Travel Insurance: Vacation With Peace of Mind

Vacations are special occasions that often create lasting memories — of new adventures, hometowns revisited, and once in a lifetime experiences you can cherish forever.

And, then, there are some memories you would rather forget — the lost suitcase on the trip to Florida, the broken leg on the ski vacation to Steamboat Springs, or little Tommy’s emergency appendectomy that forces the family to cancel its Caribbean cruise.  Unfortunate incidents like these can create hassles and unforeseen costs in the form of lost deposits, non-refundable prepaid travel expenses, and lost baggage and emergency medical expenses.

Purchasing travel insurance can help you prepare for the unexpected and vacation with peace of mind. In its most basic form, travel insurance provides trip cancellation protection that reimburses you for penalties imposed by cruise lines, tour operators, airlines, and hotels, if you must cancel your trip. Illness, injury, and the death of a family member or traveling companion are among the most common reasons for canceling a vacation. Cancellation benefits also can be triggered for a variety of other reasons including strikes, natural disasters, or bad weather occurring before your trip begins.

Another important benefit of travel insurance is trip interruption protection. As the name implies, this coverage provides protection if your trip is interrupted after it begins. Trip interruption would have kicked in if Tommy’s appendicitis first occurred during the family cruise. In addition to providing reimbursement for lost deposits and prepaid expenses, benefits usually include the cost of one-way economy airfare to return home. If your trip is only temporarily delayed, in most cases at least 6 hours, a good travel insurance policy includes benefits for hotel and meal costs incurred during the delay and additional costs you incur to catch up to your cruise or tour.

Back to Tommy’s emergency appendectomy — if the surgery happened outside of his family’s health insurance coverage area, travel insurance would have provided emergency medical coverage to help pay out-of-network fees or costs not otherwise covered by his regular health policy.

Many travel insurance policies also provide:

• 24-hour emergency assistance for arranging the services covered by the policy
• Emergency medical transportation
• Collision/Loss damage insurance for rental cars
• Emergency cash transfers
• Baggage delay or replacement coverage
• Assistance with lost travel documents
• Access to assistance in your native language when traveling in a foreign country

Like all insurance, travel policies come with limits and exclusions. The cost and destination of your trip are two major factors you should carefully consider when determining the type and amount of travel protection to purchase. A knowledgeable AAA insurance or travel representative can help you plan for the coverages you need.