If you’ve been watching the news over the last two weeks you likely heard about Hurricane Beryl. It serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of travel and the essential role of travel protection.
As the hurricane swept through popular travel destinations from the Caribbean thru Mexico, it left a trail of disrupted plans, unexpected expenses, and stranded travelers. This event also highlighted the benefits of booking with a travel advisor.
Hurricane season, heck any travel can be unpredictable. Luggage can be lost, flights delayed or cancelled, someone gets ill while you are away etc. We all hope these things won't happen to us but the truth is they can.
Travel insurance offers a safety net against unforeseen events like natural disasters, ensuring you're covered for trip cancellations, interruptions, and unexpected expenses. And remember disruptions can happen all year round and all over the world. It’s not just hurricane season so here’s why travel protection is more important than ever.
5 Reasons You NEED Travel Protection
1. Trip Cancellations and Interruptions
Travel protection covers trip cancellations and interruptions due to unforeseen circumstances, such as severe weather, illness, or family emergencies. In the wake of Hurricane Beryl, many travelers had to cancel or cut short their trips. Those with travel protection were reimbursed for non-refundable expenses, including flights, hotels, and pre-booked activities, reducing the financial impact of their disrupted plans.
2. Medical Emergencies
U.S. health insurance plans typically do not cover regular and routine medical care required overseas. This means your health insurance won't pay for care if you need to visit a doctor for a prescription medicine, or if you need treatment for a condition that is not considered an emergency. Travel protection typically includes coverage for medical expenses, ensuring travelers receive necessary care without worrying about the cost.
3. Evacuation and Emergency Assistance
In situations like Hurricane Beryl, where evacuation is necessary, travel protection can cover the costs associated with emergency transportation and accommodations. Many policies also offer 24/7 assistance services, providing travelers with crucial support in navigating emergency evacuations, finding alternate accommodations, and rebooking travel plans.
4. Lost or Delayed Baggage
Travel protection will provide you assistance in the event your luggage is lost or delayed. It can provide financial reimbursement for essential purchases and compensation for lost items. Most coverage will reimburse you for essential items that you need to purchase if your bags are delayed a certain amount of time.
5. Peace of Mind
Perhaps the most significant benefit of travel protection is the peace of mind it offers. Knowing that you are financially protected against a wide range of unforeseen events allows you to travel with confidence. In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, many travelers expressed relief at having travel protection, which mitigated the stress and financial burden of their disrupted journeys.
Choosing the Right Protection
When selecting travel protection, it’s essential to consider the following:
Coverage Scope: Ensure the policy covers trip cancellations, interruptions, medical emergencies, and evacuation.
Exclusions and Limitations: Read the fine print to understand what is and isn’t covered. You need to understand the financial risk you are taking in the event of an unforeseen situation.
Provider Reputation: Choose a reputable provider with positive reviews and strong customer support. In the event you need to file a claim you need to ensure the experience will be favorable.
Medical Coverage: Compare the plans coverage to your health care plan. Some plans may reimburse you for out of pocket medical expenses and some will not. This is essential if you are traveling outside of the US.
Cost vs. Benefits: Balance the cost of the policy with the level of coverage provided, ensuring it meets your specific travel needs.
Cancel for any reason coverage is an optional travel insurance benefit that offers significant flexibility and peace of mind for travelers. It means you can cancel your trip for reasons not normally covered by travel insurance, or ‘any reason’.
It does come at a higher premium so having that flexibility will cost you more. It also MUST be purchased within 14 days of deposit. While not as essential as comprehensive travel protection it can definitely be nice to have.
Real Life Experiences
I have clients that were scheduled to depart for The Riviera Maya on Wednesday the 3rd. On Monday, while it was devastating the Caribbean, it was still too early but there was a chance that the storm would hit south of Cancun on Friday as a Category 1.
I spoke with their travel insurance provider and the tour operator to learn what their options were. They did not have cancel for any reason protection, just a base plan with Travel Insured. In order for travel protection to cover their trip NOAA had to issue a hurricane warning or an evacuation must be ordered. They are already in the penalty window so based on their resorts policy they risked a penalty of two nights if they reschedule or canceled on Monday, if they reschedule or cancel on Tuesday they could lose the cost of the entire trip.
A possibility is the resort can approve a waiver to reimburse or waive the two night cancellation fee. It must be approved by the resort so it's not a guarantee and at their discretion based on the circumstances. When speaking with the tour operator I learned that their room type was available for the same number of nights beginning the following Sunday at only a small increase from what they had originally paid.
Now if they had cancel for any reason coverage they could reschedule their trip for those dates and file a claim to be refunded the cancellation fee before they even issue the warning. They can wait the storm out from the safety of their homes and vacation after. We knew that if they did issue a warning it would likely be when they are already on their way or in destination. Unfortunately trying to be proactive will cost them additional.
They decided to go ahead with their trip. The warning was issued while they were at the airport boarding their plane. The storm did end up hitting them in the early hours of Friday and thankfully they were all fine but not without some headaches. So while they were still able to travel they didn't get the experience they had planned.
They were confined to their room for about 12 hours. They were delivered dinner and breakfast to their room right after curfew began. All pools were closed, dining venues and alcohol was stopped being served Thursday evening.
They had ALOT of rain and the ceiling in both bathrooms began to leak. Once the storm had passed later on Friday they were cleared to leave the room for lunch/ dinner and were later moved to a new room.
On Saturday they were able to explore more and the pools, dining and bars reopened. The water park however never reopened before they left as they had to inspect it for safety.
Another Coasters & Castles Travel advisor Robin Wright states her clients experience -
'I had clients in Punta Cana and Negril. My Negril client changed there return flight home because their layover was in Houston and since most of the Houston area was flooded and without power they changed their flights to another layover. So recognizing that and being proactive was very important because they could have potentially gotten stuck there.'
Sandy Fardie, also with Coasters & Castles Travel had this recent experience to share;
'I had a client headed to the Caribbean for an all inclusive vacation. They decided to go with the lower priced of the two plan options presented. Their outgoing flight had mechanical issues and they missed the connecting flight and could not get out until the following day. This caused them to incur a hotel stay at the airport, meal expenses, and a lost night of their resort stay. When they filed the claim, they were denied. The reason for denial was due to the covered reasons for trip delay/interruption. Under the plan they selected, mechanical issues are not a covered reason. Had they chosen the more robust plan for a nominal amount more, their claim would have been covered. They forfeited about $1,500.'
How Can A Travel Advisor Assist You
Deciding what to do in these situations is difficult and a decision only you as the traveler can make. But a travel advisor can assist you so you are prepared and confident whatever you decide to do. Here are a few examples of what a travel advisor can do for you;
Recommend reputable insurance providers and answer basic questions. Travel advisors are not licensed insurance experts so for detailed plan questions it's always best to speak directly with the insurance provider.
We have connections and priority phone lines which a consumer does not so we can get answers faster.
Contact the resort on your behalf. Most suppliers have local business managers who work directly with travel advisors in their area. I recently connected with mine for this resort and she put me in touch with resort management so I was able to reach them directly before, during and after the storm.
Speak with the travel insurance company on your behalf.
Speak with the tour operator (a third party who we booked the vacation with) to understand what their options are and what is at risk.
If you are in destination a travel advisor can be your advocate back at home contacting insurance, researching flights etc. I collected emergency contact info and ensured I had a way to stay in touch with them via What’s App and the Travefy App. Just in case they lose power or don't have wifi I can reach out to their family members back at home to let them know they are ok.
We are also connected to a network of other travel advisors so we can obtain real time feedback in destination.
Hurricane Beryl underscored the necessity of being prepared for the unexpected. Comprehensive travel protection can be the difference between a manageable inconvenience and a financial disaster.
As you plan your future travels, consider investing in travel protection to safeguard your trips, your finances, and your peace of mind.
And travel smart by booking with a trusted travel advisor. Stay safe, and enjoy the journey knowing you’re protected against the unpredictable. Travel should be relaxing and fun, not stressful.
Safe travels!
Melissa Lenox specializes in concierge vacation planning. I cater to those who don't have time to research and plan a vacation or those who just want some assistance along the way! Where to go, when to go, daily recommendations for your trip and even assistance while you are away so the entire process is seamless and stress free.
My specialties are theme parks, all inclusive resorts and ocean cruises. I am a Senior Travel Advisor with Coasters & Castles Travel and Blog Editor of Main Street to the World.
Follow me on my pages below or contact me at mlenox@travelcnc.com to plan your next adventure!
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