A recent news article: Woman Surprised By Limitations In Trip Cancellation Insurance, highlights the importance of understanding the trip cancellation details of your travel insurance policy. In the article, a woman requested a reschedule for a family vacation to Florida only to be forced to reschedule again because of her unexpected cancer treatments.

Travel insurance plans typically view rescheduling as a cancellation to the original travel and most plans only cover one cancellation per policy.

Initially, when she filed the claim, the travel insurance provider refused to reschedule the second time because the travel protection she had purchased covered only one cancellation, but later waived the fees and rescheduled for their client.

While this story has a happy ending, the client’s initial surprise could have been avoided by understanding exactly what coverage their travel insurance company is providing.

Use the free review period wisely
Most plans offer a free 10- to 15-day review period with their policies, so you have time to read through the policy certificate and information to understand your travel insurance plan.

Review covered reasons for trip cancellation
The reasons for pre-trip cancellations vary from plan to plan, but most plans cover trip cancellations due to illness as long as it’s not a pre-existing condition. It’s important to note that if an even isn’t specifically listed as a covered reason, then it’s not covered.

Filing a trip cancellation claim
For pre-trip cancellations due to an illness, the travel insurance company is going to want a little proof. So, you’ll need to see a doctor and obtain written documentation that you are too ill for travel. The key is to prove to the travel insurance provider that you are canceling for a covered reason.

A recent travel insurance news article about a couple who planned an Alaskan cruise and purchased trip insurance protection highlights the need for those who purchase travel insurance to obtain their policy certificate and use the free look period to understand the rules to follow.

The article describes how Peggy and Clifford Williams were forced to cancel their cruise because Peggy was stricken with a bout of vertigo, a condition that strikes without warning and leaves her dizzy and severely nauseous. Peggy was familiar with what to do to counteract the effects of vertigo, so she took her medication and stayed in bed.

Why the Trip Cancellation Claim was Rejected
Knowing that Peggy was not up to a cruise, the Williams’ cancelled their trip. Their claim was initially rejected because Peggy hadn’t seen a doctor immediately and the travel insurance company was unable to verify treatment for any illness. To be fair, the insurance company has to protect their investment as well, and the policy indicated that sicknesses must be verified by a physician before the insured terminates the trip.

The policy’s language was very clear, however, Peggy was able to go to the doctor, prove that she missed work the day of the cancellation, and verify her condition in writing with the travel insurance company who later reviewed their decision and paid the couple’s claim.

What you can do to Avoid Trip Cancellation Confusion
To avoid this situation, you can use the free review period to understand the covered and not covered reasons for trip cancellation. Every policy varies slightly, but if the reason isn’t specifically listed in the policy as a covered reason, then you can be sure it’s not covered. You can research the plans that provide trip cancellation coverage and the reasons they cover cancellations.

The key to this story is that the couple should have known that they couldn’t cancel their trip without first having Peggy visit a doctor. It was clearly stated in the policy and the couple was lucky the travel insurance provider decided to honor their claim.

How are official travel alerts and travel warnings from the US Department of State covered? If one is issued for my destination, can I cancel the trip and be covered?

Generally, travel alerts and warnings are not a listed covered reason under Travel Guard plans, but this could be coverable depending on the plan you’ve purchased. Please refer to your plan’s Description of Coverage to see it this is listed as a covered reason.

Travel Guard is the nation’s leading provider of travel insurance, assistance, and service plans, covering more than 6 million travelers worldwide each year. Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard are distributed by more than 12,000 travel agents across the United States.

Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard may include coverage for trip cancellation, travel interruptions and delays, emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation expenses, and lost or delayed baggage. Most plans also include 24-hour travel assistance services* for emergency medical assistance, last-minute or emergency travel changes, lost luggage tracking, pre-trip travel advice, and more.

What is the difference between primary and secondary medical coverage? Why does it matter?

Primary coverage means that the insurer will pay first, regardless of what other insurance you may have. Secondary coverage provides reimbursement only after coverage from other insurance has been exhausted. If you do not already have existing insurance coverage, secondary coverage would become primary.

Travel Guard is the nation’s leading provider of travel insurance, assistance, and service plans, covering more than 6 million travelers worldwide each year. Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard are distributed by more than 12,000 travel agents across the United States.

Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard may include coverage for trip cancellation, travel interruptions and delays, emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation expenses, and lost or delayed baggage. Most plans also include 24-hour travel assistance services* for emergency medical assistance, last-minute or emergency travel changes, lost luggage tracking, pre-trip travel advice, and more.

Skiing trips have several risks:

Cancellation costs
Trips can get canceled for a number of reasons, and travel insurance with trip cancellation coverage can help reimburse your pre-paid, non-refundable costs if you need to cancel for a covered reason. For example: you, your wife, your kids, or even your parents could get sick a week before the trip. The doctor says they cannot travel and need to stay home. This is a covered reason under trip cancellation insurance, and you would be able to recoup pre-paid expenses such as hotel, rental car, airfare, and even lift tickets.

Lost or delayed baggage
Travel insurance also provides coverage for lost, stolen, damaged, or delayed baggage. This can provide coverage if your ski equipment is lost forever, but it can also help if the bags are just delayed the first day of your trip. You will need to rent some skis and buy a pair of gloves, hat and goggles. Baggage delay coverage reimburses a daily amount for necessary expenses while you wait for delayed baggage to arrive.

Medical costs
Skiing can also be dangerous. If you are skiing in your home country where your health insurance covers you, medical costs are not as much of a concern. However, traveling abroad to ski add a new element if your health insurance from home stays behind. Many plans do not cover you when you leave your home country, and you would be stuck with high medical bills if an accident occured.

Regardless of foreign or domestic ski trips, an emergency evacuation would be a huge expense to be burdened with. Many helicopter evacuations can cost tens of thousands of dollars, if not over $100,000. Travel insurance with emergency medical and evacuation coverage provides financial protection against these costs.

It is important to note that medical coverage covers “regular skiing”. as opposed to heli-skiing, extreme skiing, or skiing outside marked areas. This is an important distinction and should be noted if you are purchasing travel insurance with the medical coverage in mind.

Some countries are known for their universal health care programs where anyone can walk in and get care. Why should I buy insurance for travel medical if I can just do this?

In many countries, you may not have any coverage at all, even if you already have existing health insurance. Even if you are covered for basic emergency care, you may not have coverage for evacuation back to the US. Should the unthinkable happen, a travel insurance plan through Travel Guard can cover you for medical and evacuation expenses back to the United States. In addition, most travel insurance plans through Travel Guard include 24/7 access to multi-lingual emergency medical counselors who are able to coordinate almost any medical emergency including arranging for a medical escort home, air ambulance, arranging medical payments and more.

Travel Guard is the nation’s leading provider of travel insurance, assistance, and service plans, covering more than 6 million travelers worldwide each year. Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard are distributed by more than 12,000 travel agents across the United States.

Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard may include coverage for trip cancellation, travel interruptions and delays, emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation expenses, and lost or delayed baggage. Most plans also include 24-hour travel assistance services* for emergency medical assistance, last-minute or emergency travel changes, lost luggage tracking, pre-trip travel advice, and more.

Things do not always turn out as planned during a vacation, and you may find yourself in an emergency. When such a situation arises, you will not only experience inconvenience and distress; you may also suffer from certain financial losses, which can come in the form of loss of travel investment, medical fees, or others. One effective way to protect you from these losses is to obtain a travel insurance plan.

Travel insurance only costs approximately 5% to 10% of your total travel investment, and it is definitely worth purchasing. Although it may not come to any use in the end, it can give you complete peace of mind from the beginning to the end of your vacation. If you buy a standard travel insurance policy, you may be covered for medical expenses, travel cancellation or curtailment, emergency medical rescue, and loss and damage of baggage. Certain travel policies offer more extensive coverage, which may include loss of cash and personal possessions, personal liability, travel company default, and medical reunion. If you need special coverage options, you can pay a little extra to add them to your travel plan. You can also request for a higher limit of compensation for any coverage. For instance, if you are going to keep expensive items in your luggage and the original maximum compensation amount is lower than the total value of the items, you can ask for better coverage for loss of baggage.

In the event that an emergency occurs while you are traveling, and you experience a certain financial loss that is covered by your travel insurance policy, you should file a claim with your insurance company as soon as possible. You do not have to wait until you return home to file a claim. If your insurance provider has an online claims form, you can just complete the form and submit it. If you cannot make a claim online, you should give a call to your insurance company, and it will send you claims form by email or regular mail. You have to submit information and documents such as the name of the tour company, the name of the policyholder, reimbursement form, proof of reason, proof of travel and insurance payment, type and amount of loss, and claims number. Different insurance companies have different regulations for filing claims, but normally, you will have up to 90 days to file a claim after a covered financial loss has occurred.