Hurricane Travel Insurance – Tips and Guidelines

Aug 6th, 2010No Comments

Travel insurance cover, in general, includes weather events such as hurricanes and typhoons. If those occurrences will cause you to lose money, then you will be likely compensated if your trips are insured with Hurricane Travel Insurance.

It is even better nowadays, because a lot of insurance companies include things like hurricane-warning protection. Basically, the storm does not have to actually ruin your holidays before you can make a claim. If your destination is under hurricane alert, as declared by the National Hurricane Center, you are allowed to cancel your trip without any financial losses.

But you all know the drill, policies are not designed equally. Here are some guidelines to follow to get the best coverage possible:

Shop Around Using Travel Insurance Comparison Sites

There are plenty of travel insurance comparison sites on the web. This site is one example. Travel Insurance Facts uses the Squaremouth engine to offer you a comprehensive list of options based on your preferences. With it, you can compare policies side-by-side. Try it and see for your self. Get quotes now!

Talk to an Agent

Shopping on the web will normally give you the opportunity to read the policy including the actual fine print. However, it is still considerably better if you can speak with an agent to clear many things that confuse you.

Get the “Hurricane Warning” benefit

Many insurance companies offer this kind of insurance benefit like Global Alert’s Preferred plan and the Vacation Insurance of TravelSafe. It will cover your trip cancellations within 24 hours of departure if the location you intend to go to is officially under hurricane warning.

Understand the Logic

You cannot buy a policy once a storm is already named or anticipated. Travel insurance only applies to “unforeseen” events and with that, an expected storm will not be covered. Having hurricane inclusion in your travel insurance policy will not necessarily mean that you will have a total refund if a disaster does strike. Your exact location may be fine after the hurricane while other beaches are obliterated. If that’s the case, you won’t get a full refund.

Be Aware of State Restrictions

Some states have strict insurance laws, like New York for example. Be aware that some policies are not available in other states. Do some research or talk to an agent on this topic before actually buying something.