Booked a vacation, only to find it ruined by a heat wave? One technology company will soon offer coverage for that—but there’s a catch.
Sensible Weather is a climate risk technology company that already works with several partners in the tourism space to offer compensation for travelers whose vacations are impacted by inclement weather. If it rains a certain amount during the guest’s stay at a hotel, campsite, RV park, or on a vacation package, Sensible Weather will automatically reimburse travelers a specified dollar amount—they just pay for the “Weather Guarantee” at the time of booking.
A recent check for two-night stays found the add-on available for a San Diego resort hotel for just $37 (San Diego doesn’t see much rainfall), while covering a two night stay in rainy Seattle would run about $100. Of course, that’s all dependent on the room rate, season, and chance of rainfall, but guests have the peace of mind that they’ll recoup some of their expenses if their trip is impacted by weather.
In the wake of a summer of heat waves across southern Europe—the most recent impacting Greece, Italy, and Turkey—Sensible Weather will now also be covering heat waves, the insurer told iNews in the U.K. Details are scant and speculative (a sliding scale is under consideration for extreme heat events, with the possibility of 100% coverage if the heat climbs above 40 degrees Celsius–that’s 104 on the Fahrenheit scale).
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Extreme heat also hit the United States this year, with the southern tier hit especially hard. In Europe, record-breaking heat waves hit the continent in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022, in addition to this summer.
It should be stressed that Sensible Weather’s products are not insurance. The plans are not available on a standalone basis, only as an add-on to cover inclement weather events. Travel insurance is designed to guard against financial losses related to unforeseen circumstances encountered during travel.
Rain and heat don’t meet this standard and while they’re impactful to a vacation experience, they generally don’t cause loss—hotels still accommodate, rental cars still run, beaches and swimming pools are still there, they’re just not as fun in the rain or the searing heat.
There are, however, circumstances where inclement weather will indirectly be covered by a travel insurance policy. For example, if a flight cancels or is delayed because of extreme heat or rain, the policy would generally pay out—but only because the flight was impacted, not solely on account of the weather itself. Generally speaking, inclement weather isn’t unforeseen—it’s extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and other day-ruiners that cause property damage that travel insurance will typically cover.
Travel insurance is also farther-reaching in coverage, providing reimbursements for losses such as cancellation for a covered reason, accidental death and dismemberment, medical evacuation, medical treatment, travel delay, trip interruption, car rental coverage, and baggage delay or damage. Travel insurance will also typically cover cancellations related to extreme weather events that render a policyholders primary residence uninhabitable.
Nevertheless, Sensible Weather’s products can take the sting out of the disappointment associated with a rainy or too-hot day on a much-anticipated leisure getaway. The company uses satellite tracking to forecast and track rainfall in destinations where travelers have purchased a weather guarantee—when the threshold is reached, reimbursements are automatic.
Of course, travelers can also avoid heat waves by choosing destinations not prone to them. Much of Northern Europe is reputed for more temperate weather, especially the marine climates of Great Britain and Ireland. Canada’s Maritime Provinces, and much of North America’s Pacific Coast is also famously temperate during the summer months, although travelers there may benefit from a Sensible Weather Rain Guarantee.