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1. What are the benefits of travel insurance?
It can seriously help cover losses for non-refundable, pre-paid expenses and add peace of mind to trip planning. And that doesn’t just apply to flights, it applies to road trips too. While travel has always been unpredictable to a degree, the Covid-19 outbreak and imposed travel bans have shown a lot of Americans how much unexpected events can affect their travel plans. This seems to make a significant difference to how they consider to insure future holidays. It has been predicted that a lot of Americans will choose to drive in the coming months for travel, so it’s worth noting that travel insurance may reimburse you for covered losses faced on the road too such as trip cancellations or interruptions due to hurricanes and other weather-related events, to injuries or illness.
2. How much does it typically cost and what does it typically cover?
Depending on the coverage you choose it can cover rental cars, vacation rentals, break downs, trip cancellations and interruptions, and a BIG one right now – medical coverage and 24/7 assistance. Keep in mind there are a number of factors that can adjust the price of your insurance such as the age of traveler, trip expenses (a policy’s price is based on your nonrefundable of prepaid travel expenses so calculate all of the costs you’ll incur before your departure when searching for a policy, plan selection,) the number of travelers and the destination. Insurance companies also consider the accessibility to medical facilities and the crime rates of your destination when determining a price. For example, if you were a single, healthy 30 year old male traveling to Colorado this summer for 2 weeks you could be looking at a rate of anywhere between $100 and $200 – using an insurance calculator from Allianz.com.
3. Can you get your money back at all even if you don’t have insurance and your vacation gets canceled?
If it is going to depend on the circumstances of your trip being canceled and the travel providers you have booked with – which airlines, hotels etc as they all have their own policies which you should read up on before you book. The benefit of taking out cancellation insurance is that – on your end – if you’re unable to take a trip due to an unforeseeable event, a trip cancellation policy will reimburse you for your prepaid, forfeited and non-refundable costs of your trip.
4. And any travel tips to keep safe on the road?
Do it with those you live with – even if you’re thinking about a very long drive with visits to rest stops along the way and overnight hotel stays, you’re pretty safe if you plan to do it with those you live with.
Keep your distance – If you’re able to keep a safe, six-foot social distance from others in rest areas, wear a mask, and practice good hygiene, there is little risk since the coronavirus is thought to be mainly transmitted directly from person-to-person. In fact, medical experts are now more comfortable saying that the chances of catching the coronavirus from a surface remain quite low among those practicing common precautions.
Practice rest stop etiquette – Try to avoid stopping at a very crowded rest stop, but don’t fear the public restroom. If it’s not too crowded, it shouldn’t impose much risk but I still wouldn’t touch a toilet and then touch my face. Unless these surfaces are recently sneezed on, you should be ok.
And what about hotels? Staying overnight in a hotel is also a low-risk activity for members of the same household as again it seems like the risk of getting infected from touching surfaces is pretty low. The majority of hotels have been going overboard lately with cleaning and disinfecting as well – making the chance of touching a contaminated surface really slim.
What should I bring?—driver’s license, registration, insurance—as well as health-insurance cards – as an extra precaution. It’s also wise to bring face coverings, gloves, disinfecting wipes, and cleaning supplies.
