*post updated from 2021

Travel Insurance.

Talking about the need to insure travel has to be, without a doubt, like asking someone to discuss a root canal. Just the term insurance makes me start to snooze a little bit.

For years I was the person who was going to go on my trip NO MATTER WHAT! I couldn’t wrap my head around spending an extra $79-$839 on my trip for silly old travel insurance. Travel insurance was an old persons need.

I was young, healthy, and invincible!

Then the airline lost my luggage, a friend got injured while traveling, and a few other things that helped me realize – that extra money should just be an immediate part of the trip cost.

So 30 years later, I’ve changed my ways and don’t travel without a policy in place. This is true for domestic and international trips, and it’s not the airline travel coverage but full third party insurance. By using a third party I know I have a solid policy in place, that covers everything I might need.

My eyes are definitely now opened to the need for a good travel insurance policy.  

No matter how extravagant or low-budget your trip may be, there are many things outside of your control that could change your dream vacation into a nightmare faster than you can say “snowmageddon”.

When bad things happen on good vacations…. (insure it)

I was recently chatting with a client about travel insurance and she shared with me the reason she always purchases a policy. A few years back, she was on a dive trip in Belize when a fellow diver ran into some health issues from diving and had to be medivac’d back to the states. Fortunately, her travel insurance coordinated her care in country and then the medivac to get her back stateside. Imagine trying to figure that all out in a country where you don’t speak the language.

Then there was my friend and her family of 5 who were flying home from a Safari. Because of flight delays out of Africa, they missed the tight connection in London and had to stay at the only available hotel at the airport. Including purchase of diner and breakfast and the two available rooms, one suite and one club level, they ended with a bill over $2000. Travel insurance to the rescue!

Then there was the client who missed a flight connection. Her suitcase went one way, she went another.

I could keep telling more stories but there’s one other thing to consider.

We carry insurance because of the possibility/risk that something might happen but that doesn’t always mean it’s happening to us while traveling.

So, you’re not elderly…you’re healthy… you’ve already confirmed with your boss three times that you can have the time off… nothing is going to keep you from going on your vacation and nothing is going to go wrong while you are there… right? 

Consider these possibilities:

• One of your parents falls and injures themself and you are the only option -it’s either you or the care home you promised was always a no
• One of your adult children falls ill or needs surgery and has nobody to watch the grandchildren… they need grandma and your son/daughter need you
• Your flights to Miami get delayed or cancelled due to the new snowstorm. Now you’ll miss the Caribbean cruise you have been planning all year.  
• Two days before your Italian honeymoon, your boss announces he/she is cancelling all vacation until the current project is complete.
• The volcano in Iceland erupts again, spews ash into the sky and all Transatlantic flights are cancelled for 3 days. Stuck in Amsterdam for an extra few day you miss an important sales presentation back at work that costs your company a huge contract…

… Travel insurance covers more than just flights and baggage. 

Your travel insurance policy can protect your financial investment in your dream vacation or a trip to see family. Travel during the holidays? What are the odds you’ll miss a flight connection, your luggage will go missing, or there’ll be a delay of some sort? If something unexpected happens, having a travel insurance policy in place can make sure your investment is secure.   

Your peace of mind and financial well-being are well worth the investment. 

Good to know: A travel advisor is not an insurance agent and do not sell insurance policies. Most of us do complete the required training with insurance companies so we are able to provide travel insurance cost quotes to our clients for their trips.

Over the years the travel advising industry has realized the importance of ensuring our clients are prepared for all aspects of travel, including those times when things go wrong. In response to that most of us partner with insurance companies, like Allianz, Travel Insured, and others to provide quotes for our clients for trip coverage. We provide insurance quotes as a courtesy, with no requirement to purchase a policy as we are not sellers of insurance but rather sellers of travel.

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