Whether you’re traveling for holiday celebrations, or just considering a winter vacation during this peak travel time, careful planning can make a big difference in your travel experience. The volume of travelers, possible winter weather complications, and other unique seasonal disruptions may make travel insurance the right holiday gift for yourself.
Tips for Researching Travel Insurance for a Trip During the Holidays
Evaluate Your Need
You might not need travel insurance. If you’re just planning to head to Grandma’s for a few days, your total non-refundable costs for your trip may be relatively tiny. Take a good look at everything you’d stand to lose if you had to cancel your plans and decide for yourself whether or not travel insurance is a sound investment.
Assess Your Luggage
The holidays are prime time for traveling with items you would hate to lose. Many people carry holiday gifts in their checked baggage. If you’re among them, you may want to consider buying a travel insurance plan that provides coverage for lost items. Keep as much documentation (original receipts and photos of the items) as possible on items you are traveling with and make sure the plan’s baggage coverage limits, both the total and the per-item maximums, match your needs
Watch the Weather
Winter weather conditions can quickly ground flights and delay or outright derail your plans. Even if you don’t think your home or destination are likely to get hit with a blizzard, remember that flights originate from hubs all around the world. A snowstorm in Chicago could easily cause systemic delays and cancellations in Arizona, so you may want to think about getting a travel insurance plan that protects lengthy flight delays or cancellations.
Consider the Kids
The holiday season is also prime season for colds, viruses and all kinds of illnesses. Children are especially prone to the sniffles or worse, so it might be smart to keep a travel insurance plan in your back pocket. A sudden ear infection or stomach bug could rearrange plans or even cancel them all together. (Please note: A licensed, qualified physician must certify that your child is too ill to travel.)
Keep Your Options Open
For some travelers, Cancel for Any Reason coverage is the right solution for traveling during the holiday season. If you’d like some flexibility in your travel plans and want to wait to decide whether you’re taking that cruise with your brother, this type of coverage might be a wise investment. Remember that it’s a time-sensitive benefit – you’ll have to purchase it within 10-30 days of making your initial trip payment – and filing a claim under Cancel for Any Reason typically requires you to cancel your plans and notify all travel suppliers 48-72 hours before your scheduled departure.
