Has anyone ever purchased travel insurance? The Soon-to-be Mrs. Quan and I are going to the Caribbean for our honeymoon the 3rd week of September, peek hurricane season. We haven't picked a resort yet or even an island, but should this be something I talk to the travel agent about?
[Reply]

Whenever going on cruises we do it. It's usually less than $50 and well worth the peace of mind god forbid something happens and we can't make it or the cruise gets canceled. When spending a couple grand on a trip the extra $100 or so is a small expense in the grand scheme of things.
[Reply]

Good to know. I'll inquire about it.
[Reply]

Make sure you read ALL THE FINE PRINT.
Make sure you are well informed as to what it covers and how much.
Don't accept what anyone tells you is covered.
Read it first.
[Reply]

Most travel insurance policies I've reviewed have been extremely limited...its not covering you oversleeping and missing your flight, etc. I can't get into specifics without seeing what you'd actually be getting, but make sure you read it carefully and understand what you are buying. I'd bet it isn't a whole lot of coverage.
[Reply]

We purchase it for all of our big trips, especially the cruises. It is invaluable and does not cost too much.
[Reply]

Basically I am just concerned with the Hurricanes and other acts of nature that would be out of our control.
[Reply]

Exactly what I was referring to when I said to make sure they read it well.

Question: Have you ever had to use it and how did it work out?
[Reply]

Read it carefully as "Acts of God" may be excluded and that is what one would call a hurricane.
[Reply]

Spent $18 on it in case I had to cancel my trip to Vegas a couple weeks ago. My Dad enede up having his suregry, the policy covered me, and I got my "non-refundable" fare of $400 bacl.
[Reply]

That is generally covered in trip interruption Tom.

Here is a very common language found in many of them regarding trip interruption:
Provides reimbursement for non-refundable trip payments and deposits if a trip is interrupted for illness, death or other unforeseen circumstances.

I just want to point out that one must truly read the policy and not go under the impression all things are covered. Insurance coverage often varies vastly from company to company.
[Reply]

I think we were replying at the same time. Great minds think alike :-)
[Reply]

When my wife and I went on our honeymoon 11+ years ago we went to a Sandals resort which is all-inclusive, including Hurricane Insurance. Well, as luck would have it, we had to leave on our 6th day of our 7 day trip because Hurricane Georges was bearing down on us (Antigua). Their insurance stated that if any part of our trip was interupted by a hurricane, we would receive a full replacement vacation for the same length of time our full trip was supposed to have been. We were lucky and able to get out before the hurricane struck, but we had to go back and forth with Sandals for a little bit to get our replacement vacation. Ultimately a letter was necessary but we were back at another Sandals (St. Lucia) 8 months later (had to use it within 1 year). At first they said we had to basically "survive" the hurricane to get the replacement vacation but after mailing a letter there were no questions asked. As crazy as it sounds, my wife and I thought we were quite lucky. :-) Felt bad for the good people of Antigua though. :-)

We met a few couples in St. Lucia that did rough it through the hurricane and it sounded pretty bad. They ended up getting flown out in a private jet (Sandals owner is a part owner of the Heat I think?) which sounded like the highlight of the whole affair.
[Reply]

I've used companies I've found through www.insuremytrip.com a couple of times. Thankfully I've never had to file a claim.
[Reply]

Question: Have you ever had to use it and how did it work out?[/quote]I have not had to use it yet -- and I hope I never do. For me it's there just in case -- as insurance should be.

I do understand the caveats of coverage and I think my expectations about what is and is not covered are realistic.

The first time we purchased the insurance was due to illness in my wife's family (that could have caused us to cancel our trip) and we have continued to purchase insurance since.
[Reply]

:-)

I would first ask your insurer where you stand as it is, and what do you want to be insured for moving forward. What are your concerns? Bringing a suitcase of Patek's?
[Reply]

He seeks it to cover the trip expense if interrupted/cancelled as he is going to travel at a very bad time of the year in the Caribbean (that dreaded "H" word that I don't want to mention as June is around the corner).
[Reply]

Is it easy to book a resort a week before going? I'd assume they are seldom sold out near a hurrican season. You could book refundable airline tickets and book the vacation leg just before leaving. This may not be the least expensive method, but you won't have to deal with fine print.
[Reply]

Also if you book with a credit card, many cards offer built in protection for situations like that. I've never purchased travel insurance but I've never been in a situation where I could have benefited from it. I've considered it, but everytime I've found that I'm basically covered elsewhere for the same things.
[Reply]