical condition, the travel insurance company will look at your medical records. They will need to determine if/when this condition started to happen. If they look back and see no sign of the condition, that means it was not a known condition. If they see that you were diagnosed for the condition, that would be a pre-existing condition and coverage would be denied.

Note: Travel insurance companies have developed a Pre-existing condition waiver to provide coverage in some situations.

Travel insurance policies have a list of ‘exclusions’

Every travel insurance policy has a list of situation in which coverage is not provided, also known as exclusions. This is a specific list if reasons, and it should be reviewed carefully to avoid misunderstandings.

Most travel insurance plans automatically exclude the following from coverage:

• Losses due to a pre-existing medical condition (although you can purchase a waiver if you have a pre-existing condition and get coverage).
• Changing your mind or deciding you can’t afford to go (although you can purchase ‘cancel for any reason’ coverage and cancel a trip before it starts).
• Losses for tickets or tours won as an award or by redeeming frequent flier or credit card miles (although some plans will reimburse the re-deposit fee for frequent flyer programs)
• Travel costs where the purpose of the trip is to obtain medical treatment outside your home country, also called medical tourism.
• Lousy weather conditions (although if you purchase ‘cancel for any reason’ coverage, you can cancel your trip before it starts if you decide you won’t have fun due to the weather).
• Extreme, high-risk sports such as sky-diving, scuba diving, bungee jumping, heli-skiing and more (although some plans offer coverage for high-risk activities as an optional add-on).
• Losses due to war (declared or not), military actions, civil disorder, and riots.
• Losses due to venereal disease, AIDS virus, pregnancy (except complications of pregnancy), or abortion.
• Losses due to mental, psychological, or nervous disorders including anxiety, depression, neurosis or psychosis.
• Losses due to nuclear radiation or radioactive contamination.
• Losses incurred while the insured is participating in an unlawful act.
• Losses due to the insured intentionally causing bodily harm, including suicide.
• Losses incurred while the insured is legally drunk or under the influence of drugs.

See the individual plan’s policy, certificate, or description for additional exclusions specific to the plan.

What IS covered

See the list of unforeseen events travel insurance typically does cover.

The post What Travel Insurance Does Not Cover appeared first on CoverTrip.

An insurance policy is a legal contract. The coverage, exclusions, and ‘small print’ of the insurance plan are available to read in something called the policy, certificate, or description of coverage.

Many travelers buy insurance and assume ‘everything’ is covered, but as with all insurance plans that’s not the case.

Travelers get frustrated if a claim is delayed or denied, and assume that they have been cheated because of a ‘loophole’.

These frustrations could be avoided by understanding the policy, knowing what is covered, and what is not covered.

Here are the most common ‘loopholes’, and how to avoid them:

1. Not a Covered Reason for Cancellation

No insurance plan can cover ‘everything’.

When we discussed travel insurance coverage earlier, we mentioned a list of covered reasons for trip cancellation.

This list includes reasons like someone getting sick, a hurricane, being laid off, a terrorist incident, and more.

Companies list the covered reasons in the plan’s policy, certificate, or description of coverage. If it is not on the list, it will not be covered. If insurance companies covered ‘everything’, some people would take advantage by buying insurance for a trip they already know they need to cancel, and then make up a reason.

Want to be covered no matter what the reason?

Get the optional “Cancel for any reason” rider available with many plans, which costs more money but will let you cancel a trip for any reason including simply not wanting to go. Some plans include this coverage if the plan is purchased within a certain time frame.

The bottom line: Read and understand the list of covered reasons in the policy, and if in doubt select the optional “Cancel for any reason” rider or a plan that includes that coverage.

2. Pre-Existing Conditions

This one is complicated, but there is a simple solution.

A pre-existing condition is something that happened (or started to happen) before you were insured. Insurance is meant to cover sudden and unexpected events, which excludes any event that has already taken place.

Insurance companies need to exclude pre-existing conditions from coverage; otherwise you could buy insurance coverage after you know you cannot travel. That would be like a casino taking a bet after the cards are turned over.

Companies do provide a way to get coverage for pre-existing conditions.

The solution?

A waiver to the pre-existing condition exclusion can be included with many plans.

The conditions are typically 1) you need to buy insurance soon after your first trip payment, 2) you need to be healthy when you buy insurance, and 3) you need to insure the full amount of your trip.

The bottom line: Only buy a plan that offers a waiver to the pre-existing condition exclusion, and make sure you meet the requirements for it to apply.

3. Coverage Exclusions

Every insurance plan has exclusions. They are a very common loophole of travel insurance.

The plan’s policy, certificate, or description of coverage has a section entitled General Policy Exclusions (or something similar).

This section gives you a list of the situation in which they will not cover you, and they are very specific.

For example: You will not be covered for loss caused by ‘self-inflicted injury’, ‘driving in a motor competition’, ‘’bungee cord jumping’, ‘any criminal acts committed by you’…you get the idea.

Some exclusions are more common than others, for instance, pregnancy-related issues or loss resulting from intoxication.

The bottom line: Read and understand the list of exclusions in the policy, certificate, or description of coverage.

4. Incomplete Documentation

When a claim is filed, there is paperwork that needs to be submitted.

If a claim is delayed it is often because the company does not have the required paperwork from the insured, or from a doctor, a hospital, etc. The faster they get the required paperwork, the faster your claim can be reviewed.

Also, it’s vital to remember that cancellations must be recommended by a doctor in writing. Coverage for cancellation does not include a parent thinking their child’s cold will make the trip unpleasant for them.

The injury or sickness needs to result in a doctor recommending the trip be canceled. The policy certificate outlines the various documents that will be needed for coverage.

The bottom line: Contact the insurance company as soon as you have any issue, and start saving all receipts and documentation

5. Enrolling Too Late

If you are already sick, it’s too late to buy insurance.

If the hurricane is already named, it’s too late as well.

One of the most common loopholes of travel insurance is trying to buy insurance after you know something has happened.

Insurance cannot be purchased after something has happened. Otherwise it couldn’t work for the company. Again, it’s like a casino taking a bet after the cards are turned over.

Also, certain coverage depends on you enrolling sooner rather than later.

Not only will you will have the longest period of coverage for cancellations, but you could also be eligible for benefits like a waiver for pre-existing conditions, ‘cancel for any reason’ coverage, hurricane coverage, and more.

The bottom line: Get your travel insurance as soon as you make a trip payment

More reading

• The Beginner’s Guide to Travel Insurance
• Cancel For Any Reason coverage and how it works
• What does travel insurance cover?

The post “Loopholes” of Travel Insurance and How to Avoid Them appeared first on CoverTrip.

Let us tell you a story

Celia’s husband, Dave, was very fond of diving – with sharks, with dolphins, just about anything – but Celia was water-phobic and never went near open water.

So, once every year or so, Dave and his diving buddies would book an excursion somewhere exotic. This year, they decided to go to Belize and Celia went along to enjoy the sun and the wild cat preserve.

When she returned from her day looking for wild cats, the resort manager informed her that Dave and his buddies had been in a boating accident and Dave had not survived. Celia had to identify her husband’s body at the local hospital and arrange transportation home. Their travel insurance plan had coverage for accidental death, so Celia would not have to worry about covering Dave’s funeral expenses.

The travel insurance plan also provided repatriation coverage, so Celia had help arranging and paying for the transportation of Dave’s body to a mortuary in their home community.

What does Accidental Death and Dismemberment cover?

This coverage provides benefits up to the policy limit if the insured sustains an injury that results in:

• your death
• total permanent loss of sight in one or both eyes
• permanent loss of one or both of your hands or feet

The loss must be a direct result of an accident and must occur within a certain number of days (usually 180-365) of the accident.

Death benefits are paid at 100% of the policy limit. Dismemberment benefits are paid at a percentage (typically 50%) for one loss and an increase for multiple losses up to 100% of the policy limit. Refer to the schedule of benefits in the policy certificate for details.

This coverage does not provide for emergency medical evacuations or the repatriation of the insured’s remains. Those coverages are separate and designed to transport the insured to a location where medical treatment can be received, or, in the case of death, to a location where their body can be prepared for burial.

Important notes about this coverage

• This coverage may not extend to accidents that occur inside the insured’s home country
• This coverage does not provide for the transportation of the insured or the insured’s body–see emergency evacuation/repatriation coverage for transportation coverage

What type of policy covers this?

• Travel medical plans
• Trip protection package plans
• Standalone AD&D plans

In some cases, you can opt for additional AD&D coverage by adding an upgrade to the original policy benefit.

Summary

• This coverage provides a lump sum payout (up to the policy limit) in the case of death or permanent dismemberment
• Dismemberment benefits are paid at a percentage of the policy limit based on a schedule of benefits in the policy certificate
• This coverage does not provide transportation coverage for the injured or their mortal remains
• This coverage is in addition to the insured’s other life insurance or disability coverage

The post Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Coverage appeared first on CoverTrip.

Travel insurance covers lost money from canceled trips, emergency medical expenses, evacuation costs, baggage & delays, and 24/7 assistance.

This is a simple overview of the coverage you get with comprehensive travel insurance. The long answer is that your specific travel plan will dictate the coverage you get. For a more in-depth explanation you can read our complete guide to travel insurance coverage. Meanwhile, we’re going to explain the 5 things most travel insurance plans cover. Towards the end, we’ll recommend your next steps in securing the best possible travel insurance coverage.

So, What Does Travel Insurance Cover? 5 Common Coverages

We’re going to start by explaining what travel insurance covers. From canceled trips to medical emergencies, evacuations to delays – most of your concerns are covered by the insurance company you get your plan through. However, the degree of coverage you have is dictated by your specific plan – so read carefully when comparing travel insurance plans. Oh – and after we finish up this section, we’ll answer an equally important question: what does travel insurance not cover? First things first – let’s talk about trip cancellation coverage.

1. Cancelled Trips

This is the #1 concern with most travelers.

When planning a trip you pre-pay for many expenses like airline tickets, hotel rooms, cruise fare, Disney tickets, tour packages, and more.

If these expenses are pre-paid and non-refundable, you risk losing it if something goes wrong. Your child could get sick, a parent could pass away, a hurricane could strike. Any of these events could cause you to cancel your trip and lose all of that money.

If these expenses are pre-paid and non-refundable, you risk losing it if something goes wrong. Your child could get sick, a parent could pass away, a hurricane could strike. Any of these events could cause you to cancel your trip and lose all of that money.

Travel insurance reimburses your costs if you need to cancel for a covered reason

Trip Cancellation Coverage reimburses you for pre-paid, non-refundable expenses if you need to cancel your trip before you depart. Insurance companies provide a list of covered reasons for trip cancellation, but here is an overview of the most common reasons travelers need to cancel.

Covered reasons to cancel your trip include:

• Sickness, injury, or death of you, a family member, or a traveling companion
• Hurricane damages your destination or cancels your flight
• Terrorist incident in your destination city
• Laid off from work or required to work
• Bankruptcy of your travel supplier
• Called for jury duty

By far, the most common reason someone getting sick or a family member passing away. This is especially common now with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Note: There is also an optional upgrade called Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage, which will allow you to call off your trip for any reason, as long as you meet the plan criteria.

Trip Interruption Coverage is similar to cancellation coverage, but covers you while you are on your trip for the same list of covered reasons.

If something happens and you are required to return home, insurance will reimburse you for the lost portion of your trip…as well as any additional expenses to get back home.

2. Medical emergencies

This is crucial, and often overlooked.

Most people think they are covered for medical emergencies if they already have existing health care insurance. Within the United States, that will likely be true.

But when you travel abroad, your health insurance from home might not travel with you. Most providers do not provide coverage, and Medicare never covers you abroad.

Would you feel comfortable having a family member risk inadequate medical care in a foreign country?

For cruises, your health insurance from home may not cover you if you’re traveling on a foreign-flagged ship (which includes most cruise ships).

Travel insurance covers emergency medical expenses

Medical Expense Coverage will cover you for accidents and emergency medical and dental care when you travel.

Even if your plan from home covers basic emergency care overseas, your current health insurance provider will almost certainly NOT pay to evacuate you and repatriate you back to the U.S.

3. Emergency evacuations

Medical emergencies can be scary, and the travel medical coverage explained above covers the medical costs.

But how do you get home? What if you need a special medical flight, or a rescue from a remote location?

Travel insurance covers emergency evacuations and medical transportation

Emergency Evacuation Coverage will pay for emergency evacuation expenses such as airlifts and medically equipped flights back home, and oftentimes will transport you to the hospital of your choice for care.

Evacuation expenses can be devastating. An ambulance to the hospital, an airlift to a more adequate hospital, getting you back home on board a medically-staffed flight afterwards…evacuation expenses can easily cost $100,000.

4. Lost bags, delayed bags, delayed flights

These coverage are for the “smaller things” that are nice to have. Again, the list is not complete but it will give you an idea of some additional coverages.

Travel insurance covers lost baggage and flight delays

Baggage Coverage can reimburse you for your personal belongings if your luggage is lost, stolen or damaged not just on your flight, but on your entire trip.

Baggage Delay Coverage provides money to buy essential items until your delayed bags arrive, such as a toiletry kit, a swimsuit, or another change of clothes.

Travel Delay Coverage provides reimbursement for additional expenses if your flight is delayed, such as an extra night in a hotel or a meal at a restaurant.

5. Phone assistance 24/7 worldwide

This is about having a ‘lifeline’ to call when something happens.

Medical emergencies, stolen baggage, lost passports, cancelled flights. Every travel insurance company provides 24/7 support for all of these needs.

This service is most important when you have a medical issue. It can be scary to have medical issues abroad where language and customs are completely different than at home.

24/7 Travel Assistance Services can help you:

• Locate the nearest adequate hospital if needed
• Organize medical transportation
• Arrange for treatment and overcome any language barriers with translators
• Organize transportation home
• Replace prescriptions in an emergency

In addition, non-medical assistance may include:

• Lost baggage search; stolen luggage replacement assistance
• Lost passport/travel documents assistance
• Travel information including visa/passport requirements
• Emergency telephone interpretation assistance

Additional coverage with travel insurance

Travel insurance can also provides coverage for:

• Life Insurance coverage for accidental death or dismemberment.
• Hazardous Sports extends the medical coverage to cover activities like SCUBA.
• Rental Car Collision replaces your personal insurance or the rental company policy.
• Identity Theft provides services to help in the event of identity theft while traveling.

What does travel insurance NOT cover?

We’ve explained what travel insurance covers – but it is just as important to ask the question of what does travel insurance not cover? Like any insurance policy, travel insurance cannot cover “everything”, after all.

For cancellations, there is a list of covered reasons for cancellation. We recently wrote a complete guide on this topic. Anything not on this list would not be covered. The list of covered reasons for cancellation includes the most common events like sickness, an accident, death, hurricane, terrorism, house fire, jury duty, needing to work, and more.

For complete peace-of-mind, Cancel For Any Reason coverage is available to extend that coverage. As we just mentioned above, this is an upgrade worth considering.

Other exclusions include losses caused by drug use, suicide, professional sports, hazardous sports (like rock climbing), and more. Again, there is a list of excluded items that would not be covered.

What does travel medical insurance cover?

The coverage above related to comprehensive travel insurance. This is the most popular type of insurance travelers buy, because it covers all parts of their trip.

If you are not concerned with cancelled trips, baggage, or delays there is a type of plan called Travel Medical insurance. Travel Medical is just focused on the medical emergency coverage, and evacuation coverage.

Travel Medical only insurance is popular with expatriates, business travelers, or those going overseas for an extended trip. You can purchase it for a year at a time, and can be renewed for several years.

What does COVID travel insurance cover?

We’ve covered what travel insurance covers – and you know the five most common coverages now. However, we want to take the time to answer another common question we’ve been asked: what does COVID travel insurance cover? At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a lot of confusion about how trip insurance would cover Covid-related issues.

Most travel insurance companies treat Coronavirus like any other illness. This means it would cover if you get sick with Covid and need to cancel. It would also cover medical expenses if you get Covid abroad and need care.

It does not cover you if you are simply concerned about getting Covid. Many travelers thought a global pandemic would be a covered reason for cancellation, but this is excluded in many policies.

The best way to cover this concern would be a plan with the optional Cancel For Any Reason upgrade. This coverage extends your covered reasons for cancellation and would allow you to cancel the trip for Covid concerns.

What expenses does travel insurance cover?

Comprehensive travel insurance covers your pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs. Travelers buy travel insurance for $300 airline tickets, or for an African safari costing $70,000.

Insurable trip costs can include:

• Airfare
• Hotels
• Cruises
• Shore excursions
• Tours
• Event tickets
• and any other pre-paid, non-refundable expense

Final Thoughts On What Travel Insurance Covers

As you can see, travel insurance covers most of the concerns travelers have. You’ll enjoy peace of mind by upgrading to cancel for any reason coverage, though. Here is a quick summary of the different things travel insurance covers:

• Canceled trips
• Medical emergencies along your trip
• Emergency evacuations
• Lost bags and travel delays
• Phone assistance

The company you ultimately end up choosing and your specific insurance plan will dictate the degree of coverage you have in these different areas. It is important to do ample research to make sure you actually have the coverage you want – and for the best price. Looking for a recommendation? We compiled a guide of the best travel insurance plans of 2022 for you.

Looking to learn more about trip insurance? Here are some of the most important related articles we’ve written. These resources will help you get the best bang for your buck with trip insurance and ensure you’ve covered all your bases:

• What is NOT covered by travel insurance?
• How much does travel insurance cost
• How do I buy travel insurance?

The post What Does Travel Insurance Cover? appeared first on CoverTrip.

Let us tell you a story

Luke planned a backpacking journey through Switzerland late in the summer. He purchased a travel insurance plan and added the ‘cancel for work reasons’ coverage, but he never expected to have to make a claim.

Early in the summer, however, the company Luke works for went through a round of layoffs and everyone who remained working had to put in extra hours to keep their projects moving forward. All previously approved vacations were revoked and all future vacations were on hold. Luke was able to recover his pre-paid travel costs and save the money for a later trip.

What does ‘Cancel for work reasons’ upgrade cover?

While many policies include cancellations for work conflicts in their trip cancellation and trip interruption benefits, some policies offer a ‘cancel for work reasons’ upgrade that allows trip cancellations for the following work-related reasons:

• You are required to work due to changes in work schedule
• You required to work because you are directly involved in merger, acquisition, product recall, or bankruptcy proceedings
• You are required to work because you place of business is rendered unsuitable as a result of natural disaster, fire, flood, burglary or vandalism

In each situation, you must not have known you would be required to work when you purchase your travel insurance plan.

If you are concerned about having to cancel for work reasons, it’s important to be sure the coverage you buy includes the specific reason you may need. Remember, if the policy doesn’t list the reason specifically, then you won’t have coverage for that situation.

Coverage for other work conflicts

There are a number of additional work-related reasons that may force you to cancel your trip, which are handled separately from ‘cancel for work reasons’.

These reasons include:

• Permanent transfer of employment
• Military duty
• Loss of employment through termination or layoff

If these are important protections for your trip, see Work Conflict Coverage.

Important notes about this coverage

• The effective date for trip cancellation coverage begins at 12:01 a.m. on the day the policy is fully paid an in effect
• This coverage ends at the earliest of either: the cancellation of your trip, or the date and time you start your trip
• A written statement by your employer or an officer of your company may be required with your claim, depending on the reason for the claim

What type of policy covers this?

Package plans, not travel medical plans, are the policy type to offer ‘cancel for work reasons’ upgrades. Some package plans now include ‘cancel for work reasons’ coverage in their travel package plans, and others offer it as an optional upgrade.

Summary

• Some plans include this coverage with their package plans, and some offer it as an upgrade
• The cancellation reason must be specifically listed in the policy for the trip cancellation to be covered
• Other work-related reasons for trip cancellation are described in the Work Conflict Coverage page
• Written statements may be required to back up claims on this coverage

The post Cancel For Work Reasons Coverage appeared first on CoverTrip.

• One of a young woman injured falling off a boat and hospitalized in Croatia
• One of a man left in a German hospital after a head injury

are prompting this post.

In at least one of the cases, the injured traveler will be held liable for at least $20,000 in foreign medical costs. In both cases, the traveler did not have travel insurance that covered emergency medical evacuations and in both cases, their families and friends are trying desperately to raise the funds necessary to transport them home and to cover their medical care.

Unfortunately, these are not uncommon stories. They happen frequently and just as unfortunately, those travelers and their families could have been spared the heartache and fear with a very affordable travel insurance plan.

Some travelers get bogged down by determining how much coverage is enough, so let’s review the following steps to determine how much coverage you need on any trip you take in the future.

Determine how far you’re traveling

The cost of medical care and emergency medical transport is determined by a limited set of factors: the patient’s condition and their location.

More specifically, the treatment for a patient with massive internal injuries on remote mountain in South America is going to cost more than a patient with food poisoning in Cozumel. In the latter example, medical treatment could be received locally. In the first example, the insured would likely have to be airlifted to a nearby hospital where initial treatment to stabilize their condition could be administered before a second evacuation could take them to their home country and back into their own health insurance network.

Either way, if you’re going a long way or to a place where medical care is very expensive (like the U.S. and Canada), you’ll need a little more coverage.

Determine the coverage you have already

Some U.S. health insurance plans have coverage outside the U.S., but most don’t. While Medicare doesn’t cover seniors for medical treatment outside the U.S. borders, many Medicare Supplement plans have some coverage for emergency medical treatment.

How do you determine the coverage you already have? You’ll have to pull out your plan’s description of coverage and read it.

If you can’t figure out whether you have coverage in the country you want to visit, call your insurance company and ask them specifically how much you will have to pay for an emergency room visit with a broken nose in the country you want to visit. You’ll have a much better idea what coverage you need after a question like that.

Determine what medical care will be available

In some countries, medical care – even for foreigners – is covered by the taxpayers of that country, although some of those countries are currently considering requiring travelers to show evidence of medical coverage upon entering the country. Most countries expect the patient to bear at least some, if not all the cost and that’s where medical insurance comes in handy.

So, how does a traveler determine the availability and quality of medical care where they will be traveling?

The US State Department’s country-specific pages are a great source of this type of information. For example, here’s what it says about Mongolia’s medical care:

Medical facilities in Mongolia are very limited and do not meet most Western standards, especially for emergency health care requirements. Many brand-name Western medicines are unavailable. The majority of medical facilities are located in Ulaanbaatar. Medical facilities and treatment are extremely limited or non-existent outside of Ulaanbaatar. Specialized emergency care for infants and the elderly is not available. Doctors and hospitals usually expect immediate payment in cash for health services.

Good to know ahead of time: When you receive medical care in a foreign country, you are typically required to pay the bill immediately (often before treatment). This is true even with some travel insurance plans although some providers will pay the medical facility directly.

Define your personal risk

Not all travelers are alike. Some travelers are content to lie on comfortable chairs by the pool and read books; others need the adrenaline rush of jumping off high bridges on bungee cords. Of course, there are all the ranges in between as well as those one-off situations where a traveler decides to try something new on a whim.

Here are some of the risk factors to take into account:

• Will you be participating in activities considered ‘high-risk’, like hang-gliding, para-sailing, skiing, SCUBA diving, and more?
• Will you be traveling to a remote location where medical care is extremely limited?
• Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions that could be affected by your travel?
• Are you traveling to a location known to have specific medical risks, like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and more?
• Are you carrying medications that may be difficult to replace in a foreign country if lost or stolen?
• Are you older or in frail health?

Combine your trip factors with common sense

Now that you’ve thought through your trip factors, let’s combine those with a little common sense. Lots of travel insurance policies will give you high limits, but you may not need that much coverage and every dollar of coverage means less in your pocket on your trip.

When it comes to emergency medical evacuations, not many medically necessary evacuations cost more than $100,000 or $200,000. For example, a medically equipped air transport for a traveler who suffered a heart attack and fell into a coma in China to return to New York recently cost $183,000. In this case, it was a long-distance trip with a patient who had a known medical condition. According to the website set up to help one of the injured travelers mentioned at the start of this post, the cost for her medical transportation from Croatia to Toronto is reported to be $93,550 U.S.

When it comes to travel medical care, severe injuries or illnesses will of course cost more than mild ones so depending on your age, your current health, and the risks where you are traveling you may need a little more or a little less. Luckily, you don’t have to leave this decision up to a judgement call or a coin toss.

Our travel insurance comparison tool gives you some guidance:

Just to make the point about the cost of travel insurance plans, we used these trip factors:

• One 38-year old traveler from California
• Visiting Chile for one week
• No pre-existing medical conditions, trip cancellation, or hazardous activities

and found many plans with at least $50,000 in medical coverage and at least $100,000 in evacuation for less than $10.00:

Wherever you go, having travel medical and evacuation coverage is simply a no-brainer. As they say, don’t leave home without it.

The post How Much Travel Medical and Evacuation is Enough? appeared first on CoverTrip.

Trip interruption coverage is coverage that reimburses a traveler for up to 150% of their unused pre-paid trip costs when their trip has to be abandoned for a covered reason.

In some situations, a traveler can handle the emergency that caused them to abandon their trip and then re-join their trip. For example, if a business owner had to leave a cruise for a couple of days to handle a work emergency and then wanted to catch up to their cruise at a later port. Many travel insurance plans will also reimburse a traveler for the additional transportation costs necessary to can catch up to their vacation or business trip.

The following are some reasons you may want to have trip interruption coverage with your travel insurance plan:

1. Mandatory evacuations are ordered

When a natural disaster such as a hurricane, a raging wildfire, or an impending flood causes authorities to issue mandatory evacuation orders, knowing that you will receive reimbursement for your unused trip costs can ease the pain.

2. A terrorist attack occurs

If a terrorist event occurs at your destination and visitors are told to evacuate (as thousands of students were in Egypt last year), trip interruption coverage will can help you recover your expenses and the unexpected transportation costs to get you out of danger.

3. Sudden injury or illness

If, while on your trip, you or a traveling companion or someone back home is suddenly injured or becomes quite ill and you have to return home, trip interruption coverage will step in to reimburse you for the trip you didn’t get to enjoy. It will also help with those unexpected return trip costs.

4. Mugging, rape, or assault

If you, or a covered traveling companion, are the victim of a vicious attack on your trip, you may well want to end your trip and return home. Trip interruption coverage can help you get your money back and get you back home to recover.

5. Financial default or bankruptcy

When a travel supplier, such as a cruise line or tour operator, completely ceases all operations due to financial default or bankruptcy, it can leave travelers stranded. Trip interruption coverage can help you recover the money you invested in their business.

6. Employment conflicts

If you, or a covered traveling companion, are called back to work, called in for duty, or deployed to help with disaster relief, then trip interruption coverage can recover your unused trip expenses as well as help you pay for tickets back home.

7. Labor strikes

If your travel is disrupted, flights are grounded, or tours are cancelled due to unannounced labor strikes – even airport strikes, then trip interruption coverage can help you recover the money you paid and help get you back home safely.

It’s important to remember that trip interruption coverage is much like trip cancellation coverage – only post departure instead of pre departure. With nearly all travel insurance plans, the covered reasons for cancelling a trip are the same as those for abandoning a trip and returning home. The key is, of course, understanding those covered reasons.

Many travelers make the mistake of thinking they can abandon their trip for any reason at all, but that’s not how travel insurance works. The reason for cancelling your trip or ending your trip must be listed as a covered reason if you are to be entitled to reimbursement.

Read our full review of trip interruption coverage, including the exclusions and a list of companies that offer it.

The post 7 Reasons for Trip Interruption Coverage appeared first on CoverTrip.

Let us tell you a story

Jim planned to go fly fishing with his brothers, as they did every summer, but it had been a tough year and Jim was concerned about losing his money if he had to cancel for some reason. So, he purchased travel insurance with trip cancellation coverage.

When he heard that the unions had announced a strike at the airport he was planning to fly from, he contacted the travel insurance company who helped him file a trip cancellation claim. Jim decided he could do the long drive to the fly fishing break instead, and he received a check a couple weeks later.

What does Strike Coverage cover?

As part of the covered reasons for pre-trip cancellation, this coverage ensures reimbursement for your pre-paid nonrefundable trip costs if a strike causes a complete cessation of travel for a period of time and affects your itinerary prior to starting your trip.

Important notes about this coverage

• Plans typically indicate the minimum number of hours (usually 12-24) that services must be stopped before coverage will apply.
• The strike must not be announced prior to your plan’s effective date.
• This coverage does not include general strike scenarios where most of the workers of a county, city, province, or state cease working.

What type of policy covers this?

This is a covered reason for trip cancellations, and as such, it is found in travel insurance package plans with trip cancellation coverage.

Summary

• Not all travel insurance plans have coverage for labor strikes, so carefully review your plan’s covered reasons
• This coverage may be limited to non general strikes
• The strike must be unannounced when the plan is purchased
• There is a minimum number of hours that services must be unavailable before the coverage is applicable

The post Strike Coverage appeared first on CoverTrip.

Let us tell you a story

Andrea and Brian had long planned a summer getaway to the Fiji Islands. They had pored over the guide books and made plans. When Brian’s car was broken into a few days before the start of their trip, they were horrified when they realized the thieves had made off with Brian’s passport.

Brian worked with the police and made a report of the break-in while Andrea called their insurance company. Unfortunately, it would be weeks before they could get an updated passport for Brian, so they were forced to cancel their trip. With the police report, however, they were able to make a claim on their travel insurance policy and received a check for all their pre-paid expenses. They would work on replacing Brian’s passport and reschedule the trip as soon as they could.

What does Loss or Theft of Passport/Visa cover?

As part of the covered reasons for pre-trip cancellation, this coverage lets you cancel your trip and receive reimbursement for your pre-paid nonrefundable trip costs (up to the policy limit) if your travel documents (passport or visa) is lost or stolen prior to starting your trip.

Important notes about this coverage

• Your claim must be verifiable with documentation, so be sure to report the loss and get a copy of the report

What type of policy covers this?

This is a covered reason for trip cancellations, and as such, it is found in travel insurance package plans with trip cancellation coverage.

How much coverage does each company provide?

Plan	Company	Loss or theft
None	Allianz
Custom	CSA	Yes
Custom Luxe	CSA	Yes
None	FrontierMEDEX
Essentials	Global Alert	Yes
Preferred	Global Alert	Yes
Preferred Plus	Global Alert	Yes
Trip Protect e-Saver	HTH Worldwide	Yes
Trip Protector	HTH Worldwide	Yes
Trip Protector Preferred	HTH Worldwide	Yes
None	IMG
Asset	MH Ross	Yes
Bridge	MH Ross	Yes
Complete	MH Ross	Yes
None	Seven Corners
None	Travel Guard
Elite	Travel Insurance Services	Yes
Plus	Travel Insurance Services	Yes
Basic	Travel Insurance Services	Yes
None	Travel Insured
Basic	Travelex	Yes
Travel Select	Travelex	Yes
Travel Max	Travelex	Yes
TraveLite	Travelex	Yes
Travel Plus	Travelex	Yes
Vacation Classic	TravelSafe	Yes
Protect-a-Group	TravelSafe	Yes

Summary

• Not all travel insurance plans have coverage for every schedule conflict, so carefully review your plan’s covered reasons
• The theft must be verifiable with documentation (such as a police report)
• As always, we recommend that you retain copies of these important documents when you travel

The post Lost or Stolen Passport/Visa Coverage appeared first on CoverTrip.

Let us tell you a story

Monika had long planned to travel to see her aunt in Italy. When she purchased her airline tickets, she bought travel insurance with trip cancellation coverage, and she was glad she did. Just a week before she was due to fly, a neighbor called to inform her that her aunt was in the hospital and very ill with the flu. She would not be able to host Monika and it was recommended she stay away in order not to become ill herself.

Monika obtained a copy of her aunt’s medical report and sent that with her trip cancellation claim. She was able to recover all her pre-paid trip costs, which she saved so that she could reschedule her trip as soon as her aunt was better.

What does Sickness, Injury or Death of Host cover?

As part of the covered reasons for pre-trip cancellation, this coverage lets you cancel your trip and get your pre-paid nonrefundable trip costs back if your destination host becomes ill, is seriously injured or hospitalized, or dies prior to starting your trip.

Important notes about this coverage

• The definition of host in some plans is sometimes limited to friends or family.
• The illness or death must be verifiable with documentation.

What type of policy covers this?

This is a covered reason for trip cancellations, and as such, it is found in travel insurance package plans with trip cancellation coverage.

How much coverage does each company provide?

Plan	Company	Destination host
None	Allianz
Custom	CSA	Yes
Custom Luxe	CSA	Yes
None	FrontierMEDEX
None	Global Alert
None	HTH Worldwide
None	IMG
None	MH Ross
RoundTrip	Seven Corners	Yes
RoundTrip Choice	Seven Corners	Yes
Platinum	Travel Guard	Yes
Gold	Travel Guard	Yes
Tee, Tour and Travel	Travel Guard	Yes
Sportsman's Travel	Travel Guard	Yes
Adventure Travel	Travel Guard	Yes
None	Travel Insurance Services
Worldwide Trip Protector Gold	Travel Insured	Yes
Worldwide Trip Protector	Travel Insured	Yes
Trip Protector Lite Expanded	Travel Insured	Yes
Trip Protector Lite	Travel Insured	Yes
Airline Ticket Protector	Travel Insured	Yes
Basic	Travelex	Yes
Travel Select	Travelex	Yes
Travel Max	Travelex	Yes
TraveLite	Travelex	Yes
Travel Plus	Travelex	Yes
Vacation Classic	TravelSafe	Yes
Protect-a-Group	TravelSafe	Yes

Summary

• Not all travel insurance package plans with trip cancellation include this as a covered reason to cancel, so check your plan details
• This coverage is sometimes limited when you’re visiting a friend or family member
• Proof of the illness, injury, or death will be required when you make a claim

The post Illness or Death of Host Coverage appeared first on CoverTrip.