A recent surge of airline strikes and labor strikes has many travelers confused and worried about their travel plans. Thousands of travelers face being stranded or abandoned by their carriers due to work stoppages of all kinds.

So, how does travel insurance help?

Some travel insurance plans provide 100% reimbursement of your pre-paid non refundable travel costs if you are prevented from taking your trip due to an unannounced strike.

Specifically, strike coverage is listed as a covered reason under trip cancellation coverage and trip interruption coverage.

The key is that the strike must be unannounced at the time of the travel insurance purchase; otherwise the strike falls into the category of ‘known’ events and is then not covered.

If you suspect a strike may affect your travel plans and you want the option to cancel for a refund if that occurs, be sure to purchase a travel insurance plan that includes labor strikes as a covered reason. Carefully review the travel insurance documents that are sent to you and call the assistance services line (within the free look period) if you’re not sure you have the right coverage.

Travel insurance providers, just like the providers of all types of insurance (home, auto, life, etc.), want to limit their risk. In the case of travel insurance plans, they list alcohol as a general exclusion. The intention of this exclusion is to ensure that the travel insurance company won’t have to be responsible for losses that occur as a result of intoxication.

This makes sense when you think about it. Automobile insurance companies limit their risk for losses due to reckless driving by increasing the premiums, or even dropping coverage, for drivers with high numbers of moving traffic violations and speeding tickets.

Because the intake of alcohol can blur a person’s ability to make appropriate decisions, the travel insurance provider shouldn’t have to be responsible for reckless behavior. It’s important to remember that all travel insurance providers require documentation for a claim to be processed.

• If you are making a claim on the medical coverage portion of your travel insurance coverage, for example,  and the presence of alcohol is noted in the medical documentation, your claim could be denied.
• If you’re making a claim on the car rental coverage portion of your travel insurance and a police report reveals a positive breathalyzer result, your claim could be denied.

How much can a traveler drink while on vacation? That’s a judgement call. Most travel insurance providers will look at the level of intoxication noted in the documentation provided to support the claim and make their decision based on the legal limits of the jurisdiction.

A recent report regarding a traveler from south Florida highlights the need for evacuation coverage. Zena Friedman and her sister were vacationing in Bali, a trip they saved for for years, when she was run over by a taxi. With major injuries and in need of urgent medical care, doctors indicated she would have to be transported to Malaysia.

Unfortunately, the sisters did not have travel insurance and the cost of transport alone could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. So friends started a Facebook campaign (https://www.facebook.com/helpzenaheal) to collect donations to cover her medical evacuation expenses. Ms. Friedman ultimately underwent surgery in Malaysia before returning to Miami last week on a flight with paramedics who donated their time.

While we’re ecstatic that Ms. Friedman is getting the care she needs and we wish her well on her recovery, her experience is a traveler’s cautionary tale for at least one reason: her treatment would likely have been more timely if she had carried travel insurance.

Emergency evacuation coverage provides for medically necessary evacuations to a medical facility when the insured is injured or so ill as to be unable to travel by commercial means. This coverage also provides for medically equipped flights to return home – even the repatriation of mortal remains should you not survive.

Out of curiosity, we decided to get a travel insurance quote to see what the approximate cost might have been for these sisters.

We used the following details as an example:

• Two travelers, ages 61 & 63
• Travel dates 11/4 – 11/18/2011
• Florida residents
• Destination Indonesia
• No trip cancellation coverage

Off-season travel is popular with budget travelers and those who have less traditional and more flexible schedules, i.e., retirees or couples who are not tied to the traditional school year calendars and it has it’s own set of risks and benefits.

The most popular benefit is reduced prices due to reduced demand, but there are other benefits including less crowds, fewer lines, and a more relaxed local population. Of course, you may also face bad weather: unending rain during the unpopular monsoon season in Asia, ridiculous levels of snowfall and closures in Yellowstone National Park, or 120-degree days in Death Valley, for example.

Savvy travelers looking for off-season bargains can follow these steps:

Step 1: Determine the off season

Determining when an area’s off-season is involves figuring out why a place is popular and then going when the features that make it popular are not in place. For example, travel to warm desert areas like Arizona are popular in the winter when people want to escape colder climates.

A quick call to the local Visitor’s Bureau or the regional Chamber of Commerce will also help you determine if your off-season hunch is right.

Step 2: Adjust your travel expectations

Mild weather makes Europe a popular summer-time destination, but that also means lots of crowds and long lines. If you can adapt to a colder climate by packing the right clothes, and adjust your expectations to include more indoor activities, you can avoid the hassle and expense and enjoy a less frazzled local population.

Review the websites of landmarks, museums, and the like to determine whether their hours change for the off-season. Nothing’s worse than adjusting your expectations and then finding out the museum you counted on is closed for a month of renovations.

Step 3: Be Prepared

Travel to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Hawaii is popular in the early Fall for off-season travelers, but that’s also hurricane season. To prepare for that risk, consider travel insurance with trip cancellation and interruption coverage for hurricanes and at least you’ll get your pre-paid expenses back if the trip doesn’t work out.

If you’re likely to be traveling by car during the off-season, the roads and remote villages will be less populated with tourists, so consider having car rental coverage with roadside assistance services just in case.

Either way, think about the risks unique to your off-season travel pick and be sure you are prepared with travel insurance coverage.

We were recently asked whether travel insurance plans offered the same level of coverage for those working for employers versus the self-employed, so we decided to do some research and find out.

Unfortunately, the answer was not always positive for self-employed workers.

Coverage that relates to work is isolated to the following:

• trip cancellation
• trip interruption

Specifically, some travel insurance plans allow for trip cancellations or trip interruptions due to involuntary termination or layoff. Here’s how travel insurance covers job loss.

The wording we found in for pre-departure trip cancellation benefits in the Travelex Travel Select plan, for example, reads like this:

15. your involuntary termination of employment or layoff and was not under your control. You must have been  continuously employed with the same employer for 1 year prior to the termination or layoff. This provision is not applicable to temporary employment, independent contractors or self-employed persons;

Notice the highlighted text? This plan does not cover pre-departure trip cancellations if you are self-employed. We found similar text in CSA’s Custom Luxe plan:

j.  your involuntary termination of employment or layoff, which occurs more than 15 days after your effective date of coverage and was not under your control. You must have been continuously employed with the same employer for 1 year prior to the termination or layoff. This provision is not applicable to temporary employment, independent contractors or self-employed persons;

Some plans do cover the self-employed

We did find at least two Travel Guard plans, however, that allow for trip cancellations if you’re required to work and self-employed. The description of coverage reads like this:

In the situation of selfemployment, proof of self-employment and a notarized statement confirming that the Insured is unable to travel due to his or her job obligations will be required;

You can find this coverage in the Platinum and Gold Travel Guard plans (and perhaps others).

Self-employed and in doubt?

Not all travel insurance plans allow for trip cancellations or interruptions due to work-related reasons, and not all travel insurance plan certificates include ‘self-employed persons’ in their list of exclusions, so it’s crucial that you check your travel insurance certificate and understand the coverage limits and exclusions.

A call to your plan’s travel assistance services hotline will help you determine whether you – as a self-employed person – have the coverage you expect. Remember to call within the plan’s free-look review period in order to have time to cancel the plan for a refund.

As soon as the airlines added baggage fees to the list of travel expenses, the security lines got longer and airports got crowded with passengers AND their baggage as travelers decided to sidestep the fees and carry their bags instead of checking them.

Of course, this also made it clear to everyone traveling these days: there are those who pack well and those who don’t.

To avoid being that guy or that gal holding up the security or check-in line, all travelers ask that you please learn to properly pack your bags.

Why pack light?

Sure, packing light is a skill, but is it really necessary? Travel experts recommend packing light for a number of reasons, including the fact that traveling light helps you move more quickly, be less tired, and you’ll have a free hand.

No longer can you check any heavy bag and have it hauled by the airline. Packing light also means you pay less when you do decide to check your bag. See this chart for the costs associated with heavy and large bags.

Packing light also means you simply have less baggage, which can be a boon for everyone when you consider the overcrowding of flights these days. With so many people carrying their bags through the airports and train stations and stowing them on board, the light packers are the clear travel winners.

What are some useful packing tips?

We scoured the Internet for useful packing tips and found a slew of recommendations:

1. use your shoes as packing cubes for small items
2. position heavy items closer to the wheels to keep it from toppling
3. double-duty items are essential – a sarong can be used as a scarf, skirt, or airplane blanket
4. never bring more than a week’s worth of clothing – wash it as you go instead
5. don’t pack items your hotel room will have available (soap, shampoo, etc.)
6. save space by packing a jewelry pouch that doubles as an evening bag

Luckily, electronic devices are allowing travelers to maximize the books and entertainment they need on the road as well. Travel guidebooks can go on your e-reader with the book you want on the flight, for example. Your smartphone will incorporate GPS and apps that help you locate places while translating phrases as well.

Where to get more packing help

See the Packing like a Pro video we featured earlier this year.

Also see light-packing help from One Bag for instructions and support.

See the Boots ‘n All guide to packing light.

A quick search with an Internet search engine will reveal a number of tips too.

A recent comment indicated that at least one traveler is confused about whether travel insurance provides trip cancellation coverage for panic attacks, and we decided to dig into the plan certificates to find out.

How panic attacks are defined

The Mayo Clinic defines a panic attack thus:  “A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that develops for no apparent reason and that triggers severe physical reactions.”

The National Institute of Mental Health defines this disorder as: “an anxiety disorder and is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.”

Travel insurance plans and panic attacks

Travel insurance plans specifically exclude coverage for any loss that is caused by or results from mental, nervous, or psychological disorders, and given the definitions above, a panic attack falls within those categories.

Specifically, travel insurance plans include text like the following (from CSA’s Custom Luxe plan):

The following exclusion applies to all coverages:
We will not pay for any loss under the plan, caused by, or resulting from:
2. mental, nervous, or psychological disorders (does not apply to Medical Expense Benefits);

Therefore, while a panic attack is a recognized condition and those who suffer from them deserve careful consideration, panic attacks are not a covered reason for trip cancellation, trip interruptions (going home before your trip has ended), missed connections, and other travel insurance coverages.

The alternative for people with a panic disorder is to have adequate ‘cancel for any reason’ coverage. ‘Cancel for any reason’ will reimburse between 50 and 100% of your pre-paid non refundable trip expenses if you have to cancel your trip for any reason. Be sure to cancel the trip within the usual 48-hour prior-to-departure window.