MURRAY, Utah — Travelers faced many headaches this past holiday season, including delayed or canceled flights, lost luggage, and snow in snow. But could travel insurance help ease their worries?
When booking tickets, packing bags and getting ready to go on vacation, passengers may want to consider travel insurance.
Former Salt Lake City Alderman Charlie Luke is very happy that he was able to purchase insurance ahead of a big bucket-list trip.
“I was injured in a very rural area of Costa Rica and had to be rushed to the capital city. Told.
An aspect of travel insurance that many people may not consider is what happens if you get hurt or sick while traveling.
“The travel insurance and travel agency made the whole process go smoothly,” says Luke. “If I had slipped and fallen in the middle of the very back of the world, I would have been stuck.”
According to travel agent Corinna Johnson, most private health insurance plans in the US don’t cover people who get sick or injured while traveling abroad.
But insurance isn’t just for medical emergencies. What if someone has to cancel their trip due to some other critical moment? Are all travel insurance plans created equal?
“Not all policies are the same, so whether or not you have a policy that can be canceled for any reason, whether you have a typical policy intended for emergency type cancellations,” Murray said. .
One of the thousands stranded at airports last year could cover countless expenses with specific travel insurance.
“Extended stays, hotel stays, flight ticket changes, all of this is involved,” says Johnson.
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, pre-pandemic trips from 2018 to 2020 show that consumers spent $1.7 billion on various types of travel insurance products.
Even if you’ve traveled before, check with Trip Advisor to see what types of insurance packages are available.
“You get not only information about travel insurance, but also the opportunity to purchase packages and purchase insurance policies, which may not be directly available to you as a consumer,” Johnson added.
There are several policy exclusions in travel insurance such as pregnancy, pandemics, risky activities such as bungee jumping or snowboarding, and pre-existing medical conditions.
For travelers who want the flexibility to cancel their trip for any reason, the policy is called “Cancel for Any Reason” or CFAR, and you can get at least a 50% refund as long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your trip. . .
Now that his knee is like new, Luke tells him to learn from his own experience.
“Always have insurance,” he said.
