Travel Insurance

[clownfishsydney]

Not sure if you have it in the US, but in Australia, a lot of the premium credit cards have travel insurance. This works so long as you use it to pay for at least $xx or xx% of the trip with your credit card.

One of the major things to consider as a diver is the cost of being put in a recompression chamber. This is huge! I can attest that the insurance with our credit card covers this.

For those that travel a lot like us, the extra cost of the premium card more than covers the travel insurance cost we would normally pay and it also has other advantages.

 

[boutiquehotel]

Thanks for sharing this forum discussion. It proves very useful for me as i am also making plan of vacations and want to spend time in Varsano Boutique Hotel Tel Aviv.

 

[Randy43068]

Don, clear up a few points for me, will you?

You said some people on your trip had insurance. Did they collect? I'm assuming that "and some of those paid enormous amounts to buy any ticket they could find." means that some people paid a lot of money for airfare out? Were they reimbursed?

When you had to cancel (a trip?) for personal reasons, did you have insurance for that? Did you lose money?

Damselfish makes good points, all. Trip Insurance is probably most important for package deals that are Use-or-Lose other than air fare, more so for packages that include air. Good to review case by case, and insure only what needs to be insured...

On the other hand, I was in Cozumel once with a group that broke up and evacuated in haste before a Cat-5 hurricane could land. We'd discussed trip insurance extensively before we went, most didn't get it, and some of those paid enormous amounts to buy any ticket they could find. One of those went on to lose a similar package with the same group a few years later when he had to cancel for personal reasons.

I just like to minimize risks when I travel now. I used to not care really, the more adventure the better, but nowadays I like a degree of security - and to know I can be reimbursed if I have to cut & run.

 

[DandyDon]

Don, clear up a few points for me, will you?

You said some people on your trip had insurance. Did they collect? I'm assuming that "and some of those paid enormous amounts to buy any ticket they could find." means that some people paid a lot of money for airfare out? Were they reimbursed?

When you had to cancel (a trip?) for personal reasons, did you have insurance for that? Did you lose money?

Yeah, usually it's just a matter of filing a claim with the receipts, so those who had insurance and had to pay extra to get out did so - and were reimbursed. Those without insurance got nothing.

As far canceling for personal reasons being covered, it depends on the policy. The one I use is pretty liberal, but then DAN's Preferred Dive Insurance plan also includes some coverages for cancellation.

 

[lmorin]

Here is a website for comparison shopping of travel insurance programs and a cost/trip calculator. Be sure to note the "More Plans" button at the top left of the page.

 

[DandyDon]

And here is another site for comparing policies: InsureMyTrip.com | Quote | Help

 

[Mark Derail]

I had to use the main link to get something to work. Travel Insurance - InsureMyTrip.com

 

[DandyDon]

I had to use the main link to get something to work. Travel Insurance - InsureMyTrip.com

Did my link not work? I changed my bookmark to that page as that is better one to use for starters I suppose. Thanks.

You do not have to book your choice thru them still. You should go to any company's site for more info before booking, then book with either. I think I'd skip any with less than an A rating from Best, as well as any that cannot sell to New York residents as NY still has the toughest insurance regulations.

 

[potato cod]

I ALWAYS get trip insurance, in addition to the normal DAN dive insurance. Sometimes I get it through Travel Guard, sometimes through DAN. With DAN, they have partner companies that actually provide/administer the insurance. Does it work? You bet! Is it a hassel? Not really.

In mid-March, my husband and I were all set to spend a week on the Aqua Cat liveaboard. The day before we left was unusually warm and sunny for the Rust Belt. No snow, no ice, what could possibly go wrong? Went to bed with our bags packed for our early a.m. flight and got a call shortly before midnight from the airline stating that our flight was cancelled. The airline rebooked us, but we got another call minutes later stating that the second flight was also cancelled. Heavy fog grounded all flights in and out of the airport for over 12 hours and ultimately there was no way to get us to the boat on time for the departure. All I can say, is thank goodness for the insurance. We sent in the e-mails from the airline indicating the flights were cancelled due to weather, a copy of the ships no-refund policy, and last week (about 4 weeks later) we got a check in the mail covering the liveaboard fee of $5200. The airline refunded our tickets, so we didn't need to claim that. Could we afford to cover the loss without financial ruin? Sure. Would we be rebooked on another liveaboard in a few weeks without the insurance? No way, couldn't afford that!

Previously, we had a bag show up at our destination a couple days late. That time we used trip insurance to pay for a rental BC and fins, some toiletries, flip flops, and a few changes of clothing for my husband. It also meant we didn't freak out about the $$$ gear that was missing until they located the bag. The amount airlines give you for lost bags will hardly cover the cost of the bag, so it's good peace of mind.

So, although when I bought insurance in the past I wondered if it was worth it, I'm a believer now.

 

[Randy43068]

Good report Tater, thanks!