Help me with trip insurance - do I need it?

[onajourney]

I am trying to determine the necessity of trip insurance vs. cost. Here are my details:

I have a townhouse rented - $200 non-refundable deposit
at 60 days, I have to pay remaining $750 so if I cancelled after 60 days, I am out a total of $950.

We are driving, so no flights.

We have not bought our tickets - were planning on doing that once we got there. Worse-case scenario is if we bought our 5 day tickets ($1290) and someone passed away back home on day one, we would have to just pack it up and head home. We would be out a total of $2240.

On one hand, if someone that dear to us passed away, the $ would just be the least of our care or concern. Trip insurance would cost us $300-400. Would you bother? It seems like an unnecessary expense.

What makes us even think of it is our dear SIL passed away the last time we took a vacation just a couple days into our stay. We started to pack up and come home, but we were told by BIL and other family to finish the last couple days we had and then head home as the funeral was being delayed through the weekend and we'd be back before then. They also said they knew our SIL would not have wanted us to cut the kids' vacation short. (Although for DH and myself, it was very hard to carry on as planned.)

So, if you are driving for a vacation like this, do you do trip insurance?

 

[tessiesevin]

I am not willing to take that chance. My thinking is something could
always happen just before your dearture for what ever reason
either you or children or husband can be hopialized and physically
unable to travel. To me it is just to much money to chance.

We went during hurricane season. Just as we were arriving FL
was evacuating. We were given a choice to rechedule :

 

[onajourney]

So what is the best company to use for trip insurance?

 

[Foogahzee]

I really like insuremytrip.com. We use them. And I always get trip insurance. My theory is if you are prepared-the worst won't happen. LOL-I know my logic is a bit warped

 

[mommyofknl]

I didn't buy trip insurance this time, but I'm thinkin' maybe I should have.

 

[rosiejo]

I'm a big believer in trip insurance - you just never know what could happen on your trip and it really doesn't cost all that much compared to how much your vacation costs. Do a google search and find somewhere to buy a policy - you don't have to do it at the time of booking.

 

[Aliceacc]

We bought it last year because my father in law had been in poor health for years. (As it turned out, he passed away a month to the day after our trip.)

On the day of our return, TS Faye hit Orlando. It was great having the insurance... I faxed our travel agent when the storm approached, and asked him exactly what to do in the event that our flight was cancelled. He got back to me with a voice mail containing the instructions (basically: don't change anything unless and until the flight is cancelled. From that point onward we could book another night (or more if necessary)at the resort, and either he or I could work on getting us another flight home.)

The peace of mind was well worth the money. I think our AAA trip insurance is under $150, though I could be wrong.

If you're going in 9 months, winter weather could come into play. I say get the insurance.

 

[tami82]

Wow i wish i had gotten this many responses when i had posted this same question over a month ago. I had decided not to because I only got like one response over two or three boards I had inquired, i figured hardly anyone did this. We also are spending around 800-900 for our condo. I guess its too late to get it now.

 

[Aliceacc]

I guess its too late to get it now.

No, I don't think it is.

 

[tami82]

I though it had to be that you could only buy the insurance within 2 weeks of booking the condo??? Does anyone know if this is true??

I am starting to get a bit nervous now as deep down i should have done this. I think i got a quote of under $100 at the time when i had looked online.

 

[Justsyd2]

Insurance is certainly worth it. I once had my mother taken to the emergency room 10 minutes before I boarded a plane to Florida. If you need to cancel, it's great knowing that you'll get refunded.

 

[Tiggersmom3]

In my 30 years or so of vacationing....no trip insurance for me. If there has been extenuating circumstances (my uncle died while down there), WDW was more than understanding and refunded everything but the days we were there.

 

[sayhello]

I though it had to be that you could only buy the insurance within 2 weeks of booking the condo??? Does anyone know if this is true??

I am starting to get a bit nervous now as deep down i should have done this. I think i got a quote of under $100 at the time when i had looked online.

Certain parts of the coverage only apply if you buy within 2 weeks of booking. Pre-existing conditions (if you, say, re-aggravated an injury that happened withing a certain period of time, it wouldn't be covered.) Also, generally, default of the company (ie, the condo company goes out of business) isn't covered if you buy after 2 weeks. Other than that, most coverage is available up until the day you leave.

I *highly* recommend insuremytrip.com. A lot of the best trip insurance companies are represented on this site, and you can compare the policies and prices for a couple dozen companies. You can buy through the site, but the policy is issued and sent to you by the insurance company. The site clearly lists what is covered by each policy, conditions required, costs, etc. It's great!

I'm a firm believer in trip insurance. You never know what's going to happen. Last year, I tore my rotator cuff a week and a half before a hiking trip to Yosemite. The insurance not only reimbursed me for the cancelled tour, they paid the change fees for my airfare so I could still take the second half of my vacation to visit family in Northern California.

They will also cover medical expenses due to injury or illness while on your trip. And if you *do* fly, they'll cover expenses involved with missed/delayed flights, etc. I've never regretted buying the insurance. The peace of mind is definitely worth the investment to me.

Sayhello

 

[tami82]

sayhello

thanks for responding! Ok so if there was some sort of emergency and we were not able to go due to a death in family, some sort of hospitalization, we would get a refund for the condo for the 5 nights? Again I am not flying but driving and the cost of the condo is around $800 so that would be the only loss is the cost of that.

 

[sayhello]

sayhello

thanks for responding! Ok so if there was some sort of emergency and we were not able to go due to a death in family, some sort of hospitalization, we would get a refund for the condo for the 5 nights? Again I am not flying but driving and the cost of the condo is around $800 so that would be the only loss is the cost of that.

Unless the emergency was due to a pre-existing condition (since you won't have that coverage). I'd call the specific insurance company to find out what period they consider pre-existing (5 months before the trip, or what). Anything else, if it's a covered emergency, you'd be compensated for any costs (the $800 for the condo, assuming it's non-refundable). Death or severe illness or injury of a family member (or a travel companion). Really bad damage to your house. All sorts of things. Some even cover acts of god (but many do not). You can find out on the website, and they provide phone numbers for the companies if you have more questions.

Sayhello

 

[tami82]

thanks so much now i feel better. I will definitely give them a call. I have thought of illnesses getting in the way which rarely would happen with us but there is always a possibility of a death in the family. Now i think about it my grandmother had passed while me & my daughter went away for a few nights locally, luckily it was towards the end of our trip so we didnt have to come home. I guess it makes sense to be safe than sorry.