Trip Insurance for Parents...Europe trip

[zoo2tycoon]

My parents are scheduled to go to England at the end of April/start of May. They purchased part of their trip through Costco (believe hotel) and the airline is on Delta. So my dad is now having medical issues (not a 100% diagnosis) but they on an XRAY found and aneurysm while doing the XRAY for leg pain.Of course this call came Friday afternoon. He is to have MRI/ultrasound. BUT my dad of course is convinced of the worst. Has read online about major surgery, etc. My sis and I have told him to wait for other tests.

Now the question....of course he is worried about trip. I have no experience with trip insurance. Is there one that would cover this? If they had to cancel for medical reasons---one that would cover the trip cost? I did a quick search and found Costco had link through travel guard. And not knowing exact cost/dates I got a quote of about $100 that seemed to cover everything (my dad who exaggerates said he had looked into insurance and said it was over $1000 each due to age ---they are 78/79).

Am I missing something in my quick search....any recommendations on insurance. I believe they used their AM EX card to pay....would that cover anything like this if they had to cancel or postpone?

Thanks for any information...

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

but they on an XRAY found and aneurysm while doing the XRAY for leg pain.

The coverage, cost, and limitations of various travel insurance plans depend on the company and the plan.

In general, insurance companies are not going to cover a scenario in which a traveler buys a vacation, later gets a medical diagnosis that is likely to prevent taking the vacation, and ONLY THEN wants to buy travel insurance.

American Express credit cards usually do not cover travel change fees, but different cards have different benefits, so it wouldn't hurt to inquire.

I wish your dad well.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Unfortunately, you are probably out of luck. You need to buy travel insurance within a set number of days after making the initial payment for a trip. Two companies I can recommend are Travelsafe and Travelguard. Take a look at their web pages. Also check the terms of their AMEX card (there are many different ones; you didn't say which one they had).

It's a good idea to buy trip insurance these days, especially since the cost of changing airline tickets, etc. is so high.

Good luck.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Thanks for the information...
Will relay the two recommended ones and have them see if it's not too late to get.
My sis and I told them to get insurance but sometimes it goes in one ear and out the other!
Appreciate the assistance...

 

[Unas]

Try insuremytrip dot com . . . you want to look and see whether any of the policies will cover pre-existing conditions in his circumstance.

Also, take a close look at the contract for their trip and see what, if anything, they will get back if they cancel.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

According it the blog at tripinsurancestore.com, 5 requirements must be met when purchasing travel insurance, one of which is:

"The insured travelers must be able to take the trip on the date they purchase the travel insurance. If you are one of the travelers, you must be “medically able to travel when you pay your premium (get your travel insurance)”. In other words, your doctor says you can travel. If your doctor’s saying you can’t travel, but you insist you can travel, the insurance company will always side with your doctor"

For more details:http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/blog/im-sorry-to-hear-about-tonys-grandma/ -- Suzanne

 

[deedeetoo]

Most insurance policies won't cover preexisting conditions unless you buy it at the same time as, or soon after, you book. Other wise no one would buy insurance unless a problem arose. I think you are not going to be able to find coverage that will cover a current medical problem. If you do find it, it will probably be very expensive.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

I have given them all the recommendations and information given...about what everyone has talked about. My dad is going to start calling tomorrow to see if it is even an option at this point.
I really do appreciate the information everyone has given

 

[SuzanneSLO]

To explain the differences in price between the policy you Dad found and the one you found, for older folks, the Travel Guard insurance through Costco is often the best value. The policy is not priced based on the age of the traveller; just the price of the trip. The difference can be significant. For my Dad, it was over $300.

 

[Talukdar]

If you go for a travel insurance than no need to worry. I think you are not going with your parents. So travel insurance can be handy. It will help your parents in many ways. If they become sick travel insurance will provide medical insurance. Also in abroad anything can happen. As an example they could lost their luggage. Travel insurance can help them in any situation.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Trip insurance usually requires that you buy it no less than 30-45 days before the trip.

here is a link to travel insurance policy that will give you and overview of what it covers.

Keep in mind when you purchase the insurance it is good for 12 months. so if you have more than one trip planned it will cover them all.


https://dvc.disney.go.com/members/vacation-planning/how-to-book/travel-insurance


I think your best bet would be to cancel the trip. You would at least get your airfare refunded in the form of a travel voucher for future use. Costco has a very good return policy so I would think the hotel would also be refunded. But it would be best to cancel since his health is not good. I would hate to go on the trip and have him get really sick and end up in the hospital oversee's. Not to mention if he has an aneurism in his leg the pressure at the high altitude in a plan could cause it to burst while he is flying. And if you have a medical emergency while flying over the ocean it could take hours to reach the nearest hospital. Then your parents would have to buy an additional plane ticket to get them from whatever country they make an emergency landing to the airport in their home town. So the trip could get very costly. Not to mention your mom would have to find a hotel in a city she had not intentions of staying in.

So act fast and cancel the trip and get back what you can.
Hope all goes well for your Dad

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If you go for a travel insurance than no need to worry. I think you are not going with your parents. So travel insurance can be handy. It will help your parents in many ways. If the become sick travel insurance will provide medical insurance. Also in abroad anything can happen. As an example they could lost their luggage. Travel insurance can help them in any situation.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

.......

I think your best bet would be to cancel the trip. You would at least get your airfare refunded in the form of a travel voucher for future use.

The travel voucher will be reduced by the change ticket fees, which are usually hundreds of dollars per ticket for international flights. Unfortunately, Delta has one of the highest change ticket fees.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Saw this had been replied to again.
UPDATE is my dad and mom were able to get basic insurance through Costco at a minimal price. Good news is they are going to go as the further tests proved he was ok to travel (no aneurysm). They removed a portion of the trip and are spending the entire time in London but are looking forward to it. Thanks again for the information