The duration of your planned travel is an important consideration in purchasing travel insurance. As a matter of statistics, the longer the trip, the greater the chances that something disruptive will happen. Also, longer trips and vacations are often more expensive than short-term travel, which means that a major disruption to your plans could be financially more burdensome. That’s why most people who would choose not to insure their weekend getaways or even a five-to-seven-day trip would consider travel insurance more seriously for trips lasting two weeks, two months, or even longer.
There are also some serious considerations that may arise when planning a long-term trip, which wouldn’t be of concern to the average traveler. While a typical comprehensive policy or travel medical insurance product might suit the needs of someone booking a trip of a few weeks’ duration, for someone who is planning to be away from home for a long-term trip – say, anywhere from 3 months to a year or more – basic travel insurance coverage may not be expansive enough. That’s where long-stay travel insurance coverage comes in.
Long-Term Travel Health Insurance
When a traveler plans to be away from home for months at a time, practical considerations like medical care become a very real need to be addressed. There’s a good chance that, in the course of three, six, or twelve months abroad, you might need to seek medical care at some point – whether for a minor injury, a cold or flu virus, or even for preventive care and filling necessary prescriptions. If you’re planning a long-term trip outside your home country and are concerned at all about medical insurance while traveling, you’ll first need to check with your regular health insurance provider to find out what the terms of your usual coverage are when you’re traveling abroad. Some providers cover you while traveling just as they would at home, but it may be only for a defined period of time. Others may only cover a portion of your costs, or not offer coverage at all. Medicare, for example, does not offer benefits to its subscribers while they’re outside of the United States. Once you’ve determined whether or not you will need additional medical insurance while you’re traveling, there are various options to consider for getting that coverage.
For long-term travel of up to six months, it’s a good idea to look into a travel medical plan, which can offer you the additional health care coverage you may need while abroad for an extended period of time. Travel Medical plans may offer not only coverage for emergency care, but also emergency evacuation coverage. With emergency evacuation coverage, you can be transported as needed to a facility that can appropriately care for you in the case of an unexpected illness or injury. In some cases, travel medical plans may also provide some non-medical benefits to you which are worth considering if you’re taking a long-term trip. You may be able to get a medical plan that also allows you to interrupt your trip and return home for an unscheduled visit if there is an emergency, such as the death of an immediate family member or destruction of your home by fire, flood, or natural disaster.
If you’re planning to travel for longer than six months, consider purchasing a Travel Major Medical plan, which differs from a traditional Travel Medical plan in that it behaves more like a regular health insurance policy. With Travel Major Medical, you will likely be able to get all of the benefits of a travel medical plan, along with coverage for non-emergency medical care such as prescription refills and some preventive care. Also, while travel medical plans typically work on a reimbursement model – meaning that you pay out-of-pocket for any emergency medical expenses, and are reimbursed by the travel insurance company after filing a successful claim – Major Medical often works on a co-pay system, much like traditional health insurance, and may come with a deductible. There is also an application and underwriting process required to purchase Travel Major Medical products, which differs from purchasing a regular travel medical insurance policy. However, a significant benefit of Travel Major Medical policies is that they may extend your benefits even after you return home, depending on the terms of your specific plan. That benefit means that you can seek well visits, preventive screenings such as mammograms, prenatal care, hospital stays, and prescriptions for a limited time after coming home, which can be an important benefit for people who have been out of the country for a long period of time and may need to make new arrangements for at-home health insurance.
There are many considerations when planning a long-term trip. If you’re looking into extended travel insurance, be sure to also ask questions about evacuation services, Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage, and what the terms of your policy may allow for short visits home during your scheduled trip. It may be helpful to refer to this list of questions you may need to ask when discussing travel insurance options with a provider.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article serves as a general overview of benefits and should only be used for informational purposes. Refer to your individual certificate of insurance for specific coverages, exclusions and benefits. When in doubt, please contact one of our licensed agents for additional assistance.
Travel Medical Policies Come in Two Types: Single-Trip & Multi-Trip
Single-Trip Travel Insurance
A single trip is when you are leaving home, traveling for a time, then returning home. It doesn’t matter if you will be going to multiple countries. This is still considered to be a single trip, as you will be leaving home and returning home only once.
Multi-Trip Travel Insurance
Multi-trip coverage is purchased on an annual basis. These policies cover you for the period of one calendar year beginning on the effective date you enter when getting a quote or purchasing coverage. They provide protection when you leave home and return home multiple times over the course of the year.
There are a few things to consider:
Multi-trips will always have a limit on length of travel for coverage. So no matter how many trips you may take over the course of the year, none can be longer than that number of days or the coverage will end and any further travel will not be covered by the multi-trip policy until you have returned home and left again. The amount of time covered will range from 30-75 days depending on the company.
All multi-trip policies require that you have primary health insurance in place in the U.S. If you do not have health insurance they will not cover you.
The multi-trip policies available at InsureMyTrip are designed to cover only medical emergency and emergency medical evacuation. Accidental death coverage can also be purchased on a multi-trip basis, but that’s an elected option offered on most of the accidental death policies. There is no coverage provided for trip cancellation or delay of travel. Certain medical multi-trip policies will cover baggage loss, but only for a small amount and only for checked baggage.
Insuring Multiple Trips
Frequent travelers may want to consider looking into travel insurance that is designed to cover multiple trips on a single policy, rather than insuring each trip separately. More often than not, there is a financial benefit to buying a multi-trip insurance plan, and that cost savings can be significant for those who take several trips within the course of a year.
A multi-trip insurance plan is different from one that covers multiple destinations. “Multi-trip” means that you are intending to depart from your primary residence for a trip, then return at some point, where you’ll stay for some length of time before departing again, and repeat that cycle more than once in a year’s time. A single trip, with multiple destinations (i.e., from home to Paris, then London, then Madrid, then back home at the conclusion of your tour) can be covered by a traditional travel insurance comprehensive plan.
Multi-trip plans are available for purchase on an annual basis only and cover a wide range of options. You can purchase a multi-trip travel medical plan, which provides benefits for emergency medical care and evacuation to an appropriate treatment facility on each of your trips. Multi-trip evacuation only plans, which will allow you to receive coverage for emergency medical evacuation, are also an excellent option. Comprehensive plans, which provide benefits for trip cancellation, trip interruption and travel delay, are unfortunately not available as multi-trip plans.
As with any travel insurance plan, there will be limitations, exclusions and variations between plans and providers of multi-trip insurance. Thoroughly research your options and be sure that the multi-trip plan you are considering purchasing is the right one for your specific needs.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article serves as a general overview of benefits and should only be used for informational purposes. Refer to your individual certificate of insurance for specific coverages, exclusions and benefits. When in doubt, please contact one of our licensed agents for additional assistance.
The number one concern of summer travelers researching travel insurance is how their trip will be affected by hurricanes or other severe weather events. When traveling during the Atlantic hurricane season, June 1st to November 30th, you must plan for unexpected weather patterns.
If you read nothing else in this article, although all of it is important and we highly recommend you keep reading, know this: purchasing your travel insurance plan prior to a storm being named should provide you coverage for travel concerns that arise due to that storm. If a hurricane or tropical storm that affects your trip is predicted before you purchase a plan, your coverage may be extremely limited.
Hurricane Travel Insurance: How to Decide If it’s Important
You are probably thinking to yourself, “Sure, bad weather affects travel plans. But do I really need to invest in a travel insurance plan?” While we can’t answer that question for you, we can set you up with the right tools. We recommend purchasing a comprehensive travel insurance plan if you can answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions:
Are you planning to travel between June 1st and November 30th?
The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1st to November 30th each year. If you are traveling at all during these days (even just returning from a trip in early June), we highly recommend you purchase a plan. Travel insurance can help with things like reimbursement for additional expenses, up to the policy limit, for an extended stay due to grounded flights, or offer compensation for an interrupted trip due to damage of your primary residence.
Are you traveling to, through, or from any destination on the East Coast of the United States, or along the Atlantic Coastline?
The East Coast of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico are the prime areas for hurricanes. The most impactful hurricanes in the last decade have hit the mid-Atlantic region of the United States East Coast, and the Texas, Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana coastlines.
Do you live anywhere on the East Coast of the U.S. or in the Atlantic Hurricane Zone?
If you live in an area where hurricanes are known for tormenting, travel insurance can help you out – even if you are leaving the area entirely. If you are on a trip away from home when a hurricane hits and your primary residence is made uninhabitable, your plan may provide trip interruption coverage which may help to defray the cost of returning home and provide reimbursement for unused pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs.
Hurricane season is six months out of the calendar year. That’s a large window of time that Mother Nature can wreak havoc on the travel industry. Depending on the travel investment you are making, you should consider purchasing a travel insurance plan if you answered yes to any of these questions. But how can a travel insurance plan cover you if a tropical storm should occur?
Travel Insurance Coverage For Hurricanes
Let’s go back to that fun fact we shared at the start of the article: purchasing your plan prior to a storm being named should provide you coverage for travel concerns that arise due to that storm.
It may seem like a small detail, but it will make or break the coverage available to you. If you wait to purchase a travel insurance plan until The Weather Channel is already warning the world about the latest hurricane on it’s way to the Caribbean Islands, you’re too late. However, if you purchased your travel insurance plan in a timely manner, you should expect a full suite of coverage as listed on your plan. Here are some reasons you may want to use your travel insurance coverage:
Airline or Cruise Line Cancels or Delays the Trip Due to Weather
If your airline or cruise line cancels or delays your scheduled departure due to bad weather, you may be eligible for the trip cancellation, travel delay or trip interruption coverage on your plan. This can help to reimburse you for the unexpected, added expenses for being held in transit longer than expected. Depending on the plan, you may even be eligible for inconvenience benefits if there is a change to your itinerary.
Your Destination is Under a Hurricane Warning
Some travel insurance plans will have coverage that becomes eligible for reimbursement when a destination is under an NOAA-issued Hurricane warning or alert.* It’s important to know how detailed your travel insurance plan is in regards to specific hurricane warnings and coverage eligibility.
Accommodation Cancels a Reservation because of Storm Damage at Destination
If a storm hits hard before your arrival date, a hotel, resort, or vacation rental may cancel your reservation because it’s devastated and made uninhabitable by a storm. Travel insurance plans typically provide coverage for this. Reimbursement for this can help if the accommodation you selected does not provide a full refund for your pre-paid reservation.
You Must Cancel or Interrupt because Your Home was Made Uninhabitable by a Natural Disaster
The right travel insurance plan doesn’t just protect you in case something should damage or destroy your destination – but also your home. If you cannot travel because you need to tend to damage done to your primary home, you may be eligible for reimbursement due to cancellation or interruption of your trip.
Going Home Early because Your Destination has Become Uninhabitable while You are There
It could be a scary situation to be on vacation when a dangerous storm rolls through. A travel insurance plan could provide coverage for trip interruption (going home early) because your accommodations have become uninhabitable during the storm. You might also want to look for a plan that will help cover some of the cost for a mandatory evacuation should a storm strike while you are already at your destination.
These are a handful of reasons travelers have found travel insurance to be helpful in recouping lost travel expenses. If you are traveling and think you may be able to be reimbursed for unexpected expenses due to bad weather changing your travel plans, keep your receipts and document everything. Call your travel insurance company and any travel suppliers that may be affected by the change as soon as possible. All of this will help minimize potential slowdowns during a claims process.
NOAA Hurricane Warnings & Alerts: How They Affect Your Travel Insurance Coverage
The National Hurricane Center (NOAA) periodically issues advisories and warnings for hurricanes around the world. Some travel insurance plans will provide specific coverage if the NOAA issues a hurricane warning for your destination, while other travel insurance plans have general coverage for severe weather that affects a trip.
Finding the Right Plan
If you are particularly concerned about a hurricane causing havoc on your planned trip, you should consider a plan that has coverage for NOAA warnings. This could maximize your trip cancellation coverage, and provide reimbursement of your pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs. This may be an added benefit because many hotels, resorts, and tour operators may not provide compensation unless the storm prohibits them from providing service. A plan with NOAA warnings as a listed covered reason would allow you to stay safe without risk of losing pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs. Every plan will have different requirements that must be met for this coverage to be available.
A typical comprehensive travel insurance plan will not provide specific coverage for NOAA warnings. Generally, however, travel insurance plans provide coverage for trip cancellation, interruption, and delays for bad weather patterns that disrupt travel plans.
InsureMyTrip is a Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador™
As a dedicated NOAA partner, InsureMyTrip is committed to improving travelers’ readiness and responsiveness against extreme weather. The Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA, to strengthen partnerships with external organizations toward building community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and water events.
InsureMyTrip is here help travelers stay informed and be better prepared when traveling during Hurricane Season. We have launched a travel podcast Tips & Trips on the first season, we’re cover Hurricane season and its impact on your travel plans. Travelers who are concerned about finding the right plan with coverage for NOAA warnings are also encouraged to contact our award-winning customer care team for assistance getting the best plan for their unique needs and trip.
Hurricane Alley: Where Hurricanes Are Most Possible
According to Wikipedia, Hurricane Alley is the area of the Atlantic Ocean stretching from northern Africa to the Gulf Coast of Central America and the Southern United States. Scientists believe that the water in this area of the ocean is gradually warming, thus leading to more frequent hurricanes. Some of the most popular travel destinations for InsureMyTrip travelers are located in Hurricane Alley. Most Caribbean islands are often plagued with hurricanes and this can affect resort vacations as well as cruise itineraries.
Any destination on the East Coast of Central America (like Cancun, Mexico or Costa Rica) or on the southern coast of the United States (like New Orleans, Louisiana or Panama City, Florida) are vulnerable to hurricane level weather patterns. Not only are these popular travel destinations, but these coasts are hubs for domestic and international airline connections. Even if your final destination is not at risk for a hurricane, the city you are stopping at for a connecting flight may be at risk for severe weather. Keep an eye on the weather once a tropical depression has been announced as these may quickly build speed and become a tropical storm or hurricane that can threaten to delay or derail your travel plans.
Tips for Traveling During Hurricane Season
All this said: don’t let the fear of hurricanes change your dreams of seeing the white sands of the Caribbean or scare you away from the experience of a Jazz festival in New Orleans! With a few adjustments to your travel routine, you can adequately prepare yourself for the possibility of a hurricane affecting your trip.
Plan Ahead
You’ve booked your trip, told everyone how excited you are, officially put it on your calendar and then realized it falls during the months of peak hurricane activity. Invest in travel insurance now. You may have more options with any available time-sensitive benefits and can protect yourself from unforeseen storms. Read reviews from fellow travelers and compare plans all in one place to make it easier to find the best coverage to meet your personal coverage needs.
Understand the Unforeseen
A plan will only cover unforeseen events. In loose terms, if the storm has been predicted (and named) by weather experts, you will not be covered by a new plan. If you already had an existing plan in place before the tropical depression showed on radar, you should have protection. All plans are different, so be sure to read how your plan explains unforeseen events and coverage due to inclement weather.
Know How Your Travel Suppliers Will React
If you are traveling to a destination located in a hurricane region, this most likely won’t be their first rodeo. They are experts in severe weather. Call your airline, cruise line and/or resort to understand how they will react to hurricanes. Then talk to us about what this means for possible coverage options you may want to consider.
Bring Your Important Plan Information
We recommend that you bring your entire plan document with you on your trip. This way you’ll be able to reference how your plan can help you in any situation. If you opt not to, you definitely need to bring the confirmation number and policy number from the insurance company as well as their claims/emergency assistance contact information. If you do stumble upon a need for your plan, you’ll need to reference that basic information when calling the company.
Don’t Stress Out
We know it can be scary or disappointing to be faced with a hurricane before or during your trip, but the reason you have travel insurance is so you can travel confidently. If a hurricane does affect your trip; remember, you have travel insurance to help protect the cost of your trip or to get you home. Call the insurance company to find out next steps for your situation. And if you need any assistance with the claims process, our Anytime Advocates are here to help.
Which Plan Has The Best Hurricane Coverage For Your Trip?
Many plans on our site offer specific coverage should a hurricane affect your travel plans. Keep in mind, the coverage listed may vary by state residence. Be sure to review the plan details carefully before purchasing, or speak with a licensed agent to ensure the plan has the coverage you want.
Hurricanes and Limitation of Airline Cancellation Policies
Flight cancellation policies vary by airline and circumstance. When an airline cancels a flight due to bad weather, most will try to rebook passengers on the next available flight. Airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight due to weather. Travelers concerned about protecting pre-paid, non-refundable trip expenses should buy travel insurance.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article serves as a general overview of benefits and should only be used for informational purposes. Refer to your individual certificate of insurance for specific coverages, exclusions and benefits. When in doubt, please contact one of our licensed agents for additional assistance.
Travelers take risks when they book trips during stormy seasons. Winter storms can shut down airports, train stations and even whole cities; high wind gusts can cause flight delays; and hurricanes come with their own set of complications for travel.
What can you do as a traveler to make sure you are protected in the event that Mother Nature doesn’t comply with your plans? Purchase travel insurance, of course. The right plan can provide many important benefits to get you back on track and help with many additional expenses.
Flight Delay Due to Weather
In the case of a standard weather-related delay, travel insurance can offer coverage, up to the stated amount, that reimburse for the costs incurred. If the delay lasts six hours or more (depending on the plan details), reimbursement for incidental necessities, like food and temporary lodging, may be available. On the very rare occasion, some plans may pay for these arrangements up-front, eliminating the need to file a claim for reimbursement.
Don’t worry if you are feeling overwhelmed with impromptu arrangements. Most travel insurance companies have assistance services that can help make arrangements for alternative lodging and transportation as needed; such as getting a seat on another flight, changing a rental car reservation or getting a room at a nearby hotel. Some plans may even assist in catching up to a cruise ship that has already left port.
Trip Cancellation Due to Weather
Unfortunately, weather does cause trip cancellations, especially during hurricane season or the winter. If a severe storm wreaks havoc on your travel plans, you’ll be extremely glad you invested in a plan that includes trip cancellation insurance.
In the case that a storm has caused your destination to become uninhabitable – meaning your accommodation is no longer available for you to stay due to damage from the storm, your comprehensive plan may cover trip cancellation up to 100% of your insured trip cost.
The same may be said if damage occurs at your primary place of residence, prior to departing and after you purchased a travel insurance plan. Many comprehensive travel insurance plans will offer trip cancellation benefits if your home is damaged badly enough that you must change your plans to deal with repairs.
Caveat to Coverage
Neither travel delay nor trip cancellation benefits would be available if the coverage is needed for a “known peril”. This is a fancy insurance term for a weather event that was predicted prior to you purchasing your travel insurance plan. If you purchase a plan after the storm has been predicted or, in some cases, after a tropical storm or hurricane is named, you could be denied benefits if you file a claim citing the storm as the reason for coverage.
Bottom line? Don’t hesitate to purchase a plan – especially if you are traveling during a time where weather could be a factor. Hurricane season in the Atlantic stretches from June 1st to November 30th and, of course, the winter months can always be a concern.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article serves as a general overview of benefits and should only be used for informational purposes. Refer to your individual certificate of insurance for specific coverages, exclusions and benefits. When in doubt, please contact one of our licensed agents for additional assistance.
Business travelers typically have somewhat different concerns than the average vacationer. Business travel insurance can help fill in the gaps and quell the worries of corporate employees. While many people taking pleasure trips worry somewhat about delayed or cancelled flights and missed connections as well as the financial burdens and inconveniences that can often result from these disruptions, most business travelers can be confident that their employers will take care of the financial aspect of a cancellation or lengthy delay. Corporate travelers’ needs, therefore, are more specific than those of the average traveler, and a typical comprehensive policy – the most common form of travel insurance for vacation travelers – may not quite address what enterprise business travelers are looking for.
Medical Coverage for International Business Trips
When traveling overseas for business, medical care is likely a top concern. Business travelers should always check with their employers to find out what the workplace healthcare plan offers in terms of benefits while abroad. Some medical insurance plans cover emergency care outside your home country, but some don’t; among those that do, they may only cover a portion of the costs. However, a travel medical insurance plan can augment your existing healthcare plan to offer complete coverage in the case of an emergency during your business trip. Travel medical may also offer some benefits for emergency evacuation in the event that you need to be transported to a facility that can adequately care for you. Medical Evacuation plans are also available to be purchased separately, and may be a good option for business travelers whose workplace healthcare policies will cover emergency medical care but may not offer benefits for evacuation to hospitals of excellence for adequate care.
Corporate Equipment Loss & Damage Coverage
In addition to medical emergencies while abroad, many business travelers are concerned about the loss or damage of their property. Since business travel almost universally requires traveling with expensive equipment such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones, it’s important to research business travel insurance options that will cover baggage loss or property damage. Be sure to pay close attention to the limits set within the policies, however; many won’t reimburse you for more than $250, which is of course not enough to replace or repair expensive business or enterprise-grade equipment. If you’re unable to find a traditional travel insurance plan with a higher limit, look into specialized corporate and business travel insurance products. These types of plans and coverages are typically harder to find, but the extra effort may be worth it because they usually offer much higher limits for baggage loss and damage with your expensive equipment in mind.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article serves as a general overview of benefits and should only be used for informational purposes. Refer to your individual certificate of insurance for specific coverages, exclusions and benefits. When in doubt, please contact one of our licensed agents for additional assistance.
As a dedicated NOAA partner, InsureMyTrip is committed to improving travelers’ readiness and responsiveness against extreme weather. The Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA, to strengthen partnerships with external organizations toward building community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and water events.
