Trip insurance

[mom2boys]

We have reservations for March and just discovered that there is a possibility that my son’s approved leave could potentially be cancelled at the last minute. If that happens, we’d have to reschedule for Summer.

I would like to purchase trip insurance that covers work related cancellations for the group. The plans I’ve looked at only cover work obligations in very narrow circumstances. Any suggestions on policies that might cover us in this situation?

 

[cruising spud]

I have used Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip. Both companies have a variety of travel insurance policies. You could call them and see about specific plans for your circumstances.

 

[princesscinderella]

Check what travel bookings in your plans have for cancellation dates and penalties. Some hotels it’s only a week to 3 days notice without being charged. If flying SWA you can usually move to a different flight further out into the summer if necessary. Travel insurance will only refund to you the non refundable portions of your trip and for land trips a lot of those things can be refunded with a phone call or moved to a later date without a loss. If this is an international trip or cruise then you definitely should have travel insurance. If you travel frequently I recommend an annual travel insurance policy, we get ours through Allianz.

 

[kathy884]

I concur with everything princesscinderella says. The one type of insurance and I only bought this once (expensive European trip I was doing with my son) that will cover anything is "Cancel for Any Reason" insurance. It's typically an add on to comprehensive travel insurance. You typically have to buy this right away (a certain number days after booking the first non-refundable charge), and just get 75% of your non-refundable expenses back if you cancel. This though is what I used for the European trip in case DS got a new job and could no longer have the time off, an older relative not going on the trip was ill and needed our help, etc. In this case I had purchased (expensive and a splurge for me -- premium economy open jaw airline tickets) that I would have wanted to be partially reimbursed for if we couldn't go so we could go again at another time (like the following year).

Squaremouth and Insure my trip are great sites and have good agents who can help you with one time policies too. I did research on my own first and then talked to one of these knowledgeable agents before I bought my policy for this trip.

To Orlando for me (it's usually more of a budget trip for me with most stuff refundable) but not fully on an offsite condo, I self insure. I fly Southwest though, so ticket vouchers or points never expire and can be used at another time. Disney tickets used could be used at another time (just pay increased cost if any). Rental car is fully refundable. If not staying at a condo, I get a refundable hotel (minimal risk of losing money).

If I care about medical insurance for comprehensive insurance I like Nationwide as they do higher limits than most other places and if I just need medical insurance I like GeoBlue. For our trip to Puerto Vallarta in February, I am self insuring except for the medical where I bought GeoBlue coverage. I know you didn't ask about that, but that is the insurance that is always my biggest concern. In the US we are all covered, but some in our party are not covered as well in foreign countries. With Orlando being in the US, that is never a concern for me on a trip there.

 

[_19disnA]

Be sure to read the fine print on any travel insurance you want to buy. Many older threads I have seen here are from people who assumed they cover everything only to find they do not. Companies selling such insurance are running a business and intend to take in more in premiums then they pay out in claims. Clearly policies that cover more situations will involve a higher cost. Think about how many times in the past you had to suddenly cancel a planned vacation. It might be more economical to skip the insurance and deal with your travel issues if/when they occur.

 

[Darcy03231]

We travel a lot and buy trip insurance for almost all of the trips. Most all of the cancel for any reason or work reasons that I've seen require that you buy the insurance within 10-21 days of booking the trip.

 

[lanejudy]

We have reservations for March and just discovered that there is a possibility that my son’s approved leave could potentially be cancelled at the last minute. If that happens, we’d have to reschedule for Summer.

I would like to purchase trip insurance that covers work related cancellations for the group. The plans I’ve looked at only cover work obligations in very narrow circumstances. Any suggestions on policies that might cover us in this situation?

Assuming this is for a WDW visit, I'd probably just deal with rescheduling. WDW is pretty good about that, even within the PIF period they'll push out a trip with (maybe) a $50 fee.

Not knowing the circumstances of the possible work conflict, just be aware that travel insurance usually won't cover something if the insurance is purchased after you become aware of the conflict/issue. So if this is something like he's been assigned to a new project with a due date that conflicts with vacation, it may not be covered because the conflict is a known issue at the time of purchasing the insurance. If it's just that standard company policy is that vacation requests aren't guaranteed until a month out, that might be more likely to be covered.