By: Kim Bercaw
Toothbrush? Check. Underwear? Check. Trip insurance? (Confused silence.) If an insurance plan isn’t at the very top of your travel essentials checklist, you’re not alone. According to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association, a mere 30 percent of us say “yes” to this type of coverage. Shocking, considering how unpredictable life can be. Just last spring my family was headed for a week of bliss in the West Indies when our connecting flight from Atlanta to Provodenciales was unexpectedly cancelled. Had we skipped the travel coverage, we would have found ourselves on a flight home, crying into our complimentary bag of pretzels. Instead, we were able to re-book to a new destination on the spot and received full refunds for our original hotel reservations AND our pre-purchased island excursions. Relief? Let’s just say there was some spontaneous dancing going on that day at the customer service counter.
A typical plan averages five to seven percent of your total trip cost, which is small in comparison to the potential loss of nonrefundable hotel rooms, flights and activities. I usually choose my plan based on:
- The likelihood that one of my kids will come down with a croupy, vomitous scourge three hours before we depart (58%)
- The chances of my travel dates inadvertently coinciding with an elderly relative’s 100th birthday celebration (12%)
- The odds of me incurring serious bodily injury halfway through the trip because I can’t resist cliff diving or swimming with killer jellyfish or engaging some other ridiculous activity I would never in my right mind do at home (25%)
You, of course, will have your own unique reasons for choosing a plan. Here are some common types of coverage:
Trip cancellation
Trip interruption
Medical coverage
Evacuation coverage
Baggage coverage
Flight insurance
Interestingly, there’s also:
Golf course closure coverage
Work-related cancellation coverage
Student coverage
Hurricane coverage
You can even purchase insurance that allows you to cancel your trip FOR ANY REASON. It would be really pathetic if you backed out of a vacation because your bunion was acting up or because of a bad hair day, but isn’t it great to know you COULD?
If the above coverage options seem a bit overwhelming, never fear. Your Travel Beyond consultant will be more than happy to help you pick out just the right plan.
