Last summer I took a RS trip and 14 people had to drop out due to testing positive for Covid or being part of a traveling partner or family with a positive family member. Only 9 of us made it to Paris. This fall, I am traveling on RS again for a sister's trip. With all the changes to trip insurance and Covid, what kind of policy should I buy if I don't test positive for Covid, but a sister does? Will trip interruption cover expenses if I am never sick, but following RS policies for Covid? I don't want to buy a policy, but find I don't have any coverage because I was never the sick one. And of course, it could work in reverse, I could be the sick one, but my sister's all remain healthy. If you have experienced this recently or know of any reputable trip insurance carriers, please mention them in your reply.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6501 posts
You might want to look at a couple of good websites that help you shop for travel insurance, insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com. They also provide background information you will need to shop effectively for this complex product. Based on what you wrote, you may want to look carefully for provisions that cover losses due to a travel partner's illness. The policy may specify what kind of relative or partner this includes -- a sibling in your case.
All the companies those websites cover are "reputable" in the sense that they are licensed to sell travel insurance in your state and regulated by your state's insurance commissioner or a similar office.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8374 posts
First of all, make sure that you understand RS tours policy. You would not be required to leave the tour unless you test positive for Covid. You may opt to leave the tour if you are negative and your travel company is positive, but it is not required.
Next, you are going to have to do the tedious work of researching travel insurance coverage by actually reading the coverage for the policy you are considering buying. That is the only accurate way to know what is covered.
Posted by
Southern California
377 posts
All the travel insurance policies we've had in the past 5 or 6 years have covered trip cancellation or interruption if your travel partner becomes ill. However lately some policies I've read through have exclusions for Covid in certain cases (as I recall they mainly exclude you cancelling the trip because you're afraid of getting Covid). Since both my husband and I have elderly parents, we have been buying Cancel for Any Reason coverage, which covers 50-75% of your non-reimbursable costs no matter why you cancel your trip, so we are at least partially covered in any case.
Posted by
Winter Park, Florida
229 posts
In addition to exploring trip insurance, I would strongly suggest that you develop alternate travel plans in the event you or your travel companion are removed from the RS tour due to a positive Covid test. I am not aware of any current government requirements to quarantine, so unless you are seriously ill you may want to proceed with independent travel. That is my plan for the RS tours I am taking this year.