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With the holiday season quickly approaching, travel accommodations are being made across the globe for those who are heading home to visit families or those who are leaving town for a vacation. With the high volume of people expected to be traveling this holiday season, CSA Travel Protection's Bob Chambers, vice president of operations, has released the following list of tips to consider before deciding to purchase or pass on travel insurance.
Check what your health insurance already covers – Many health insurance plans cover some in-network medical costs, but travel insurance policies can be a good supplement especially if traveling outside of medical network coverage. If you’re going somewhere adventurous, or traveling with someone who is ill or frequently falls ill, invest in Emergency Assistance and Transportation – the insurance that will help arrange medical transport like air ambulances. For those staying domestic, travel insurance might not be as imperative as it is to someone traveling internationally this holiday season.
See how much your credit card really protects you – Benefits through cards are often limited, and a big mistake many travelers make is assuming they’re covered without checking with their credit card provider. Very few cards offer trip cancellation coverage, and the ones that do typically only cover purchases made with the card and cap refunds at a certain dollar amount.
Pay attention to timing – If you’re going to use travel insurance, book it right away. The longer you wait to get travel insurance after booking your trip, the higher the risk of something deterring plans during the interim period that will then go uncovered. If you need to postpone or cancel for a covered reason, you’ll likely be eligible for benefits. If an event is forseeable, take a blizzard for example, it likely will not be covered. Be sure to read the fine print before purchasing travel insurance, as you want to ensure you’re being covered for the issues that best meet your needs. Weather, terrorist attacks and a variety of other trip influencers often go uncovered, so do your research before purchasing.
For those traveling over the holidays, travel insurance may be a wise choice. With such a high volume of people traveling for the holidays, the risk of something going wrong naturally increases as well. Having travel insurance might take the edge off of what can be a hectic holiday season. Find a plan that might cover mishaps like lost luggage or delayed flights, or that won’t penalize you if work leads you to cancel, and your holiday season will be run the smoothest yet.
For more information on travel insurance, visit www.csatravelprotection.com.