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I don't have bad news for you--I just want you to consider the possibility.
Every month I have a free-flowing networking Zoom meeting with travel advisor colleagues from around the country. This month we caught up on various projects we are each working on, but eventually we ended up spending a big chunk of our discussion on unfortunate things that had happened to clients on trips.
This was not because we are sadists--one advisor was describing a very sad tale related to a client and it turned out we all had stories of clients having suffered some very bad luck--or worse--and how fortunate they were to have coverage and assistance from insurers.
It's only natural that we think of travel insurance as something to cover our personal medical emergencies. And that's an important component of any trip protection policy, whether it means covering medical expenses incurred during a trip or trip costs that would be lost due to a medical emergency at home. But what if it's not YOUR medical emergency? What if it's an elderly parent, or a child at home who has a crisis?
One of my colleagues described a tragic situation on a multigenerational vacation on a Caribbean island. They had a rental car and were in a terrible accident--not their fault--which caused the death of two family members. Can you imagine trying to cope with this, both emotionally and logistically, in a foreign country? The insurer assisted this client through the process, at least taking some of the pressure off the family at this time of grief and stress.
Another colleague mentioned a client, seemingly in good health, who suffered a stroke on a cruise ship in the open waters and had to be evacuated by air ambulance to a hospital. This kind of event can come with a price tag well into six figures.
And the manor house I just rented in Ireland has seen its own share of unwelcome drama. I remember last year I was on the phone with the owner one evening and a guest was having a medical crisis; he did have a serious condition but was stable enough at the time of the trip. And yet the next day she told me that he had died. Then one of the guests who had stayed there immediately before us suffered a stroke and was still in the hospital at the time of our residency there.
Another advisor in my group mentioned a couple on the way to their destination wedding. Their wedding attire was in a checked bag which was lost. Their insurance covered the expense of buying new clothes for the occasion.
I've had two different clients who had a parent in the US die while they were vacationing in Europe. I've heard of someone's home flooding from burst pipes while they were traveling. And I've given up counting how many Covid quarantines I've heard about (or managed for clients).
In short, trip insurance is about so much more than our own personal health situation. Many people feel completely comfortable risking the loss of any nonrefundable direct trip costs of, say $5000 or $10,000 a person. But perhaps you may still want to consider limited "zero dollar trip costs" coverage that would help you if a true medical emergency or other catastrophic event befell you while you were actually on the trip. This can reduce your premium substantially, but still provides benefits for medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, baggage coverage, etc.
Bottom line, we all have overwhelmingly great odds of enjoying a fantastic and carefree travel experience--until we don't.
I do not sell insurance, but I can assist you in finding a policy that may suit your needs when I work with you on a trip. At the bottom of almost every (non-newsletter) email you receive from me, you will find a link for my personal page at Squaremouth, where it's easy to explore, compare, and purchase a policy. I do receive a very small commission, typically $10 to $30, for a policy purchased through my link, but it's obviously more important to simply heed the advice of having something rather than nothing, wherever you obtain it. If you have a travel insurance benefit of some kind on a credit card, that can be helpful, but be sure you understand what it actually covers.
Now how about that GOOD news I promised!?
The Amsterdam City Break is now open for booking!
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