No one wants to have to imagine a trip that they have been planning for months—possibly even years—will somehow be derailed or delayed, but especially if you are spending a lot of money on nonrefundable plane tickets, hotel accommodations, and other necessities, you may want to choose some sort of trip insurance package in case things do go wrong.
Trip cancellation, trip interruption, and trip delay are all different types of trip insurance benefits you can obtain when you are getting ready to travel somewhere special.
- Trip cancellation is insurance that will cover you in the event that you have to cancel your trip before you depart.
- The reasons behind a trip cancellation are usually major ones like a death in the family or the death of a traveler, a car accident or hospitalization, a fire at home, etc.
- Trip cancellation insurance does not usually cover those who suddenly decide to cancel their trips without a serious reason, although cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage can sometimes be obtained for a higher price.
- Trip interruption insurance covers the nonrefundable portions of the remainder of your trip if you suddenly cannot finish it for some reason.
- This benefit covers your travel type of insurance covers your travel arrangements in the event that something goes wrong during your trip (i.e. you lose your tickets, there is an illness, there is a strike, etc.) and will usually allow you to either resume your trip or return home, depending on what is necessary.
- Trip delay insurance covers your meals and hotel accommodations if your trip is suddenly delayed for reasons beyond your control. In most cases, this includes bad weather that will ground a flight or another type of issue.
- Because airlines do not have to provide accommodations for those whose flights have been grounded, getting trip delay insurance could help you avoid having to stay at the airport overnight and can allow you to afford to stick around in the area until you are able to fly out.
All of these benefits come along with the advantage of saving money. When something goes wrong before or during your trip, you can be rest assured that you won’t end up having to pay for accommodations, reservations, or anything else that you won’t be able to take advantage of because of your situation.
As much as you don’t want to think about something bad happening on your trip, it’s important to prepare for the worst. You never know what could happen, and being able to protect your financial investment can give you some peace of mind if you do end up dealing with illness, bad weather, or technical difficulties. Peace of mind is extremely valuable.
Which of These Is Best for My Trip? The Best Insurance for Your Trip
It is important to talk to someone who understands the process of getting trip insurance and can, therefore, help you make a decision on which option is best for you. If, for example, you are flying, trip delay insurance may be an important purchase, or if you are worried you won’t even make it on the trip to begin with, trip cancellation insurance could be necessary too.
Most booking companies offer trip insurance, so that can be the first place you look for information. You can also reach out to private insurance companies for help.
If you decide to choose a policy without speaking to someone (for instance a policy online), be sure to read the fine print before investing in the insurance. Look for words such as emergency evacuation, exclusions, and AD&D, and ask questions if you do not understand the information provided. Some insurance policies won’t cover certain situations, so you want to make sure that you are covered if something were to happen. You can browse the United States government travel site for alerts and warning for the places you are going to find information. Sometimes, the best way to know if you’ll be protected is to ask the insurance company if a particular situation should occur if the policy would cover you, and how it would.
This is why finding the right travel insurance, not just whatever is offered, is extremely important to making sure your trip is exactly what you want it to be: safe, fun, and covered in the event of any foreseen and unforeseen issues.