How Travel Insurance Can Save Your Vacation

Wednesday, June 7th

How Travel Insurance Can Save Your Vacation

If you're thinking about planning your next vacation for you or for you and your family, you may want to include the purchase of travel insurance in your budget.

The percentage of people purchasing travel insurance has been on the rise over the last 10 years. Prior to that, less than 10 percent of travelers purchased travel insurance. Today, almost 30 percent of travelers purchase some sort of travel insurance coverage.

When preparing for and budgeting for a vacation, you should consider the different types of plans so you know which one will cover your needs best.

Travel insurance plans are available in a wide range of prices and cover a variety of circumstances. You can research plans online to find out which plan suits you, your vacation and your budget.

Many travel insurance plans cover financial loss. For example, many travel insurance plans will reimburse any money you have paid for nonrefundable tickets or payments, unused payments or deposits. These types of plans will reimburse your money if you have to cancel or interrupt your trip due to a reason covered by that plan. If you have booked an all inclusive stay at a family resort, but have an illness in the family that prevents you from taking that trip, your travel insurance will reimburse your costs so that you do not lose your money for a trip you could not take. Other plans can help cover unexpected travel expenses incurred due to unforeseen circumstances, which you have no control over. For example, during times of flight delays and cancellations due to weather, some travel insurance plans provide reimbursement for additional travel expenses you may incur, such as meals and accommodations.

Travel insurance can also cover some limited medical expenses. For example, some travel insurance plans will cover the costs of replacing prescriptions and necessary doctor, hospital or even dental visits while on vacation. This is important especially when travelling abroad since most health insurance plans do not cover medical expenses incurred outside the U.S.

Additional items covered by travel insurance plans can include: lost or stolen baggage, credit card replacement, legal assistance, language translation and, in case of death, return of remains.

When researching plans, make sure the policy includes 24-hour contact information either by phone or by internet from anywhere in the world. The right plan will be worth the small investment you'll make in time and money if anything goes wrong.

To protect you, your family and your hard-earned money, be sure to research travel insurance options while you are making vacation plans. Much of the research can be done online.