Should You Take Out Travel Insurance or Not?
That is a question we get several times a week, if not every single day. “Should I take out the travel insurance?”
Travel Insurance is a waste of money……. until you need it. Kind of like your car insurance and home insurance. If you never have a claim, you could say your car insurance and home insurance is a waste of money. But you probably still take it out without giving it a second thought.
Travel Insurance is just like that. It’s there to cover you in an emergency. Say one of your kids falls flies off of the stairs playing Batman and breaks their arm the day before you are to leave for Europe. Say your dad has a heart attack the morning you are to leave. Say you get in a car wreck on the way to the airport and you have to go to the hospital. Then you are going to either wish you had travel insurance or be very thankful you took it out..
I know, it was an emergency and you didn’t expect that to happen. Well vendors very rarely waive the penalties for cancellation, regardless of the reason. Don’t expect them to make an exception because you had a death in the family that you didn’t think would happen. They have heard that story many times before and many others like it. They feel if they make an exception for you and you didn’t take out the insurance they are in fact penalizing all of the people who did take out insurance. So regardless of how sad your story is, expect the vendor to turn down your request for a refund or future travel credit. It’s just not going to happen.
So do you need to take out travel insurance? If you end up needing it, it will be the best investment you ever made. If not, then just hope nothing goes wrong for you, your family or any close relatives before or during your trip.
If you think it would be foolish not to cover yourself then here is a link to our preferred travel insurance company, Travel Insured, where you can check out prices for coverage and even purchase it online. If you have any questions feel free to call our office or Travel Insured.
A year ago while on a cruise my wife broke her leg as we arrived in GCM. She saw the on board doctor and the next day we were seen in Falmouth JM only to be removed from the trip and a stay in a hospital in MBJ. Without the insurance we purchased from Travel Insured we would have incurred all the medical costs of the hospital and the flight back to DAL in a Lear 35 with two medics, pilot and copilot. I shudder to think how many thousands of dollars that would have cost us had we opted not to buy travel insurance.
So glad you had it. We hear the horror stories from those that faced what you did, but did not have the insurance. You never know when it will become the best investment you ever made.
How does travel insurance work for those who elect to fly NRSA? Are there additional limitations?
it will not cover getting bumped.
So if bumped then you are out your money?
yes the insurance companies will not cover you should you get bumped.
Several years ago my husband and I had a trip planned to Italy, paid for in full. About a week before the trip he woke up in so much pain. After a visit to the emergency room and then to an Orthopedic Surgeon, he discovered he needed a hip replacement. Talk about shock – we couldn’t believe it. Everything happened so fast. To walk caused him excruciating pain, so the trip had to be canceled and he had the surgery, Thank God for Travel Protection. I didn’t lose a penny and the claims process went very smoothly, I don’t travel with out it, and always recommend that Trip Protection be purchased because you will never know when you need it!
Many retirees don’t realize that Medicare does not cover health care overseas.
If you 65 years or over, you need to protect yourself while you travel.
Does your insurance cover parents of employees?
usually yes.
How much is the travel insurance???
depends on your age, the length and cost of the trip.
If I have a guest traveling with me on one of my guest passes can they get travel insurance thru interline as well?
yes but as with interliners it will not cover getting bumped traveling standby.
Hi Steve, I am wondering then, as airline employees who travel at free or reduced rate, standby airfare if it’s necessary to purchase a special insurance specifically for us for other reasons than getting bumped? For instance if we are traveling on standby, got a seat and the flight cancels, would we be covered? I’ve always been confused about this. In other words do we have to be traveling positive space to take advantage of the benefits of travel insurance?? I’d appreciate some insight on this.
No insurance company will cover getting bumped. Travel insurance is going to cover you if you get injured or sick on the trip. If you are out expenses like the ship getting delayed getting back to the final port and you have expenses. If you are on frequent flyer miles or on a purchased ticket then it would cover those costs should you or it cancel. It would also cover you should you get sick say two days before your cruise and had to cancel for a covered medical reason.
I always, always buy travel insurance. You just never know and why take the chance. It is not a huge amount compared to the vacation that is booked
Hi Steve,
Here’s a couple of questions for non-revs.
1) How quickly can trip insurance coverage be obtained? Airline employees are known for jumping on an airplane and going somewhere overseas last minute for a few days, often choosing the destination based on what airplane has a seat for us to get on. We also tend to travel to a neighboring country last minute when traveling abroad, flying home out of a different country than we flew in to.
2) Does travel insurance cover emergency surgeries in the country where the injury/illness occurs?
3) Does travel insurance cover medical transportation and/or medical escort transportation back to the US?
it all depends on the insurance you buy. It can range from covering pre-existing conditions to not. You can take it out as little as one day in advance of your trip but the coverage might not be the same as if you took it at time of booking. It may cover medical transportation and emergency surgeries. It all depends on the coverage you take out and what limits it has.
Although there have been recent comments, this article was written, nearly 9 years ago. Is Travel Insured still the recommended provider?
yes they are.