Travel Insurance
 

Despite being an AA "million miler" I have never bought travel insurance. But then again, I've never booked a trip anywhere as expensive as my September 2020 safari.

What kind of travel insurance do you suggest (i.e., cancel-for-any-reason?) and which companies?

Thanks!

I always go to insuremytrip but save every receipt. I lost a day due to cancellation, hotel, rebooking on the same airline but having to purchase seats again at the tune of 200 for us both. We would have been stuck in the middle in the back of both planes. Weather, the airline's golden rule. I am fighting them because the crew timed out. How is that weather? They diverted and then sat in Ft Lauderdale. I didn't do refundable on the first night, big mistake and booked a tour so lost out but they are giving me the weather rule. I bought insurance and husband bought the tickets with CSR but he needs to file a claim if the airlines do not come through. We don't check bags but those that did found all their luggage soaked. When they got their bags in Hartford for connection to Aer Lingus from Jet Blue they had frozen clothing and were grey and dirty. I buy the cheapest coverage but make sure the medical evacuation is 50,000. I really want a 300 voucher but not holding my breath. I copied and scanned and sent off but not holding my breath. I hope that helps.

Consult insuremytrip.com and/or squaremouth.com

Whether to opt for cancel-for-any-reason insurance depends entirely on how much you are willing to pay if you change your mind. And be sure you know the conditions under which your insurance will cover your prepaid nonrefundable costs, and at what percentage, in the absence of cancel-for-any-reason coverage.

I never travel without medical coverage and medical evacuation coverage. Also consider coverage for repatriation of remains.

I had a terrific experience with Travelex last year. I was on my way to Africa for safari, made it as far as the Netherlands and tore the cartilage in my knee and had to come home. Their travel coordinators booked me in business class on the airline and at the time of my choosing - I even got frequent flyer miles. They were super easy to deal with. Then I had to claim for the lost trip. The paperwork requirements were very reasonable and I had a check in my hand for the full amount TWO WEEKS after I filed the claim. I had the Select policy. After that experience, I wouldn't travel without it on a trip with a lot of prepaid, nonrefundable sorts of expenses.

Remains are very expensive, cremation would be easier. I could tell casket stories all night. Just one, they put this huge guy in a big temp box and he got stuck on the baggage ramp and they couldn't swing the box around. It was horrible and we could see it all from the gate. They were getting ready to delay flight when they got it unstuck, The funeral home squeezed him into a smaller temp box for later flight. Some people wanted nothing to do with loading them.

I am willing to pay for repatriation insurance so that no one in my family is stuck with the costs in time and money of a trip they had no intention of taking.

If you do insure my trip pick three options and compare them. I think I will make sure trip interruption is on this policy.

We use DAN and have one of their annual plans. In the past we have purchased our travel insurance through USAA and had to make a claim once, and it was straight forward and no issues getting reimbursed.

We are USAA members, need to check them out.

If you have questions while shopping the different plans, the insuremytrip people were very helpful when I called them for clarification.

Thanks for all the help. The safari planner sent me a long list of companies. It'll take some time to digest.
FYI, USAA seems to be only for those with military connections.

Songdoc--Yes, that is true re USAA.

We have begun getting travel insurance as we aged into our 60s - mostly for the medical benefits. I use Insuremytrip.com and compare what's available. I've found that it doesn't matter what the amount you are insuring for - the medical remains the same. I always figure what my non-refundable costs are (plane fare, pre-paid tours, etc) and don't insure refundable costs (most hotels with 24 hr notice, car rental, etc). Then I figure how much of the non-refundable cost I would be comfortable losing, and subtract that. That gives me the amount I insure for.

I have never bought "cancel for any reason" - it is way to expensive. I figure I would most likely cancel a trip because of my own illness or a family member's illness - those are usually covered in most policies. And really, I am buying the insurance mainly for the medical and evacuation benefits.

Depending on when you booked your trip - you should get going on insurance as soon as possible. Some companies will only insure within a limited time frame having to do with when you first booked.

All that said - when I booked a safari last fall, the safari company insisted on travel insurance to cover the full cost of the safari itself. They offered a referral, and I checked around and then went with their recommendation.

Thank you all so much for your responses. I went to several sites that compared various policies and I went with WorldNomads. It was endorsed by Lonely Planet and cost a fraction of some of the other policies -- $300 total (for both of us). The total amount of the safari (for two) and the airport hotels en route is approximately $18,000. The flights were all booked using FF miles and if cancelled, could be reinstated for $175 (each way). I'm sure it's not the most comprehensive plan. We have no pre-existing conditions. Our primary concern is cancellation due to my 93-year-old mother-in-law being hospitalized or dying either right before the trip -- or during. This would be covered ($10k pp) so we're comfortable with this coverage. FYI, my credit cards do not seem to offer coverage. DH has a supplemental Medicare plan that would cover him out of the country. (I've got a little more than a year until Medicare.)

All amounts are per personEmergency Accident/Sickness: $100,000
Emergency Dental $750
Hospital Advance $500
Pre-existing: not covered
Emergency Evacuation $500,000
Repatriation of Remains $500,000
Non-Medical Emergency Transportation $25,000
Trip Cancellation (for same reasons as other policies) $10,000
Trip Interruption (for same reasons as other policies) $10,000
Trip Delay: $1,500
Baggage and Personal Belongings $3,000
Accidental Death/Dismemberment $10,000

Additional coverage is provided (i.e., rental car…) but does not apply to my trip

Can it really cost half a million dollars for repatriation of remains? That seems impossible. And if either one of us died on the trip, the cost of cremation and carrying back the ashes would be the least of our concerns! Of course, it we were to be eaten by lions there wouldn't be much to ship back. haha.

As noted above, I purchase repatriation insurance ONLY to make sure no one in my family feels compelled to bear the cost of bringing my remains home. Should I die while traveling, my family members know that I'm willing to be left behind, and they are OK with that -- but my research on the issue suggests that local law could make this seemingly simple arrangement difficult -- I'm not convinced that a relative's presence will NOT be required!

Whatver the actual coverage, the cost of the insurance is nominal. IME

my first trip insurance
 

I bought trip insurance for the first time this year--February trip to Hokkaido, Japan that had nonrefundable hotels due to the Snow Festival, possibility of trains and planes not running due to snow storms, and possibility of injury from slipping on ice.
I followed scdreamer's approach, using Insuremytrip to compare options and chose one from Nationwide. We ended up with an airplane delay, a warning that a flight might not land at destination but return to NRT or Haneda, lots of snow and a few slips, but no real trip interruptions or injuries, so didn't have any claims, but was glad to know I had it when we had to acknowledge that the second flight might return to Tokyo due to weather and we would have to book a hotel and miss the reservation in Sapporo, covering the premium cost.

Sounds like you got a good price.

Thanks, all, for sharing your experiences and suggestions.
I'm glad this is now dealt with -- and I hope I don't get to use the insurance!

Songdoc--We also hope you don't need to use it:) Glad you have it all sorted out. I was so happy one time that I bought the insurance as I missed a step and took a really bad fall. I could not walk properly the rest of the trip and had contacted my husband to get me an appt at the orthopedic doctor for asap when I got home. I did not use the trip insurance, but it was such a peace of mind that if I could not get through the trip that I would at least be taken care of there. I managed to get through it and ended up with knee surgery later at home, but that peace of mind was everything!!! On another trip we saw two older couples just walking and one of the ladies tripped on the cobblestone and fall face first. It was bad, and an ambulance came. I have always wondered if she had medical insurance.

I'm glad I bought the insurance!
mms: Sorry about your accident.

Songdoc. I spent about 30 minutes in chat on insuremytrip and the policy I have been buying would not get us home but to another hospital. She said I needed a medjet policy. I went to USAA and found a good policy but am going to check out WorldNomads. My husband is getting surgery when we get home but his Doctor said Germany has the best Doctors so take his MRI just in case.