Every day, millions of people around the world travel to one destination or another. They may travel for various reasons but generally, travelers fall into two main categories, leisure and business. For leisure travelers, the opportunity to go on a vacation in another country may be a dream come true; a chance to explore a new country and culture and to detach from the stresses of daily life. Business travelers may travel abroad to expand their business, delve into new markets, or to meet with a client. No matter the reason for traveling, it is essential to get travel insurance.
For people who have never had a negative travel experience, like loss of luggage, loss of personal property, trip cancellation, illnesses or accidents, they may not clearly understand why travel insurance is so important and how it can benefit the traveler. Unanticipated accidents and complications can happen to anyone, it is important to have a plan of action in an emergency; travel insurance can help. There have been instances where travelers have been stranded in an airport due to sudden national emergency or natural disasters. Sometimes, travelers are able to cancel their trips when they come across travel alerts, but what happens if they are already in the country? Does travel insurance cover people in countries under travel alert?
Natural disasters typically do not fall under the coverage of a general travel insurance policy. Some travel insurance providers offer added coverage options to cover travelers during natural disasters and bad weather. Disasters, such as hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, and other natural disasters may cause areas of travel to be red flagged as a state of high alert or a travel adviser may be issued, which means that travelers are warned not to travel to that location until the alert has been lifted. Within the next few hours, the earthquake happens, causing major damage.
With natural disaster or bad weather coverage added to your travel insurance policy, a traveler will be covered and compensated for losses that result from weather related complications. If you are in a country under travel alert, and you are unable to return home, you should contact your travel agent immediately. There should not be any problems for you to claim some form of compensation from your travel insurer. Some countries have also been placed under travel alerts due to political unrest or other situations, it is important that travelers properly research their destination before purchasing airline tickets or non-refundable accommodations; take all necessary precautions. With travel insurance, you will be able to make claims for your air ticket and other losses in the event of a travel alert.
