More travelers are considering travel insurance after a hectic year of natural disasters, inclement weather, and social strife disrupted the travel plans of many, according to a New York Times report on Monday.
Blizzards across the United States, unrest in Egypt, the Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajökull, and floods and earthquakes around the world affected vacation plans and injected uncertainty into the minds of travelers.
As a result, “2010 certainly raised people’s awareness of the value of travel insurance,” CEO of travel insurance company Travel Guard Dean Sivley told the Times. “More people are booking travel insurance. But ... we also paid out more claims in 2010 than would be typical.
Travel insurance is a general term that encompasses many different types of coverage, according to the US Travel Insurance Association (UStiA).
Insurance can be purchased on a “per trip” basis, or travelers can buy annual plans that also cover medical expenses and emergencies.
The UStiA advises that travelers ask themselves if they can afford the financial risk of having their trip cut short or canceled due to sickness or inclement weather, and if their health insurance will cover foreign medical expenses and emergencies.
Travel insurance can provide “peace of mind, protection from the unexpected, and [minimize] concern over losing the financial investment in a trip,” the trade group said.
If you are visiting a country where disturbances such as social strife (like in the recent case of Egypt) and terrorism are a possibility, you may want to consider that coverage, since some policies may not cover these types of interruptions in your travel plans.
“If you’re traveling to a country where strikes or other disturbances could interrupt your plans, look for that kind of protection,” the UStiA advises. “Some policies will cover clearly-defined acts of terrorism, while others will not cover labor unrest or strikes.”
While the previous year was an unusually chaotic year for travelers, travel insurance insiders are wishing that 2011 won’t be a repeat.
“Hopefully, we won’t have a lot more years like 2010,” Sivley told the New York Times.
Blizzards across the United States, unrest in Egypt, the Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajökull, and floods and earthquakes around the world affected vacation plans and injected uncertainty into the minds of travelers.
As a result, “2010 certainly raised people’s awareness of the value of travel insurance,” CEO of travel insurance company Travel Guard Dean Sivley told the Times. “More people are booking travel insurance. But ... we also paid out more claims in 2010 than would be typical.
Travel insurance is a general term that encompasses many different types of coverage, according to the US Travel Insurance Association (UStiA).
Insurance can be purchased on a “per trip” basis, or travelers can buy annual plans that also cover medical expenses and emergencies.
The UStiA advises that travelers ask themselves if they can afford the financial risk of having their trip cut short or canceled due to sickness or inclement weather, and if their health insurance will cover foreign medical expenses and emergencies.
Travel insurance can provide “peace of mind, protection from the unexpected, and [minimize] concern over losing the financial investment in a trip,” the trade group said.
If you are visiting a country where disturbances such as social strife (like in the recent case of Egypt) and terrorism are a possibility, you may want to consider that coverage, since some policies may not cover these types of interruptions in your travel plans.
“If you’re traveling to a country where strikes or other disturbances could interrupt your plans, look for that kind of protection,” the UStiA advises. “Some policies will cover clearly-defined acts of terrorism, while others will not cover labor unrest or strikes.”
While the previous year was an unusually chaotic year for travelers, travel insurance insiders are wishing that 2011 won’t be a repeat.
“Hopefully, we won’t have a lot more years like 2010,” Sivley told the New York Times.
Friends Read Free