Things You'll Need:
- Computer
- Trip specifics such as dates, destination, number of travelers and ages.
-
Step 1
Buy travel insurance coverage if you want to protect your investment in the trip itself. An expensive cruise can be lost money if you need to cancel for a reason that would have been covered by travel insurance. Remember that you will not be paid if you just decide not to go; the reason must meet the policy particulars. Most insurance companies and Medicare do not pay for services once you are outside the US so this is a consideration. The costs of a medical emergency will come out of your pocket in most cases.
-
Step 2
Using a rule of thumb of about 7% of the price of your trip, for the cost of travel insurance will give you an idea of how much you will pay. There are several companies that provide travel insurance coverage but a great place to start is insuremytrip.com. or squaremouth.com. These sites let you put in trip specifics and returns you quotes from multiple travel insurance providers.
-
Step 3
In today's economic times and airline or tour operator going out of busines is a consderation. If this is a concern, buy your travel insurance coverage within three weeks of paying for your trip. Also, buy your travel insurance from a third party rather than your cruise line or tour operator as their policies typically do not cover a company going out of business.
-
Step 4
Know what you are buying. Travel insurance coverage is different than your home or car insurance so make sure you understand the policy.
-
Step 5
Common items covered by travel insurance are; trip cancellations due to a new illness or injury, death of a family member, weather or a natural disaster as well as one of the companies you are using going out of business. Again, for your own protection check the policy you are considering to see if these items are covered. Most travel insurance companies have 24 hour assistance to help you out in case of a problem which is a good safety net.
Comments
eclecticprof said
on 4/2/2009 Travel insurance is especially helpful on cruises I think! Thanks for the informative article and good resources section on travel insurance.
waters said
on 4/2/2009 How to buy travel insurance; good information to know 5* and recommended.
Quickstar said
on 2/9/2009 One day this will come in handy for me, Thanks for the article. 5*
cmccool said
on 2/8/2009 Travel insurance is particularly useful when you plan your own travel. For instance, making your own flight arrangements to meet a cruise or package tour. If the flight is delayed or cancelled, causing you to miss the trip, you are out of luck--unless you have travel insurance.
igaday said
on 2/8/2009 Good info to know. Thank you. =)