Like all insurance policies, travel insurance helps protect against the unexpected. While you’re never required to buy travel insurance, it’s usually a good idea and we recommend all OUTbounders to consider investing in a little extra coverage to protect your hard-earned vacation money. The last thing you want to do is lose your investment because of an unforeseen event. The price of your coverage will depend on a few factors, including the cost of the trip, what state you live in, how long before the trip departs, and if you have any pre-existing or underlying health conditions, to name a few.
Most standard policies provide pre-departure cancellation and trip interruption for unforeseen problems that are specifically named, including job loss, an illness that prevents you from traveling or cuts a trip short, a death in the family, a missed flight connection that, in turn, leads to a missed cruise departure, and so on.
Your car insurance provider or travel credit card might already come with complimentary trip protection benefits. These benefits reimburse non-refundable travel purchases, cover incidental delay-related expenses, and even offer primary rental car collision damage waiver protection. While these trip protection benefits are great and cover common trip cancellation claims, you may still want travel insurance for supplemental coverage.
Some reasons why you might buy travel insurance include:
- Cancel for Any Reason
- Unexpected Work Requirements
- Military Deployment
- Personal or Family Illness
OUTbound does not provide travel insurance. However, we do recommend using a third-party insurance carrier to provide your coverage. You’ll even have the option of purchasing an independent third-party travel insurance policy as you are completing your reservation online. The quote you receive will be valid for up to ten days from the date of your reservation, enough time for you to do a little research online to see if you can find a policy that more closely fits your individual needs.
