Trip Insurance Recommendations?

[roadstoadventure]

I'm currently researching trip insurance for dive travel and would like your recommendations for US-based divers, particularly for those who travel several times a year.

I have some basic coverage from Chase Sapphire Reserve and have looked into more comprehensive providers, but it's often unclear if certain scenarios are covered. For example, if an airline cancels your $800 flight 48 hours before departure and you have to rebook a $1500 flight the same-day to ensure you arrive at your destination in time for a liveaboard...are you covered for the $700 difference you had to pay? The $800 original flight purchased can be covered by a credit card so I don't need coverage there.I was never clear on this from the fine print.

Also, what are the pros/cons of insuring individual trips vs. a full year?

 

[rsfinn57]

I'm currently researching trip insurance for dive travel and would like your recommendations for US-based divers, particularly for those who travel several times a year.

I have some basic coverage from Chase Sapphire Reserve and have looked into more comprehensive providers, but it's often unclear if certain scenarios are covered. For example, if an airline cancels your $800 flight 48 hours before departure and you have to rebook a $1500 flight the same-day to ensure you arrive at your destination in time for a liveaboard...are you covered for the $700 difference you had to pay? The $800 original flight purchased can be covered by a credit card so I don't need coverage there.I was never clear on this from the fine print.

Also, what are the pros/cons of insuring individual trips vs. a full year?

I have found amex platinum sells good plans over the basic 7500 they cover including last minute cancelations. I believe you can also get medivac through them. Their prices were compatable with other
Suppliers

 

[Trilobite]

Personally, all I carry is comprehensive health insurance and inexpensive medical evacuation insurance (Global rescue). I have been traveling internationally all over the world on trips twice a year over the past 11 years, and I have never had to cancel a trip. I have saved tens of thousands of dollars by not purchasing travel insurance for these trips – and even if I had to cancel one or two trips, the money I saved by not purchasing insurance on all would more than cover the loss.

Also, my impression from reading lots of online reviews is that travel insurance companies almost always make you jump through hoops and initially deny your claim, so you are unlikely to recover anything unless you are persistent and put a lot of time into it.

So unless you believe you have some especially high risk of having to cancel your trip, I suggest you consider skipping the travel insurance if possible. (I assume you are talking about general travel insurance by the way – anything dive specific I have no opinion on.)

(Though despite these issues, some tour companies require that you purchase travel insurance. This isn't really because they are looking out for you – it is because it makes things easier for them. I always avoid tour companies with such requirements.)

 

[ROUS]

I buy annual travel insurance from Allianz. If you travel a lot, it's a cost effective way to do it. I bet there is better coverage/benefits out there to be had though.

 

[GF99/99]

Personally, all I carry is comprehensive health insurance and inexpensive medical evacuation insurance (Global rescue). I have been traveling internationally all over the world on trips twice a year over the past 11 years, and I have never had to cancel a trip. I have saved tens of thousands of dollars by not purchasing travel insurance for these trips – and even if I had to cancel one or two trips, the money I saved by not purchasing insurance on all would more than cover the loss.

Also, my impression from reading lots of online reviews is that travel insurance companies almost always make you jump through hoops and initially deny your claim, so you are unlikely to recover anything unless you are persistent and put a lot of time into it.

So unless you believe you have some especially high risk of having to cancel your trip, I suggest you consider skipping the travel insurance if possible. (I assume you are talking about general travel insurance by the way – anything dive specific I have no opinion on.)

(Though despite these issues, some tour companies require that you purchase travel insurance. This isn't really because they are looking out for you – it is because it makes things easier for them. I always avoid tour companies with such requirements.)

I could not agree more. For some background in the last 6 years I have filled 2ea. of the larger 50pg passports (about to get my 3rd). To give you an idea of how much I fly I have United 1k status, Delta Platinum Medallion, and Turkish Elite Plus. I am averaging around 50-70 international flights a year.

Out of I don't know how many hundreds of flights I have taken I have only experience 1 canceled flight. That was a CItilink flight from Denpasar to Makassar in Indonesia right in the middle of Corona when there was very limited domestic travel happening in Indonesia and you still needed PCR test to travel. And yes this was a flight for a diving trip but Citilink actually just rebooked me on another flight (I had to fly backward to Jakarta but in the middle of the Corona pandemic when flights were very limited I did not have any other choice) at no cost and they actually were very good about it for a discount Asian airline.

Also just to throw it out there I know other some are spending tons on "equipment insurance" I do not have this either. I have never had any issues with equipment and traveling. And as you can see I fly quite a bit more then the average person and I also own quite a bit more expensive gear than your average diver. For the big ticket items I have 3 rebreathers, 1 DPV, 2 drysuits, and then all the regular diving gear that most have, regs, sidemount harness, BPW, etc.

Also as mentioned my @Philosopher King I have heard a couple stories about insurance companies making it a mission to submit claims and then when it comes down to it there is some kind of find print clause that voids there claim. Unless you are a insurance claim expert with a law background it is really hard to tell what is actually covered.

 

[Djknauss]

i prefer diveassure, but never had to use it

 

[GF99/99]

Just punched in all my info in for 2 person on Diveassure. They wanted to sell me insurance for $1,626.50. I have been traveling internationally on a regular basis for the last 20 years, at least 10 international trips a year. And in the last 6-7 years it has exponentially increased as mentioned above with my approximate flights per year. So to be fair lets just look at my last 10 years of very very regular international traveling. If I was to buy this insurance every year that would have been $16,256 I would have spent on insurance. Even if I would have missed a liveabord trip (say $3k per person so $6,000 total) the insurance company still comes out on top with $10,000 or my hard earned money in there pocket. Yeah sorry no thanks I will just keep my money that would have been spent on insurance.

Now it if was $200 a year then yeah I would say that "cheap insurance" but I guess there is a tradeoff. You need to balance the cost vs. the probability of requiring it. Bu I have personally testing the reality of requiring it (and I would say I fly more international flights in a year then the average person does in a life time) and it just does not add up to for me. So imagine how low the odds are for a person that only goes on a international trip 1-2 times per year.

Maybe I am looking at this all wrong but that is just how I see it. Yeah yeah I'm sure there will be someone that chimes in about how the bought insurance for a trip and they missed out on a $7,000 liveaboard and got fully refunded that's great and I'm happy for them but based on my factual track record it just does not apply to me.

 

[roadstoadventure]

Personally, all I carry is comprehensive health insurance and inexpensive medical evacuation insurance (Global rescue). I have been traveling internationally all over the world on trips twice a year over the past 11 years, and I have never had to cancel a trip. I have saved tens of thousands of dollars by not purchasing travel insurance for these trips – and even if I had to cancel one or two trips, the money I saved by not purchasing insurance on all would more than cover the loss.

Also, my impression from reading lots of online reviews is that travel insurance companies almost always make you jump through hoops and initially deny your claim, so you are unlikely to recover anything unless you are persistent and put a lot of time into it.

So unless you believe you have some especially high risk of having to cancel your trip, I suggest you consider skipping the travel insurance if possible. (I assume you are talking about general travel insurance by the way – anything dive specific I have no opinion on.)

(Though despite these issues, some tour companies require that you purchase travel insurance. This isn't really because they are looking out for you – it is because it makes things easier for them. I always avoid tour companies with such requirements.)

Thanks! Any reason why you went with Global Rescue for medical evacuation insurance rather than DAN?

 

[roadstoadventure]

I could not agree more. For some background in the last 6 years I have filled 2ea. of the larger 50pg passports (about to get my 3rd). To give you an idea of how much I fly I have United 1k status, Delta Platinum Medallion, and Turkish Elite Plus. I am averaging around 50-70 international flights a year.

Out of I don't know how many hundreds of flights I have taken I have only experience 1 canceled flight. That was a CItilink flight from Denpasar to Makassar in Indonesia right in the middle of Corona when there was very limited domestic travel happening in Indonesia and you still needed PCR test to travel. And yes this was a flight for a diving trip but Citilink actually just rebooked me on another flight (I had to fly backward to Jakarta but in the middle of the Corona pandemic when flights were very limited I did not have any other choice) at no cost and they actually were very good about it for a discount Asian airline.

Also just to throw it out there I know other some are spending tons on "equipment insurance" I do not have this either. I have never had any issues with equipment and traveling. And as you can see I fly quite a bit more then the average person and I also own quite a bit more expensive gear than your average diver. For the big ticket items I have 3 rebreathers, 1 DPV, 2 drysuits, and then all the regular diving gear that most have, regs, sidemount harness, BPW, etc.

Also as mentioned my @Philosopher King I have heard a couple stories about insurance companies making it a mission to submit claims and then when it comes down to it there is some kind of find print clause that voids there claim. Unless you are a insurance claim expert with a law background it is really hard to tell what is actually covered.

Thanks @GF99/99 . I have historically done the same as you, and not purchased travel insurance for trips. Recently we had an incident where we incurred an additional $1000 x 2 cost due to a last-minute flight cancellation by an airline and it made us think about the potential value of trip insurance particularly on trips to remote areas where you can't book all the way through and are on the hook if you miss a flight. To be honest, with all the fine print, I can't even figure out if that's a scenario travel insurance covers, though...

 

[roadstoadventure]

Just punched in all my info in for 2 person on Diveassure. They wanted to sell me insurance for $1,626.50. I have been traveling internationally on a regular basis for the last 20 years, at least 10 international trips a year. And in the last 6-7 years it has exponentially increased as mentioned above with my approximate flights per year. So to be fair lets just look at my last 10 years of very very regular international traveling. If I was to buy this insurance every year that would have been $16,256 I would have spent on insurance. Even if I would have missed a liveabord trip (say $3k per person so $6,000 total) the insurance company still comes out on top with $10,000 or my hard earned money in there pocket. Yeah sorry no thanks I will just keep my money that would have been spent on insurance.

Now it if was $200 a year then yeah I would say that "cheap insurance" but I guess there is a tradeoff. You need to balance the cost vs. the probability of requiring it. Bu I have personally testing the reality of requiring it (and I would say I fly more international flights in a year then the average person does in a life time) and it just does not add up to for me. So imagine how low the odds are for a person that only goes on a international trip 1-2 times per year.

Maybe I am looking at this all wrong but that is just how I see it. Yeah yeah I'm sure there will be someone that chimes in about how the bought insurance for a trip and they missed out on a $7,000 liveaboard and got fully refunded that's great and I'm happy for them but based on my factual track record it just does not apply to me.


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That's the same general math/conclusion I've come to in terms of whether or not insurance is worth it.

I've got to ask -- what do you do that allows you to dive travel so much?