Travel insurance is a good idea, no matter what trip you have planned. In the latest interview on Cruise Radio with TripInsurance.com’s founder and CEO Dan Skilken, Dan addresses some listener questions about travel insurance for cruise travelers:
Question: If I buy a non-refundable ticket for air travel or a cruise, or buy a ticket from an online travel site that has nonrefundable travel, does travel insurance still cover it?
Dan:The whole purpose of travel insurance is to prevent financial loss in the event you run into a problem on your vacation. Insurance will cover the cost of your ticket, cruise, or any prebooked land activities – anything that is non-refundable. The insurance will pay you back based on the limits and terms outlined in the policy so you don’t lose your vacation investment. You can and should insure anything you book online, especially if it’s nonrefundable. Keep a copy of the receipts and a copy of the cancellation penalty clause in case you have to make a claim.
Question:If I have a wonderful HMO policy, why should I spend the money to get health insurance through my travel insurance as well?
Dan:Very few health insurance providers cover medical expenses outside the country. Some will cover emergency room charges, but they will not cover longer term care or surgery. This is why you need medical insurance as part of your travel insurance plan. The biggest risk is that no travel insurance plan is going to cover emergency medical evacuation expenses to get you home or to the nearest medical facility. A medical evacuation can cost upward of $75,000. So medical insurance as part of travel coverage is a smart investment, even if you are in the best of health.
Question:Does travel insurance cover loss or theft of your luggage?
Dan:Yes it does. It’s generally secondary coverage to the common carrier, which means the coverage provided by the airline or cruise will pay first, and the travel insurance will make up the difference if they lose your baggage. However, most companies limit expenses for jewelry or cameras or electronic equipment. So if you have those with you want to check your homeowner’s policy to make sure you are covered for those items.
Question:If I am traveling on a cruise with a family of four, do I need to take out a travel policy on each of the family members or is there a group option?
Dan:You can take out one policy for the entire family, and each person is named separately in the policy. At TripInsurance.com we ask for one mailing address from the policy holder but you don’t have to live in the same household to be covered. Now if you have family members traveling with you who live in another state, you should take out policy provisions for them since the policy provisions will be slightly different from state to state. We take care of those details for you on TripInsurance.com
Dan fielded a number of other questions and had a number of other tips for Cruise Radio listeners. You can year the entire online broadcast at Cruise Radio’s web site.
