According to TravelInsurance.com, purchasing travel insurance early is critical during Hurricane Season – once storms are named, it’s too late to buy full coverage.
NEW YORK, New York — May 21, 2018 – Travelers planning trips to areas frequently in the path of tropical storms and hurricanes have probably considered purchasing travel insurance, but may not be clear on what is covered, according to TravelInsurance.com. Since many hurricane-prone destinations in the Caribbean and southeast U.S. offer incredible travel deals during this period, travel insurance has become more of a necessity for the smart and savvy traveler.
“The six-month Atlantic Hurricane season from June 1 to November 30 coincides with prime travel times – from summer vacation right through Thanksgiving,” said Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com. “By purchasing the right travel insurance ahead of time, the fear of losing your investment in a trip to a hurricane during these months can be mitigated.”
One of the most commonly asked questions is: when is the right time to purchase travel insurance?
“We always recommend buying your travel insurance as soon as you’ve purchased your travel to get coverage in place right away,” continued Sandberg. “But during the hurricane season, it’s especially important to buy early. Once you start hearing about a storm on the news, it’s probably too late to purchase insurance for your existing trip.”
For those considering traveling to key markets with potential to be affected by storms this year, it’s important to know about the different types of coverage available.
According to Sandberg, most comprehensive plans will include:
- Trip cancellation. This provides reimbursement for your non-refundable, pre-paid expenses including flights, hotels, cruises and pre-paid activities if you have to cancel for a covered reason prior to your departure date.
- Trip interruption. This provides reimbursement for your unused non-refundable, pre-paid expenses if you have to abandon a trip early due to a covered reason. Some plans also provide extra coverage for additional expenses you might incur getting home or resuming a trip.
- Trip delay. This provides reimbursement for lodging, meals and transportation expenses should a flight get delayed for an extended period of time (more than six hours for most plans) due to weather or carrier mechanical issues. Some plans provide full cancellation coverage if the delays cause a traveler to miss 50% or more of the trip.
- Missed connection. This coverage will pay the additional costs of getting you to your final destination if you miss your connection due to a covered reason. Missed connection can be especially valuable to cruise travelers who risk missing their cruise ship’s departure.
For all trips, TravelInsurance.com urges consumers to purchase a travel insurance plan early to protect their investments against future storms. Once a storm is named, travel insurance can no longer be purchased to cover that storm. With changes at the National Hurricane Center this year, storms and even potential storms may be named earlier than in past years. The only available coverage after a storm has been named is a Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) upgrade, which allows the insured to cancel their trip for any reason but only receive up to 75 percent reimbursement.
In addition, the company recommends carefully reviewing all travel insurance policy documents ahead of time and speaking with a licensed agent to gain full understanding of coverage benefits.
