Why do I need Travel Insurance?

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Why do I need travel insurance?

by Enrico (Rick) Saltarelli, ACC

 

“Why do I need travel insurance?” or “do I need travel insurance?” are questions we get asked with almost every client.  I believe it is because of the peace of mind it brings you.

 

There are basically two elements to insurance coverage.

 

Firstly, it protects your investment in your vacation if something changes before you travel.  With almost every vacation product, there is a point that you start paying a penalty to cancel your vacation.  Insurance means that you should be protected if something should cause a cancellation of your vacation and you will get either a future travel certificate, or a refund of your money.  Most insurance programs have robust coverage for a lot of reasons, although you should ask if a certain reason is covered.   There is also insurance that covers you for basically any reason, however this type of insurance typically has to be purchased at the time you book your trip, or before the final payment is made on trips that have been purchased well in advance.   If you have a previous medical condition, the timing of the purchase of your insurance will also be important.

 

Secondly, it provides you with basic insurance should something happen while you are on vacation.  Depending on the coverage offered this could include trip interruption, missed connections, travel delay, lost or delayed baggage and medical coverage.   I always look to see the amount of coverage there is for emergency medical transportation.  If there was a serious emergency, most travelers would prefer to be returned home to be in the care of their primary care physician.  Emergency Medical Transportation can be expensive, so having ample coverage is important.

 

There are plenty of stories that float around on the internet or perhaps you may have a friend or family member that has had an experience and wished they had travel insurance coverage.   It really is not that expensive.   It is based on your age, and on the total value of your vacation, however when you have put a lot of thought into a trip and invested your money, it is wise to consider insurance to protect you.  

 

There are different insurance coverages and knowing how claims are paid is just as important.  If you are taking multiple segments on your trip like air travel, a pre-cruise hotel stay, a cruise and a land tour all in one trip, you may want to have insurance that covers all of the segments of your trip under one policy, rather than an insurance policy for each segment.   Be sure to ask your travel agent which insurance product is best for you. 

 

Enrico Saltarelli of Salty Breeze Cruise Planners can be reached at esaltarelli@cruiseplanners.com or 727-290-4998.