Thank you for all the tips that you provide for traveling! I have a question regarding travel insurance, as I am going on a trip in March to Italy via ABC Tours, and was unsure as to whether I should purchase travel insurance or not. Thank you so much for your time.
-Sally S.
This is one of those age-old questions with no definitive answer. It’s estimated that 30 percent of Americans purchase travel insurance, which is a drastic increase since 9/11, when less than 10 percent of travelers were insured.
If you’re flying on a $150 ticket to see Aunt Irma in Wisconsin, you probably don’t need travel insurance. But on a trip such as yours, travel insurance can come in handy if something unexpectedly disrupts your trip. Your first step is to compare the cost of the trip versus the cost of the policy.
The most common situations when travel insurance comes in handy are:
- Your flight is canceled
- Your passport and wallet are stolen
- You require medical treatment while abroad
- You need to cancel your trip due to illness
- An unexpected hurricane hits your destination
- Your airline/cruise line/tour company go bankrupt
Reasons NOT to purchase travel insurance are:
- You’re afraid of terrorism
- A hurricane is going to hit your destination (this applies if the storm has already been named by the National Weather Service)
- Your pet is ill
- Your flight is delayed for so long that you want to cancel
One major caveat: Never purchase travel insurance from the same tour operator or cruise line with which you’re traveling. If that company goes out of business, there may not be money to cover your claim. Use a third-party provider (that includes travel agents).
Also, don’t forget about medical insurance. Even if you are covered for basic emergency care overseas, in almost all cases, your current health insurance does NOT cover you to evacuate you and fly you back to the U.S. Something called “Medical Evacuation and Repatriation” insurance comes in handy here. You pay a yearly fee, and if you get sick or injured overseas, the policy will get you treated, stabilized and flown back to the U.S. to the hospital of your choice, not theirs. There are a number of good companies that provide this type of plan, such as MedJet Assist.
Get more answers to your travel questions in our Ask Peter section.
Or learn about Hurricane Guarantees and “Hurricane-Free” Islands to ensure your trip isn’t interrupted by weather.
You can also learn about medical evacuation insurance in a previous Ask Peter question.
I have your book. The price was right and it is a great read. I bought it because I just got into the travel agent biz and I wanted to find out how to best treat my clients. The information here is going to help my clients.
How can I deal with American Airlines after they have lost my daughters luggage? Their response line personnel told her -”The’re not Fed Ex.”
This lost occurred in Nov. 2007.
I have AmEx Platinum for Medvac. I want to buy trip cancellation/interuption insurance but cant find a supplier that sells only that policy. Can you identify someone
While we definitely appreciate your comments and thank you for your questions, please email travel questions to us at info[at] petergreenberg [dot] com
Hi - just wanted to say good design and blog - cu!
Does anyone know the BEST trip cancellation/interruption insurance to get?
CIBT processed a visa to the olympics and sent it back FedEX but it was lost. FedEX says CIBT only insured the package for $100 but it cost $1310 to replace it !!!! CIBT’s response is they are not in the
“travel insurance” business as that would cost more in the processing fees!!! They do however automatically charge you $12 to insure the documents if they lose it at the consulate. They do not give an option to insure the shipment however so we have to take both CIBT and FedEx to court now. Mr Diehl as well as every SENIOR executive have been contacted but the are inept. ANY COMMENT MR DIEHL??
I used to work for an airline and love to travel.
Over the many trips I had never once purchased insurance.
Today and forevermore I would always consider travel insurance with a reputable company like TravelEx.
In 2007 I went on a trip to Europe with my daughter’s HS French class. I was a chaparone and insurance was presented as an “almost mandatory.” part of the trip. I didn’t want to uncooperative so we paid the fee. That insurance was through the tour operator and was totally worthless when we ended up spending the night in Dulles on the return.
However, before traveling to Germany last month with a friend, I followed the friend’s suggestion to buy insurance.
At the airport, before departure, my slip on shoe came off and I twisted my ankle. I hurt, but I got up and walked on it. It never swelled and only felt like a sprain. Upon arriving to our destination we went to a hospital and discovered that it was broken.
The hospital was awesome, the German’s we visited were awesome and then we tried to change our return flights on United. We were using miles to fly and we upgraded to Ecomony Plus before we departed for the extra leg room. Because we had to return earlier, United wouldn’t honor our upgrade and charged a change fee for my friend (which I paid).
I was worried about my broken leg and didn’t want to have additional issues from being stuck in a seat with less leg room, so I engaged TravelEx. They tried to negotiate the Economy Plus seating with United, while I was conferencing, but they were met with a very rude CSR who screamed at us. They recorded the call and I asked for a supervisor. The super was much nicer, but they wouldn’t assist in helping us get the extra leg room for my return.
TravelEx made arrangements for us to fly home on Lufstansa…the most incredible flight we had ever experienced. TravelEx has been excellent, courteous and although the case isn’t closed, I would highly recommend them.
I have worked in the world of customer service and public relations all my life and I own a PR company. In my opinion, TravelEx is a top-notch travel insurance company.
My friend found out about them when she was traveling with her husband to the Ukraine to adopt 3 children. I looked at many other companies before deciding on making my first travel insurance purchase with TravelEx, but it was the BEST!
I’ve just bought your Travel Detective Bible. Congratulations. Fine writing. So easy to read.
Declaration: I train travel writers and travel photographers, online. Henceforth I’ll recommend they each buy their own copy. Partly for the useful information. Partly to observe and analysis of Peter’s writing style. Thanks.