Travel Insurance

We highly recommend that our clients purchase travel insurance.  For most cruise lines the deposit you use to hold your cruise is refundable IF you cancel prior to the final payment date.  There ARE exceptions to this rule.  With many cruise lines and with most tour companies a portion or all of your deposit is non-refundable. 

Once you make your final payment a portion of the amount you pay for your vacation is non-refundable.  The closer you get to your trip departure date, the higher the non-refundable portion.  In most cases 100% of the amount you paid is eventually non-refundable. 

Travel insurance helps you recover these losses IF you cancel for a covered reason.  It does not cover you for all cancellation reasons.  You can add additional coverages with some companies to cancel for work or for any reason...HOWEVER with most of these add-on coverages you must purchase your policy within a few days of your initial deposit.  We suggest that you read the coverage explanations when you go on line below for a quote or purchase.  

You can purchase travel insurance with us through 1)  the vendors we use or 2) through independent insurance companies.  Many of our clients want to purchase their insurance using the cruise line or tour company policies.  In some cases this is a good way to go.  However, in the unlikely, but possible event, of a company financial default, any losses would not be covered.  Through the independent insurance companies we use, financial default is covered on certain policies only.  Here are the two insurance companies we use.  Through these links you can get a quote and/or purchase your insurance policy.  If you use these links directly from our website, we will automatically be notified of your purchase and will add the information to our records.

Click on the logo to the left to get a quote or purchase travel insurance through Travel Guard.  We ask that you use this link rather than going to the Travel Guard site as we automatically get a notice of your policy purchase using the link.  We recommend Travel Guard...especially if you have a pre-existing condition.  To have your pre-existing condition covered without any additional charge you MUST purchase your insurance through Travel Guard within about 10 days of the date you make your initial deposit.  We recommend the Protect Assist product or higher. 

We also use Allianz as an alternative insurance company.  We find that many of our clients want a choice and would like to compare the costs and coverages of more than one insurance company.  Click on the logo to get a quote or purchase insurance through Allianz. 

Making the Case for Travel Insurance (A True Story)  If you are one of those who says, “it won’t happen to me”, we recommend that you read the following article.  It is a true story.  It is about a travel agency that planned a very detailed trip for their clients.  All of the details of the trip went like clockwork.  Every bus showed up.  The weather was beautiful.  The hotels met or exceeded the guests’ expectations.  The tour guides on the excursions were excellent.  The service on the ship was better than most had experienced prior. The agency had 40 clients booked on a 10-night cruise aboard a luxury cruise line.  Some in the group participated in optional pre and post-cruise trips in or nearby the ports of embarkation and debarkation.   The trip costs were approximately $10,000 per couple, depending on the type of cabin and the level of participation in optional activities.

All of the following things happened on this one trip with 40 people.  All would have been covered by travel insurance. 

• One couple arrived in Europe a few days earlier than the rest of the group.  While getting off the aircraft in Paris, the wife fell and broke her ankle.  Luckily they had trip cancellation insurance to cover her medical costs while in Europe.  They decided to continue with the trip…she in a wheelchair.  (If they had opted to return home to the states, the cost of their trip would have been reimbursed.)
• The day before the rest of the group left the states, one woman had a mini-stroke.  Obviously her doctor told her that the couple must not go on the trip.  They did not purchase travel insurance and lost over $11,000.  Cruise lines and tour companies do not give a refund for any reason.
• While on their way to Europe, three couples missed their connection to Milan because of a flight delay from their home airport.  With it being the summer season, there were no flights available until the next day.  All three couples missed their two-day pre-cruise trip which had been pre-paid.  They also had to pay for additional transfers and lodging expenses as a result of their missed flights.  One of the three couples had insurance and was reimbursed for the pre-cruise trip expenses.  The other four got to the ship in time for their cruise, but lost everything they had paid in advance for the pre-cruise trip. 
  
• The airline lost the luggage for another person in the group.  His luggage arrived on day 12 of his 14-day trip.  Any expenses for new clothes were made at his own expense as he did not have travel insurance.  Had he purchased insurance, he would have had a daily reimbursement for new clothes and most companies would have also assisted in tracking down the missing luggage.
• Four of the people in the group hired a taxi in one of the ports.  They were in a rear-end collision in their taxi.  None had travel insurance to cover the cost of their injuries.
• While on board, one woman in the group had a painful kidney stone…she had to visit the ship’s doctor and a doctor in one of the ports overseas.  She also missed some of the shore excursions for which she had pre-paid.  Without the insurance none of the medical expenses or missed excursion expenses were covered or reimbursed. 
  
  

We, as your travel agency, very strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance.  While we cannot insist that you purchase it, we want you to know that stories like this are real and they do happen…even to those who are prepared and very healthy.   Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the importance of insurance.  Should you wish to purchase insurance...or start by getting a quote please click on either of the logos shown on this page.