Travel Insurance To The Rescue When Winter Storms Strike
Think it can’t happen to you? Here are four examples of how wintertime travel can present difficulties, if not disasters, on vacation:
- Your Caribbean cruise from Miami left port while you were snowed-in in Boston or rain-delayed in San Francisco.
- You miss your first night’s hotel stay in Europe, because your U.S. flight was delayed due to a storm.
- Your bags are delayed overnight and there’s a sudden storm at your destination, forcing you to purchase extra clothing.
- You’re skiing in a remote area of the Canadian Rockies when you lose your ski trail in a blizzard, have an accident and require a helicopter rescue to the nearest hospital.
In these and other winter weather-related events, travel insurance can save the day. A single, composite policy, travel insurance covers a number of unforeseen situations that affect travel plans, from severe weather, accident and illness, to personal or family emergencies.
According to Jon Ansell, Founding President of the US Travel Insurance Association (UStiA), travel insurance is a one-stop-shopping policy that bundles benefits specifically to protect and assist travelers, such as trip delays, interruptions, cancellations, accident and medical benefits (emergency doctor and dental visits, medical transport and evacuation) as well as lost or delayed baggage and car rental insurance. Most policies also have 24-hour hotline assistance to help when things go wrong before and during your trip.
Travel Insurance in Action: Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina is an example of how travel insurance can come to the rescue. Travel insurance companies helped New Orleans residents who were policy-holders cancel imminent trips, secure refunds and obtain reimbursement for their trips. Since phone service was limited, insurance providers worked on behalf of their travel suppliers to expedite refunds and claims, and even get cruise passengers on flights back home.
What Travel Insurance Covers
Depending on the type of policy you buy, travel insurance can repay expenses due to delays and interruptions caused by severe weather, as long as the policy is purchased before storm predictions and the situation meets other conditions.
“For instance, if you bought a policy before the announcement of a snowstorm that ends up causing your airport to shut down, you are probably covered. But you are not covered if you bought the policy after the storm was announced,” says Ansell, noting that other policy conditions may include the severity of weather, airport closures, impassable roads or other emergency situations for a specified period of time. “Remember, the U.S. Department of Transportation does not require airlines to compensate passengers for weather-caused delays.”
Medical insurance, which is part of most comprehensive travel insurance policies, covers trip-associated accidents and illnesses up to a set amount. In addition to medical visits and hospitalization, these policies usually provide for necessary medical evacuation, as well as locating doctors and medical facilities. Regular health insurance policies may cover accidents while traveling, but not medical transportation.
UStiA
The US Travel Insurance Association (UStiA) promotes fairness, integrity
and a commitment to excellence in the travel insurance industry. Its mission
is to educate the public on travel insurance while maintaining high industry
standards. Formed in 2004, the UStiA is a non-profit association of insurance
carriers and allied businesses involved in the development, administration
and marketing of travel insurance and assistance. In 2004, UStiA member
companies provided travel insurance policies to more than 17 million people.
Travel insurance is available from travel agencies, airlines, tour operators,
hotels and resorts, and insurance brokers as well as through the internet.