Travel insurance

 

The earthquake that hit Hawaii on the 16th of October caused some problems. Incoming flights were allowed to land, but there was insufficient electricity to maintain outbound radars and communications, so people scheduled to leave were stuck. I don't know, but I assume that flights that for Hawaii that had not yet departed were cancelled.

 

We have a page on travel insurance on our Adventure Kits page (which covers emergency evacuation, overseas medical insurance, and more). We have never gotten travel insurance, and we have suffered no great losses. We've had to cancel trips for a variety of reasons, lost parts of deposits and suffered the change of ticket penalty, but overall we think we are ahead of the game comparing our actual out of pocket to the costs of cancellation insurance.

 

However, if you are on a cruise or a pre-paid tour of some kind, cancellation insurance may make sense for you. We list a few companies that offer 'cancel for any reason' policies at remarkably affordable rates. Cruise lines offer such insurance, but it may be limited, expensive, and require you to accept a coupon for a future trip instead of a cash refund.

 

Travel insurance companies are now offering truly 'cancel for any reason' insurance: the boss makes you cancel the vacation for work, your children's school year is extended for some reason (too many snow days), bad weather delays your flight and you miss the departure, or the tour company goes under, leaving everyone holding the (empty) bag. Prices and terms vary (one company requires cancellation at least two days prior to scheduled departure, for example).

 

Check out our page and see if there is a fit for your needs. If you have an expensive trip planned with substantial, nonrefundable deposits, travel insurance may provide some needed comfort in the event of earthquakes or sudden company disasters (fire or merger, for example).


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