Virginia’s WSLS recently did a piece on traveling and the use of travelers insurance that is very relevant to anyone across the United States who may be visiting or doing business in regions such as the Gulf Coast. When visiting areas like Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi or Texas, travelers may want to consider the slightly extra fees to guarantee their trip is financially supported in the event hurricane season flips on it.
Bradford tells WSLS travelers can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to hundreds of thousands of dollars for trip insurance, but she says it pays for itself if they have to use it.
“If it’s a situation where you’ve paid $4,000 for a trip and it gets cancelled because of a hurricane and you didn’t take out any insurance, you’re in bind,“ said Bradford.
From talking with several travel companies and searching traveling websites online, WSLS found that, depending on the company and your policy, if a storm damages your hotel before your departure, shuts down your airport or even if a hurricane’s predicted path is near the location of your upcoming insured vacation it is possible to get reimbursed.
The piece also mentions reading the fine print and possibly checking the insurer through the Better Business Bureau before handing over any sizable amount of money for protection. As for cruises, the article notes, insurance may be not as viable an option, or even necessary:
If you have to cash in your trip insurance, Bradford says the wait time varies depending on the policy, but says the average turnaround is about 6 weeks.
According to AAA, it’s rare that cruise ships will cancel their plans because of hurricanes.
They say, most of the time, the cruise ships will just change their routes.
Just a good amount of tips for people who may want to travel at the end of this summer.