Travel Insurance, Do We Need It???

[mailbroad]

I had a flight to Boston delayed by 5 hours... missed my flight to Munich connecting to Barcelona! ... and off my parents went without me...to make a long story short I paid $150 for a reroute to Munich...my luggage did not arrive in Barcelona...I had it in Boston...

Travelguard reimbursed me the $150 and $180 for stuff I bought in Barcelona! They were great! I would NEVER travel without it!

[cherylandtk]

How close to your departure can you get insurance to your trip? make a long story short - I will never NOT get insurance again I learned my lesson.

You can technically purchase it right up until departure--BUT in your case, your father's death and the illness of your friend's father would not be covered, both events having already occurred. I am so sorry you have lost your father, my condolences to your and your family.

[bdcbbq]

Like a previous poster said, you never need travel insurance. . .until you need it. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 years ago just prior to an international trip. We always buy it. Also, just get a passport!! In today's world, I would not set foot outside the US with one, even to Canada or Mexico. It is the single best form of identification that exists for US citizens.

 

I'm sure you meant "I would not set foot outside the US "without" one"

[iamtrustworthy]

First time cruiser here...was wondering if we should purchase travel insurance?? If so, what would it cover and where would be the best place to go through to get it? Does it cover the air portion if purchased separately from the cruise...like what if due to weather or a plane running late we missed our connecting flight which in turn makes us miss the cruise departure? We are flying in on the same day as the cruise leaves...arrive in Tampa at 11:20am, cruise leaves at 4:00pm....

 

Travel Insurance protects you if you're forced to cancel or interrupt your trip because of unforeseen events: You, a family member or a companion gets hurt or sick, bad weather, lost / delayed luggage, terrorism, etc. Pre-existing medical conditions can be covered if certain rules are covered.

 

You can cover any prepaid non-refundable trip costs even if you booked them separately.

[winnyd]

Re your Question does it cover Air line tickets.? Thats a hard one to answer . In todays Trip Advisor A customer claimed off his ins for Death in the family 1st day of their holiday They would not pay his Flights because he had already used them to get there & then to get back.Just the accommodation.If the situation had happened earlier They probably would have been covered, Who Knows!

[iamtrustworthy]

Re your Question does it cover Air line tickets.? Thats a hard one to answer . In todays Trip Advisor A customer claimed off his ins for Death in the family 1st day of their holiday They would not pay his Flights because he had already used them to get there & then to get back.Just the accommodation.If the situation had happened earlier They probably would have been covered, Who Knows!

 

I haven't read that, but I suspect that the reason the plane ticket wasn't covered was because the customer had no financial loss from the plane tickets by returning home early.

 

Had he been forced to buy a one-way ticket, he would've received the unused value of the original ticket plus the cost of the one-way ticket up to his limits of coverage.

[catamaran]

There are 2 principal reasons for insurance.

1. To protect your investment in case you have to cancel the trip.This coverage id based on a) your age and b) your total trip cost. It also is the

more expensive option.It becomes effective when you sign up for it.

2. For people who are in their 70's, this coverage is quite expensive, since it is

based on age. Also medicare stops at the border, For those folks, the cost of the cruise may not be as important as having medical coverage when away from the USA. So a strictly medical coverage can be obtained by making the cruise cost ZERO. It takes effect when your trip begins.If you travel more than twice a year, annual coverage may be less costly.

 

One more caveat:

Primary coverage is more expensive, because the carrier pays upfront.

Secondary coverage is most often provided, but not mentioned. In the case of seniors, since medicare does not cover, that becomes the primary coverage. Remember that you also need coverage at least 50,000 to cover

emergency evacuation.

[iamtrustworthy]

One more caveat:

Primary coverage is more expensive, because the carrier pays upfront.

Secondary coverage is most often provided, but not mentioned. In the case of seniors, since medicare does not cover, that becomes the primary coverage. Remember that you also need coverage at least 50,000 to cover emergency evacuation.

 

Our least expensive travel insurance plan at any age has Primary medical coverage. That's because it's only available to US residents. The plans available to Canadian residents are Secondary medical coverage. That's because Canada has socialized medicine and the provincial plans carry some, but very little, out of country insurance. Because of that, the travel insurance plan won't have to pay 100% of a medical claim.

 

As for Medicare, it doesn't cover outside the USA, but most Senior Citizens have a Medicare Supplement plan. That causes any Secondary medical coverage travel insurance plan to remain secondary in the order claims are paid.

[Jim Gallup]

I spent most of last night trying to console a passenger who became a widow at 11:23 las night. Up until 11:23 pm, she didn't need Travel Insurance. After 11:23, she did need it. Unfortunately, she and her late husband tried to save a buck or 2 by not purchasing any insurance. He was 47 years old with no history of heart trouble - until last night.

Today we will spend most of the day with local officials, filling out countless forms to enable her to fly her husband's body out of Brazil. The flight will cost about $20,000 for the body and another $2,000 for her ticket. She doesn't have the money. We will spend the remainder of the day on the telephone with her family, trying to arrange loans and payments. This grieving widow doesn't need this trouble right now, but we must go through all of this anyway. The insurance would have cost them a few hundred dollars.

[catamaran]

Our least expensive travel insurance plan at any age has Primary medical coverage. That's because it's only available to US residents. The plans available to Canadian residents are Secondary medical coverage. That's because Canada has socialized medicine and the provincial plans carry some, but very little, out of country insurance. Because of that, the travel insurance plan won't have to pay 100% of a medical claim.

 

As for Medicare, it doesn't cover outside the USA, but most Senior Citizens have a Medicare Supplement plan. That causes any Secondary medical coverage travel insurance plan to remain secondary in the order claims are paid.

 

I agree with you that primary coverage is better. What company are you referring to that has that ? Travelguard, Travelex, MH Ross, CSA all have both types and you have to read carefully what it covers. Usually the primary

coverage is much more costly.

Medicare supplements do not always cover you outside the US. Mine does not and I have a fairly good one.

[bububr]

Passports...Better now than later. We are progressing into an age where we will soon need then to travel to across any border or to be recieved back into the US after a trip.

 

Insurance.....In March I was SO GLAD I had it. Have always bought it, but never needed it until then. Did a ship sponsored beach excursion....while at the beach partook in an unauthorized beach activity; I went horseback riding. Great ride until the end when the horse threw me.

 

I fractured my pelvis in three places, cracked my sacrum, crushed a vertebre and popped a disk........Pretty painful, Thankful you can get painkillers without perscriptions in Mexico.

 

This was the third day of a ten night cruise....and with the NORO situation ( infamous 3/17 Bleach cruise )..I stayed away from the medical facilities and roughed it till I got back home. Not easy, but I'm a guy...We're good at doing stupid things and covering them up.

 

Anyway...Since it wasn't a sponsored activity the ship wasn't responsible.

So my primary insurance covered most of the cost...AND...the cruise insurance picked up the rest ( co-pays, deductables, meds...) You name it, If it was documented they reimbursed me for it, including 3 months of physical therapy.

 

So for me the $128 was well worth paying as opposed to the nearly 20,000 it cost in total for treatment.

 

Dave:eek:

 

BTW it would have also paid for hospitalization or to be ransferred back home. I just didn't want to mess up everyone elses that was with me.

[cruisejunkie2]

thanks cherlyandtk for your condolences. I really need this trip now!

[cruiseco]

I agree with you that primary coverage is better. What company are you referring to that has that ? Travelguard, Travelex, MH Ross, CSA all have both types and you have to read carefully what it covers. Usually the primary

coverage is much more costly.

.

 

MH Ross (Global Alert) and CSA do not have any plans that are primary coverage. Never have.

[chasetf]

First time cruiser here...was wondering if we should purchase travel insurance???...... We are flying in on the same day as the cruise leaves...arrive in Tampa at 11:20am, cruise leaves at 4:00pm....

Just based on how close you are cutting it, I would have it if you booked your own air. If you booked it through the cruise line, then you might be ok if you get in late.

 

Insurance is a great protection for mishaps during the cruise. We also carry it because we both have elderly parents with medical problems that could cause us to have to cancel at the last moment.

 

Never missed an embarkation, but we always now fly in at least a day early. We had one case where we fly from the west coast to the east coast and make all the connections, but our bags didn't. :eek: Fortunately we had the next day to go pick them up before boarding. :D We met people at the baggage claim that had flown in but their bags did not make it.