Cruising Basics
Should I buy Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance is optional, but for all of our CruiseExperts.com clients we highly recommend it for a variety of reasons you may not have thought of. Most people know it will reimburse you for the cost of you trip if you have to cancel for covered reasons; however, let's face it, the loss of the cost of your trip, while a significant investment, is usually not life changing. There are however other potential liabilities that if not covered by travel insurance can significantly alter your life. That's why we offer our clients affordable Travel Insurance plans.Medical Expenses
Did you know that most US health insurance companies do not cover your medical expenses if you're out of the country. Travel Insurance covers the immediate medical costs to take care of your medical need, but just important and even more expensive is the cost to evacuate you to a country where you're comfortable receiving medical care. After that it covers the added expense to get you home. This is the expense that could be life altering.
Here are some real life examples of medical expenses travel insurance covers while on vacation.
Son has appendicitis attack. While on a cruise, our client's teenage son had an appendicitis attack. He had to be airlifted off the ship to a medical facility for treatment, and because he was a minor, his mother had to go with him. If they had purchased travel insurance, the $50, medical evacuation expense would have been covered. Their health insurance back home denied their claim.
Heart Attack in Germany. Another client experienced a heart attack in Germany. After spending weeks in the hospital he was not allowed to board a commercial flight to return home; instead he had to pay for a medical evac. transport to get back to the US. If he had purchased travel insurance, not only would his medical care in Germany been taken care of, he would have avoided having to spend tens of thousands of dollars out of his own pocket to get home.
Cancellations
Travel insurance protects you if things happen, that are covered expenses, to you or an immediate member of your family that hinders you from leaving for your vacation. You can get a refund.
Couple cancels trip because of mother's car accident. A couple we arranged a cruise for were about to leave when they got a call that their mother had been in a serious car accident. The travel insurance refunded the cost of their cruise which they had to cancel.
Trip Delay or Flight Cancellations
Travel insurance covers flight delays or cancellations that are out of your control. Cruise lines are not responsible for flight problems and won't wait for you. If you miss your ship, travel insurance will reimburse you for the cost of catching up with your ship at the next port. A number of our clients have had this experience. The fortunate ones had insurance, some didn't.
Hotels don't care if your flight gets cancelled. A couple traveling to Europe had a non-refundable hotel in Zurich. Their flight was cancelled due to aircraft servicing. The travel insurance refunded them the cost of the hotel. We're very thankful they took our advice to invest in travel insurance.
Baggage
Travel insurance covers your baggage if it is lost, stolen, damaged or delayed.
No clothes for one week. A group of vacationers heading to Europe were happy they followed our recommendation and purchased travel insurance when their flight was cancelled and their luggage was lost. They were reimbursed the cost for buying new clothes to wear when their luggage was delayed for one week.
At CruiseExperts.com, we understand your vacation is an investment and want your time away to be relaxing and hassle free. That is why we highly recommend purchasing travel insurance. Doing so will give you peace of mind so you can enjoy your time away from your home or office.