Solutions when travel party is from two states?

[gzmtlock]

I was comparing policies on InsureMyTrip (IMT) for an upcoming cruise in Alaska. Four people in one stateroom; two are from PA and two from NC.  I didn't initially realize that IMT required everyone on a policy to be from the same state and was pricing us all on one.  Found a product that fit our needs, luckily didn't purchase before finding out IMT requires two separate policies in our situation.  So I separated us - and the price doubled (total price for both was twice as much as when all 4 of us were on one policy).

 

Is there another way to do this for a single travel party that happens to live in two different states?

 

Another question, what would I use as the cost of the vacation if we have to get two policies?  For example, we are sharing a stateroom, let's say the cost was $10,000.  Do I include the full $10,000 on both policies?  Or split it and put $5,000 on each?

[klfrodo]

Since all insurance sold in the US is regulated by each individual State, Yes, each person residing in a different State needs their own policy. What might be a covered expense in 1 State may not be a covered expense in another.

 

[GeezerCouple]

3 hours ago, gzmtlock said:

...Another question, what would I use as the cost of the vacation if we have to get two policies?  For example, we are sharing a stateroom, let's say the cost was $10,000.  Do I include the full $10,000 on both policies?  Or split it and put $5,000 on each?

 

I strongly suggest that you *speak* directly with a travel insurance specialist (agent or broker).

It's likely to be very important, IF there is ever a claim, that there is a receipt for *each* person that matches the amount of the insurance.

So... if 4 people are sharing a cabin, usually/often the cruiseline charges less for the 3rd and 4th person than for the first two.  That might mean that if person 3 or 4 couldn't go, they'd only get back the smaller "additional amount", and perhaps not necessarily "1/4 of the total cabin charge".

 

Best to work with a professional and not try to make guesses about "how it works", given some of the potential complications... and the risk of not being properly insured in case of a claim.

 

GC

[gzmtlock]

15 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

I strongly suggest that you *speak* directly with a travel insurance specialist (agent or broker).  Best to work with a professional and not try to make guesses about "how it works", given some of the potential complications... and the risk of not being properly insured in case of a claim.

Good advice! Do you have a person or company you might recommend?

[GeezerCouple]

7 minutes ago, gzmtlock said:

Good advice! Do you have a person or company you might recommend?

Yup! 🙂 

 

We are among the many here on CC who work with and recommend:

 

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

 

But please CALL them so they can have a chance to understand the details of your planned trip.  That way, you can ask questions... and they can ask you questions, too.  Sometimes an important factor may not be something someone realized was important or mattered at all.

 

We've also had several claims, including some large ones, and all were paid promptly without nonsense.  TIS will help you with a claim if you ask.  We did ask for their help with the first claim, which was one of our largest.  I sent a copy of our completed claims form to them (actually, to Steve, the owner).  He read it and suggested that I rephrase something.  At the time, it never occurred to me that I wasn't being clear and that some insurer might well misunderstand what I was describing.  So I re-wrote that little part, and probably saved myself a need to appeal a rejected claim. Again, we just didn't understand some (much!) of the specifics of travel insurance.  And sometimes terms have very specific meanings that don't match everyday usage.  ("Pre-existing condition" is one of those.)

 

We purchase a specific policy from Travel Insured, through TIS, one that seems to match our needs quite well.  But TIS work with several insurers, each (I think) of which has more than one policy.  And it may be that you'd want a different policy/different insurer for different trips.

 

Again, *talk* with them.

We learned about them here on CC very soon after we joined CC.  And we had a big claim with our *first* travel insurance policy!  We ended up "traveling" to and from medical appointments of various types for a couple of months instead of taking the trip.  And there were *many* times we'd mumble something like, "I'm SO glad we got that travel insurance so we won't have to pay AGAIN when we finally take this trip!"

 

And of course, having coverage for medical expenses in foreign countries could save one far more than any travel expenses themselves!

 

Note that to get the best choice of coverages, it may be important to start the insurance within 10-20 days of making your *first* payment (deposit or otherwise).  It varies by state, hence the range.

 

GC

[gzmtlock]

Thanks so much for all the helpful information!  I'll call them tomorrow.  🙂