Traveling will always be a wonderful, memorable experience. Whether you’re in your 20s raring to go on your first backpacking trip, or a family man who wants to take his kids on holiday, or a senior wanting to make the most out of life.
When you make travel plans, you usually include all airline and hotel bookings, what you will bring, and your itinerary. There are still people who don’t include getting travel insurance as part of their travel plans. However, more and more travelers are increasingly aware of its importance. Travelers are becoming more aware of the need to secure their travel against contingencies, whether medically-related or not.
Travel insurance
No one wants to think about bad things that could happen on a trip, but it is important to be ready. Comprehensive travel insurance provides coverage for medical emergencies, expatriation, and lost luggage. However, one of the most common travel insurance claims is the trip cancellation cover. Travel cancellation insurance is standard coverage in most policies. This coverage provides peace of mind, especially if you have booked a trip well in advance.
Will your insurance cover a cancelled trip due to a weather condition?
The short answer is yes. Travel cancellation insurance will cover expenses that you can’t recover from an airline or hotel booking due to inclement weather. Better policies will pay if any type of weather problem causes your trip to be cancelled or delayed. Weather-related disasters include losses caused by volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
You need to carefully read your policy, though. Some policies will only pay if the delay has already lasted at least 24 hours. The insurance company will reimburse expenses if the disruptive weather event is unforeseen at the time the insurance is purchased. As a general rule, insurance must be purchased 24 hours before the hurricane or typhoon is named.
Other policies also include this provision: if your resort or hotel is damaged in a storm before your departure, your non-refundable costs will be reimbursed. The same goes for a delayed trip because the airport is closed due to a weather event.
Weather-related incidents
For weather-related incidents, the insurance will also recover your pre-paid trip expenses in the following conditions:
- The holiday is interrupted due to mandatory evacuations.
- The trip is cancelled because the roads are washed out.
- Medical treatment is needed for an injury that resulted from severe weather.
- You need to wait out the weather in a hotel until the airline can reschedule flights.
- You miss a travel connection and you need to catch up to your cruise.
If your trip is cancelled, travel cancellation insurance provides financial protection for travel/accommodation expenses that you have paid. One of the valid reasons for providing this type of coverage is in the event of unforeseen severe weather.
