​Understanding Hurricane Coverage : What Travelers Need To Know About Insurance

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Travel insurance is an effective and cost-efficient way to cope with the risk of travel during hurricane season and to help guard against potential financial losses. Hurricane season begins June 1st across the USA so this information should come handy if you plan to travel around that time or to destinations that are on the watch. When it comes to severe weather, here are some examples of how insurance may enable receiving reimbursement of pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs for travelers if they must cancel a trip due to severe weather-related issues that are covered under the trip cancellation benefit…

If flights are grounded due to a hurricane: Many plans will cover a traveler when common carriers such as airlines and cruise lines cease service due to weather. The cessation of services must be for a certain number of hours, usually 24-48. 

If resort is in the path of a hurricane: A few plans will cover when the traveler's destination is under a NOAA-issued hurricane warning. With most comprehensive travel insurance plans, the NOAA-issued hurricane warning must be issued for the destination within 24-48 hours of the scheduled departure. The cancellation must also be more than 14 days after the effective date for trip cancellation coverage. This means this coverage would not be available if travel is 15 days or closer to the departure of a trip.

If hurricane causes damage to the hotel or resort you are staying at: Many plans will cover a traveler when a hotel, resort, or vacation rental is devastated and made uninhabitable by a storm.

If hurricane damages your home: Many plans will offer coverage when your home sustains destructive storm damage that renders the home uninhabitable.

If you change your mind on your travel plans: For the opportunity to cancel a trip for reasons other than those listed as "covered reasons" on a policy, you can consider Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) protection, which is an optional time-sensitive benefit available on some plans that allow a traveler to cancel a trip for any reason, up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure. Reimbursement is usually 50-75% of the prepaid, non-refundable trip cost. You must meet specific eligibility requirements and purchase a policy with CFAR selected within 14-21 days of making an initial trip payment or deposit.

Hurricanes and Airline Cancellation Policies
Flight cancellation policies vary by airline and circumstance. When an airline cancels a flight due to bad weather, most will try to rebook passengers on the next available flight. Airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight due to weather. Travelers concerned about protecting pre-paid, non-refundable trip expenses should buy travel insurance.

All of this useful information comes courtesy InsureMyTrip, the largest US-based travel insurance comparison site, which has also expanded its Hurricane Educational Center to include more information to better assist travelers with their upcoming trip. The content hub also offers access to travel data, a free travel guide e-book, videos, and other resources. The company is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau.
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A NOAA Weather-Ready Nation WRN Ambassador™, InsureMyTrip launched a new hurricane preparedness campaign recently in an effort to help travelers best prepare for the season. The company is committed to improving travelers' readiness and responsiveness against extreme weather. To help travelers stay informed and be better prepared, this educational campaign includes several initiatives with content delivery across all platforms. In addition, InsureMyTrip is reminding travelers about how to stay protected: Once a storm starts forming, it is considered a foreseeable event and travel insurance coverage will no longer be available to cover losses related to that storm. So remember to buy travel insurance early if your are planning to travel during hurricane season.

*Assistance for copy provided by InsureMyTrip*