Would you like to have complete peace of mind on your next family vacation? Travel Insurance might be the answer.
Summer vacation planning is just now underway for many families across the USA, and already the threats of foreign airline strikes, hurricanes, earthquakes, political unrest, and volcanic ash are looming as issues that may interrupt the vacation season. These threats are the reason why travel insurance is becoming more and more popular with savvy travelers.
Today, roughly 30% of all US travelers that take trips internationally are covered under travel insurance. If you have never considered buying travel insurance, it might be something you should look into. Your neighbors and friends probably already buy travel insurance coverage. Recent reviews of trip insurance claims have found that of all the personal insurance you buy, you have the highest chance of reporting a claim on travel insurance. The California State Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner, recommends that everyone protect themselves on vacation so they don’t have to come home to a financial loss.
Many people inquire about whether trip insurance plans cover things like volcanoes, foreign riots, and trips interrupted by a family member who is sick or dies at home. Trying to understand what travel insurance plans will cover can be tricky. Different comprehensive policies may offer coverage for canceled, interrupted or delayed trips, accidental death, emergency medical care and evacuation, lost or delayed luggage.
Some comparison websites make it easier to see what each policy will cover. “We pulled together our Travel Insurance Buyer’s guide to help people better understand the various provisions of travel insurance policies,” said Dan Skilken, President of TripInsurance.com.” “In addition, to help you compare plans we sort the individual features of policies into logical categories of: coverage for you, coverage for your trip arrangements, and coverage for your personal property. This is a great way to do an apples-to-apples comparison of plans.”
To figure out which policy is best for you, first identify your biggest concerns. Do you need to protect your non-refundable trip deposits in case you have to cancel? Or are you concerned that you or a loved one might get sick and you will have to interrupt your trip and return home? Medical coverage and medical evacuation insurance alone is a major value for many Americans, particularly those that are only covered by basic Medicare insurance. Without some form of supplemental plan, most Medicare insurance does not cover your medical bills while on a trip outside the USA.
You owe it to yourself to compare travel insurance prices and features on the various plans and across various websites. You will find that you can save a lot of money when you find a plan that has the right kind of coverage for your biggest concerns. Pricing can vary a lot between different plans. You won’t see any difference in price across various websites for the exact same plan. The prices are state controlled when it comes to a specific policy by name and features.
Most retail travel insurance policies sold on comparison sites are the same plans available through travel agencies or other retail channels, but at least one website offers exclusive plans with similar coverage at a much lower rate. The policies offered on comparison sites are very similar in terms of benefit limits, scope of coverage and other provisions to policies offered on other travel insurance comparison sites, but were designed exclusively for sale to their customers.
By eliminating policies provided through third party wholesalers or retailers, and by focusing on a more direct sales model, they are able to pass a considerable savings on to their customers. “Our customers can save 40% or more on trip insurance plans that have very similar coverage features,” said Skilken. “We encourage people to compare our policies and prices to the plans offered on other sites.”
It is easier and cheaper than you might think to get basic coverage on your next vacation. Like many of your friends and neighbors have already discovered, with a little investment in trip insurance, you may find it well worth the peace of mind to eliminate the threat of financial risks from your vacation plans.
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