Travel Insurance - worth it?

[SNRote]

Ok, so our family is getting ready to take a vacation. It is a family reunion of sorts but we are all traveling a pretty far distance and the cost is much more than we typically spend on our annual vacation. However, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and my siblings and I want this to happen while our parents are still able to share it with us.

What are your thoughts about travel insurance? I have never purchased before it before. I have been doing some research on Atlas Insurance. Does anyone have experience with them? Is travel insurance worth the cost?

[krantcents]

I traveled overseas with it and without it. I find the coverage fairly restrictive and may not be worth the cost. I became sick in Paris years ago and left early. The policy paid for the last day's lodging. I just about broke even. I do not think it is worth it.

[disneysteve]

It depends on the nature of your trip. If there are fixed costs that are not changeable or refundable, it certainly can be worth it. For example, airfare, cruises, hotel packages, etc. If, however, you are driving, paying by the night at a hotel or staying with family, there isn't really much to insure. If you are leaving the country, it can be a good idea because of healthcare coverage, emergency evacuation, stuff like that.

For your upcoming trip, what expenses are involved that would be covered under an insurance policy?

[DebbieL]

I've never bothered with it, but obviously you should weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself whether it's worth it for your piece of mind. The only insurance I buy is emergency medical insurance (if I'm leaving Canada). If I travel anywhere in Canada the medical is covered under my provincial medical, but if I'm going to the US or any other country I always buy some medical coverage (plus it's really cheap anyways and I would be foolish not to - what if something happened?).

[skydivingchic]

I agree with DisneySteve - it really depends on what you guys are doing and how much money you stand to lose. We get it for international travel as those trips are tours we pre-pay and would be out thousands of dollars if we had to cancel. Also, our international travels usually take us to out of the way places with less than stellar medical facilities, so the emergency evacuation insurance that comes along with many travel insurance policies is a must. However, when we travel in the US, it is usually trips to National Parks for hiking/exploring, so we don't buy the insurance. In these cases the most we would ever be out is maybe one or two nights of hotel room costs since these types of things can be cancelled with little or no fee and are more pay-as-you-go type of trips.

We have never had to use the travel insurance we purchased, but one of our tripmates on an excursion did. She broke her leg and had to be evacuated from one of the most remote places on the planet with no medical care to the US. I can only imagine how much that would have cost had she not had the insurance - certainly tens of thousands of dollars. Well worth the cost.

[snshijuptr]

Before buying travel insurance

1) Check your medical insurance. Sometimes they actually have emergency evacuation.
2) Check your credit card. Many many credit cards have built in insurance.
3) Check with your company/travel agent. Sometimes they have super cheap or free policies.
4) Review the cancellation policies on your airfare and hotels. If you can cancel the hotel and pay a small fee then insurance might not be worth it.

I've bought travel insurance before (a 6 week trip to Europe and our Caribbean honeymoon at the beginning of hurricane season), but it pays to actually see how much it would cost to cancel/change your plans before buying.

[Gary Barzel]

If you are traveling by car then as mentioned there's not much use for it, unless you are renting a car. If you are traveling abroad then there are many benefits to it, such as cancellation fees, lost, damaged or delayed luggage, medical emergencies, and in some cases expensive jewelry.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Gary Barzel

If you are traveling by car then as mentioned there's not much use for it

It isn't just traveling by car, it is what you are going for. If I'm driving to a cruise terminal to take a cruise, I might still want travel insurance for the cruise costs. What if I have to cancel for some reason - somebody in my party gets sick, for example, or the car breaks down on the way and we miss the ship. Those are the kinds of things that would be covered by travel insurance.

[Scanner]

or the car breaks down on the way and we miss the ship. Those are the kinds of things that would be covered by travel insurance.

Don't be so sure, DisneySteve.

First of all, I would say, for most circumstances, yes, it's a good idea, unless you can self-absorb those losses (which if you could, why even post this question).

That being said, I have heard to be careful with who you go with, that the policies can really vary.

The travel agent is probably just going to hand you on that she/he gets a commission from, end of story.

We had a hurricane hit when we went to Disney once and it was told my agent it would be excluded after she sold me the policy. Luckily, we made it down there okay and back okay. . .we only lost a day in Disney and they comped us a free day, good for 9 years.

Point is, as usual, ins. companies aren't often there when you need them.

They're dolts; the whole lot of them.

Until you need them

[SNRote]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Yes, we are going overseas and no, our primary medical insurance will NOT cover us outside the U.S. I hate to spend any more money on this vacation that has cost us thousands of dollars but we are traveling with our young children and I need to know they have medical coverage. I have a colleague at work who used atlas insurance. Has anyone else worked with atlas? I don't think I would be comfortable buying coverage through my credit card company. And like someone else said, I am not sure I fully trust a travel agent to do what is best for me.

[matthew111]

All the insurance are meant for our own safety and protections, so it is advisable to take insurance. Ans at last it's upto you that whether you want it or not.

[Smith.Johnson]

I think, travel insurance is good when you traveling abroad.

But you have to read all terms and conditions of policies, when selecting the travel insurance policy. Because every policy not give 100% benefit. so, first judge your travel nature, need of traveling, etc. and then go for which is suitable ones for u.

[snafu]

Travel insurance is tricky and you need to read the small print. 1st check with the carriers you already use. We have a 'rider' on our car insurance that covers auto rentals [daily rates from those places are high when multiplied as an annual rate] adding a lot to your final bill. Most credit cards automatically insure the flight cost charged to protect you if an airline abruptly shuts down, you could be stranded out of the country. [Quantas}

I'd check with your medical insurer to see what they cover/charge to insure the children while traveling. It gives you a point of reference to judge what is on offer from your travel agent and those insurers whose speciality are travelers. It's like Murphy's Law...when you buy insurance you don't need it...if you don't, the holiday/visit/travel experience can go awry.