Protection that travels with you.
Vacations take a lot of planning. Booking airline tickets and hotels. Scheduling activities and other mini trips within your trip. And sometimes, despite your best efforts, problems arise. Medical emergencies, missed connecting flights, lost luggage – the list goes on. The good news is that travel insurance can help protect non-refundable trip costs you already paid for in case something unexpected happens.
It even includes COVID-related incidents that cause trip interruptions or cancellations.**
What is travel insurance?
Travel insurance may help reimburse you for unforeseen events while traveling. Depending on the type of plan you choose, it can help cover you domestically or internationally, and whether you’re traveling on a cruise, by plane or car.
Who needs travel insurance?
Travel insurance is suitable for anyone who wants protection in case a trip is canceled, luggage is stolen or a family member gets sick or injured on vacation. Travel insurance can be especially useful if you’re traveling outside the U.S., where your normal health plan might be limited. Hotels and activities are often paid for in advance, so having coverage in case plans fall through unexpectedly can help you to worry less and focus on your trip. And less worry is key when it comes to enjoying your vacation.
What does travel insurance cover?
Travel insurance can help cover those unexpected events that might interrupt, disrupt or cancel your trip. Depending on the protection you choose, travel coverage can help reimburse you for:
- Trip cancellations
- Trip interruptions
- Stolen baggage or personal belongings
- Baggage delays
- Travel delays (including COVID quarantine)
- Stolen sports or business equipment
- COVID-related sickness or quarantine
- Medical evaluation
- Missed connecting flights
- Rental vehicle damage
A travel insurance representative can work with you to see which plans would best suit your needs, depending on your particular trip.
How much does travel insurance cost? And what factors raise the rates?
The cost of travel insurance ultimately depends on the type of protection you purchase for your trip. But it’s generally pretty inexpensive for the amount of coverage it provides. Below are types of protection plans and some of their starting costs.
Trip cancellation insurance starts at $14 and reimburses you for prepaid and non-refundable payments if your trip is canceled for any of the covered reasons mentioned above. It can also be upgraded to include trip interruptions.
The pandemic plus plan offers a wide range of coverage for unexpected interruptions or cancellations due to COVID. It also includes coverage for road closures caused by weather or natural disasters, such as:
- Primary emergency accident coverage
- Trip cancellation
- Trip interruption coverage
- Sickness coverage
Cruise travel insurance is a flexible, pre-existing plan that starts at $57 and includes $250 for itinerary changes. You have the option of increasing your baggage and travel delay coverage limits to $2,500 each for an additional cost. This includes delays related to COVID quarantine.
A multi-trip insurance plan may be good if you have multiple trips planned for the year. It’s an annual plan that starts at $81 and offers between $1,000 and $5,000 of trip cancellation coverage, plus a full list of other standard benefits. Upgrades include protection for:
- Missed connections
- Baggage travel delays
- Rental vehicle damage***
- Travel delays (including COVID quarantine)
When should I buy travel insurance?
It’s typically a good idea to buy travel insurance when you begin booking flights and hotel accommodations – because unexpected things can come up before you even depart. If you want to include a waiver for pre-existing conditions, your policy may need to be purchased within 14 days of making an initial trip payment.
And when you do buy a policy, make sure to have the following information handy:
- Legal names and birthdates for all travelers
- Your US address
- Dates of travel
- Destination
- Total trip costs
- Initial trip deposit date
No one wants to think about anything going wrong while on vacation. But having protection in place may make a difficult situation easier to handle. Get a quote and find travel protection tailored to you and your wallet.