It's that crucial moment when we're checking out buying plane tickets, and we're prompted to decide whether to purchase travel insurance. Agh! It's a tough call, especially if we may already face a higher fare than we wanted. It's a gamble: lose the money if your trip goes as planned, or be grateful that you were cautious if things fall apart. As reported by Cision, hurricane season may be the right time to invest in that upcharge.
Understandably, travel insurance won't protect against already-forecast storms, but if you are thinking ahead to later in the fall when hurricanes, storms and cyclones may still be affecting travel, you may want to consider it.
If you've prepaid for travel and a hurricane disrupts your flight, hotel or tour, you can be reimbursed for nonrefundable expenses through your trip cancellation coverage. It can be a relief to regroup and try again later when the skies are clear and travel is safe. If a hurricane or tropical storm happens while your trip is already underway and you want to go home early, trip interruption insurance covers airplane change fees and others costs associated with rearranging your trip.
The worst-case scenario is, of course, getting stuck because of a storm. In that case, travel delay coverage can help you with extended hotel nights, meals and transportation. And if your luggage gets misrouted or lost, the insurance can help you replace items you can't live without. You'll also have access to round-the-clock emergency assistance services to help you find nearby hospitals, shelters and evacuation routes. In short, if you've invested a lot in your trip and it's possible that weather can severely disrupt it, you might want to think hard before you click yes or no on the coverage option.