Travel Insurance for a newbie!!

[TeamSy]

Maybe it’s stupid. Okay it likely is looking back now but we NEVER got travel insurance before. However now that it is no longer just the 2 of us and we have 2 very young kids it seems smart, especially if they get sick or any number of the million reasons why it’s a good idea to have.

My question is, can you weigh in on the pros and cons of purchasing travel insurance INDIVIDUALLY as we book each part of the trip (for example at the end of each transaction/booking through the various places (hotel, airline, etc) we are asked if we want to add it in), so we would then have different insurances for things like…
1. Rental car (more worried about refunability factor not drivers insurance as we get that through cc)
2. Hotel
3. Flights
etc….

VERSUS

Going with ONE company and adding it all together and getting a single policy????

Without naming company names because I’m not sure that’s allowed, the single policy option to cover all under one policy seems, while more $$$, to also cover more of the what ifs.

Can anyone weigh in on some experience and provide some guidance/considerations?

Thanks so much!!!!

 

[easyas123]

Well - I have limited experience with travel insurance. I only get it when I travel internationally and I want to make sure I am covered for medical evacuation and medical costs (which does not mean automatically if you get sick they fly you home )

#1 rental --- don't pay until you pick it up (don't pre-pay), and if your personal insurance already covers you once you have it then I'm not sure why you would need additional insurance.
#2 Hotel - again, don't pre-pay and shop around for the best cancelation policies. Worst case scenario you may only be out one night, best can cancel.
#3 flights - that is a crap shoot everyone is dealing with. Again, maybe look around to see who has change fees, who does not. If at all possible, book with points so that if you have to cancel you get your points back.

Allianz
Dan (Divers) Insurance
Your credit card(s) - check your credit cards, several offer some type of travel insurance.

Ask around to co-workers and family/friends, see who they recommend. Googling 'best travel insurance" brought up several options as well. If I am not mistaken (and I am NOT an expert), there are coverages that cover a single trip or a year of travel.

Lastly I'd say...are you sure it's something you need and are not already covered by in another form such as cc/terms of service of hotel or car or flight/not pre-paying and canceling in cancelation policy allowable limits?

 

[TeamSy]

Well - I have limited experience with travel insurance. I only get it when I travel internationally and I want to make sure I am covered for medical evacuation and medical costs (which does not mean automatically if you get sick they fly you home )

#1 rental --- don't pay until you pick it up (don't pre-pay), and if your personal insurance already covers you once you have it then I'm not sure why you would need additional insurance.
#2 Hotel - again, don't pre-pay and shop around for the best cancelation policies. Worst case scenario you may only be out one night, best can cancel.
#3 flights - that is a crap shoot everyone is dealing with. Again, maybe look around to see who has change fees, who does not. If at all possible, book with points so that if you have to cancel you get your points back.

Allianz
Dan (Divers) Insurance
Your credit card(s) - check your credit cards, several offer some type of travel insurance.

Ask around to co-workers and family/friends, see who they recommend. Googling 'best travel insurance" brought up several options as well. If I am not mistaken (and I am NOT an expert), there are coverages that cover a single trip or a year of travel.

Lastly I'd say...are you sure it's something you need and are not already covered by in another form such as cc/terms of service of hotel or car or flight/not pre-paying and canceling in cancelation policy allowable limits?

I guess I am more concerned on if halfway through the kids get sick and we need to leave or something. More so than complete cancellation? I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking. Kind of clueless as even when we traveled internationally in the past we (I guess stupidly never got insurance).

Like if we need to leave on day 4 of 12 are we just out of luck for whatever we paid for the trip or would insurance be beneficial for us to try and recoup some of those costs?

 

[_19disnA]

I would make sure to read ALL of the fine print on whatever trip insurance you are thinking of buying. All of them have exclusions on what is/isn't covered. People seem to think they will automatically get all of their money back if some part of the trip goes wrong and most likely that isn't the case. Companies who sell trip insurance are running a for-profit business where they expect to pay out less in claims then they collect.

 

[nw6675]

Many policies cover travel interruption for covered reasons.

We have filed two claims in the past that were for accommodations and non refundable tickets, but they were cancelled prior ti the start of travel.

We also get a policy with a cancel for any reason provision if the trip is $$$$ and non-refundable.

 

[fla4fun]

I have only purchased trip insurance for international trips. I bought a third party policy to cover everything because I figured if something went wrong and I was thousands of miles from home, I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. If you get separate policies, you will have to file claims with each one individually and keep track of how each claim is progressing when you might have more important things on your mind. For me, the convenience of dealing with one company was worth the extra cost, even though we didn’t need to file a claim.

I recommend reading everything carefully and make sure whatever insurance you buy covers what you need covered. For example, if you are traveling domestically, you might not need things like medical evacuation coverage, but traveling internationally you might.

 

[lostprincess_danie]

We purchase travel insurance for many of our trips. I use a site called square mouth to compare policies. For many companies you can purchase the coverage you need right now then add to the policy as you add non-refundable costs to your trip. It seems a policy with trip interruption coverage is what you need. Some policies only reimburse for a portion of the trip, others reimburse all expenses, so pay attention to that. If you are concerned about canceling or cutting shirt your trip due to illness, know that when filing a claim you will need to provide proof from a medical professional that you or your family member could not safely continue with the trip. (For example, husband got bad food poisoning one time. The insurance claim required proof that he had visited the emergency room and a note from a doctor saying he was too sick to travel.)

 

[ronandannette]

I guess I am more concerned on if halfway through the kids get sick and we need to leave or something. More so than complete cancellation? I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking. Kind of clueless as even when we traveled internationally in the past we (I guess stupidly never got insurance).

Like if we need to leave on day 4 of 12 are we just out of luck for whatever we paid for the trip or would insurance be beneficial for us to try and recoup some of those costs?

The kind of situation you are describing is called "Trip Interruption". Many policies provide for this - specifically read all the fine-print on Trip Delay and/or Interruption on whatever policy you're looking at.

 

[MillauFr]

I would make sure to read ALL of the fine print on whatever trip insurance you are thinking of buying.

Is that even possible? Even an experienced lawyer can't read those policies and figure out what is included.

 

[MillauFr]

I just book my trips and use the Chase Sapphire reserve credit card. The insurance included booking with this card is often more comprehensive than many of the policies you have to pay extra for.

 

[tvguy]

I just book my trips and use the Chase Sapphire reserve credit card. The insurance included booking with this card is often more comprehensive than many of the policies you have to pay extra for.

A good point. Before buying Travel Insurance, check what coverage you already have. If you paid with a credit card, you may have protections for both your trip and your flights.
I have never been concerned with medical coverage and medical evacuation because my employer's group insurance always covered that*. This month I went on Medicare which does NOT cover out of the country medical expenses and evacuation, however my Medicare Supplement covers 80% of those costs, so that would be something I would consider now to cover than 20% cap.
No reason to pay for coverage you already have.

*Every time my employers changed medical coverage the question about out of the country medical care being covered always came up. Why do they cover it? Because in most cases the cost of medical outside the U.S. is less, so it saves the insurance company money to have you treated outside the country. I'm in California and some people go to Mexico and the Caribbean for their Dental and medical care for that reason, cheaper.

 

[AprilsZoo]

Also consider, how often have your children been sick for more than a couple days… meaning, sick enough to interfere with their planned activities?

Most trip interruption insurance is meant to be utilized in sort of “catastrophic” scenarios— broken bones requiring surgery, appendicitis, severe food poisoning, etc. Anything that doesn’t need an ER visit or at least immediate medical attention, is probably not going to qualify for reimbursement.

Even “cancel for any reason” policies that I’ve looked at, won’t pay for things after the trip has started unless you meet certain criteria, as they are designed to be used if you completely cancel the trip.

Always read all of the terms and conditions and figure out if there aren’t other ways you’ll be protected.

It’s always a gamble. DH and I raised 4 boys and never bought trip insurance. We figured if something happened during our DL vacation & we had to stay longer or leave earlier to deal with it, any losses would be the least of our worries. Of course, we never took 2-week trips, and we also chose hotels with fair cancellation policies. We drove, so no worries of airfare, and if we missed park days, it wasn’t the end of the world. Only one time did we have a child who got a really bad stomach bug that needed an overnight in the hospital and an extra night in a hotel on the drive home, instead of pushing straight thru.

Only you can determine whether you feel comfortable with the terms of whatever policy you decide on, or whether you want to roll the dice knowing how likely (or unlikely) it is that you’d even need it. Just make sure you find a policy that will cover whatever it is that you are actually worried about having covered.

 

[tvguy]

Also consider, how often have your children been sick for more than a couple days… meaning, sick enough to interfere with their planned activities?

Most trip interruption insurance is meant to be utilized in sort of “catastrophic” scenarios— broken bones requiring surgery, appendicitis, severe food poisoning, etc. Anything that doesn’t need an ER visit or at least immediate medical attention, is probably not going to qualify for reimbursement.

Even “cancel for any reason” policies that I’ve looked at, won’t pay for things after the trip has started unless you meet certain criteria, as they are designed to be used if you completely cancel the trip.

Always read all of the terms and conditions and figure out if there aren’t other ways you’ll be protected.

It’s always a gamble. DH and I raised 4 boys and never bought trip insurance. We figured if something happened during our DL vacation & we had to stay longer or leave earlier to deal with it, any losses would be the least of our worries. Of course, we never took 2-week trips, and we also chose hotels with fair cancellation policies. We drove, so no worries of airfare, and if we missed park days, it wasn’t the end of the world. Only one time did we have a child who got a really bad stomach bug that needed an overnight in the hospital and an extra night in a hotel on the drive home, instead of pushing straight thru.

Only you can determine whether you feel comfortable with the terms of whatever policy you decide on, or whether you want to roll the dice knowing how likely (or unlikely) it is that you’d even need it. Just make sure you find a policy that will cover whatever it is that you are actually worried about having covered.

My Travel Agency no longer sells, or even makes a recommendation on Travel Insurance.
They got caught in litigation that cost them a lot of money which is why.
A client booked a cruise and bought travel insurance from them. The client's boss canceled his vacation the day before the cruise. The Travel Insurance Company promptly paid the claim. But like all insurance, they reserve the right to seek restitution from someone responsible for them having to pay a claim. They sued the client's employer. The employer filed a counter suit against the insurance company and the travel agency. Ultimately, a jury found the employer had to reimburse the insurance company for the claim. But my Travel Agency said their cost of defending themselves was more than they had ever earned selling travel insurance.
That sure must have been an awkward situation for the client with his boss.

 

[TeamSy]

Just wanted to hop on and say thanks! All valid points to take into consideration!!!

 

[MillauFr]

They got caught in litigation that cost them a lot of money which is why.

Exactly correct. Even a travel agency can't understand the risks they are getting themselves into when they sell travel insurance.

 

[CdnCarrie]

i would never step foot outside the country without it!

My work insurance covers us for travel health otherwise we would buy it.
My credit card covers trip interruption/cancellation.

 

[lanejudy]

I guess I am more concerned on if halfway through the kids get sick and we need to leave or something.

I would also say to really consider the vacation and whether insurance might even be necessary. We buy insurance for cruises, but I haven't bought it for anything else -- WDW, weekends in Montreal, weeklong trips elsewhere in the US. In large part, consider your plans at the destination -- multi-day tickets that will be lost or other pre-paid experiences, pay admission as you go each day (nothing lost).

Most hotels allow you to check-out early with maybe a 1-night penalty (maybe not even that). We drive to most of our vacation spots so we would simply drive home, on the few we fly or train, we'd work that out and accept the cost of a ticket change. Kid illnesses often don't have to be a vacation-ruining experience; adjust plans and spend a day at the hotel room, urgent care for meds, some rest. Our medical covers throughout the US, but if your's is more limited you may want a travel medical policy.

 

[rwdavis2]

We buy one umbrella policy that would cover the parts of the trip that can't be cancelled. And make sure it covers medical expenses and evacuation. We bought it for a trip to Italy this fall but only to cover the actual costs of the tour. We bought refundable airline tickets.