Travel Insurance

It Pays To Do A Little Homework First

California Casualty Management Company

Vacations can sometimes cost thousands of dollars, so travel experts have long recommended that travelers consider obtaining proper travel insurance protection. It pays to do a little homework first. In some instances, you may already be covered when you book your trip using your credit card, through your homeowners policy or through your medical insurance.

Vacations can sometimes cost thousands of dollars, so travel experts have long recommended that travelers consider obtaining proper travel insurance protection. Depending on the travel insurance plan, you could be protected should the cruise or tour operator go out of business, or you need to cancel the trip due to illness or some other disaster.

It pays to do a little homework first. In some instances, you may already be covered when you book your trip using your credit card, through your homeowners policy or through your medical insurance.

When checking out travel insurance, you should know that there are four major types.

The first is Trip Cancellation Insurance. This would reimburse you if the cruise line or tour operator goes out of business. Depending on the policy, it may also provide coverage if you have to cancel the trip due to illness, a death in the family or other calamity listed on the policy.

In addition, if you or another family member should become seriously ill or injured during the trip, most policies would reimburse you for the unused portion of the vacation.

The cost could run anywhere from 5 to 7 percent of the cost of the vacation package.

Trip cancellation is very different from a cancellation waiver that many cruise and tour operators offer. Waivers are relatively inexpensive, costing from $40 to $60, and they provide coverage if you have to cancel the trip, but they have many restrictions. A waiver is not insurance, and they are not regulated by the state departments of insurance.

Baggage Insurance or Personal Effects Coverage provides coverage if your personal belongings are lost, stolen or damaged during the trip. Before buying this, check to see how much coverage you already have either through the airline or trip operator, or through your own homeowners policy. Homeowners or rental policies provide off-premises coverage.

Emergency Medical Assistance provides insurance and medical assistance for travelers. This might be something to consider if you are heading to a remote location. Before purchasing this, however, check with your own health insurance company to see what type of coverage they provide for travelers. You might also want to ask if they will fly you home or to some other country with first-rate medical care.

Accidental Death provides a variety of coverages if you or a family member should die on the trip. Generally, if you have a good life insurance plan, this could be duplicate insurance.

You could also get travel-related coverage from your credit card company.

In any case, the best word of advice is to read the policies carefully before purchasing them. Some may not provide protection should there be a riot or civil war that causes your trip to be canceled or altered.

This article, and hundreds more, can be found on the NEA Member Benefits web site in the “Member Library” section: www.neamb.com/consumer_articles.jsp.

NEA Member Benefits offers two homeowners insurance programs: NEA Members Auto and Home Insurance Program, underwritten by California Casualty Management Company, and NEA Homeowners Insurance, underwritten by Horace Mann Insurance Companies. Both programs offer special features and rates for NEA members and their families. To learn more about these programs, visit www.neamb.com/.

You can now get an online rate quote from the NEA Members Auto and Home Insurance Program by clicking here: https://quoting.aplus.com/homequote/processDefault.asp?MyAffinity=neamb