As the calendar flips over to May, many people have started planning their summer vacations. Some will choose a trip to the seashore, others will opt for the mountains. But wherever they go, the fear of bad weather is their No. 1 concern, according to a recent survey from InsureMyTrip.
The InsureMyTrip research team asked licensed insurance agents from the company to tell them the top reasons why travelers purchase travel insurance for trips they plan to take between June and September. The agents surveyed respond to all phone, email and chat inquiries from customers who are concerned about their travel plans.
Here is the list of reasons, in order of importance, from the survey:
- Hurricanes or bad weather affecting travel plans
- Concern over coverage for a vacation rental
- Health issues affecting travel plans
- According to InsureMyTrip, 80% of customers will purchase a comprehensive policy for summer travel. Such policies generally provide medical coverage, emergency travel services, baggage protection, trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage.
Cancellation policies
Be sure to buy your insurance well before you travel, InsureMyTrip says. Once a storm starts forming, it's considered a foreseeable event and insurance coverage is no longer available to cover losses related to that storm.
Here are some examples of weather-related concerns that would cause a trip to be canceled:
- Common carriers such as airlines and cruise lines cease service due to weather
- A destination is under a NOAA-issued hurricane warning
- A hotel, resort or vacation rental is devastated and made uninhabitable by storm
- The traveler's home sustains destructive storm damage.
In some cases, depending on the travel insurance policy, you may be able to cancel for any reason, but it's usually an extra benefit that isn't standard coverage.
Remember that coverage for cancelling a trip due to weather-related issues can differ by insurance company and plan. Before buying, you should compare the features of the plans and providers to be sure it suits your needs.
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