Travel Insurance and RS Covid Policy - Any Recent Real Life Experiences?

Yes, RS tours prorates the tour costs if the travel companion of a person who tests positive chooses to drop out of the tour with the person who tests positive. This info is found on their website.

If you test positive for Covid, you must follow the protocols of the country you are in. There isn’t an answer that works for all. Some countries such as France and Italy have stricter isolation policies than others such as the UK. You should research the countries on your itinerary.

Once you have fulfilled the isolation requirements of your host country, you are free to move about again as you desire in that country. Some people have chosen to travel on independently and others have chosen to meet CDC recommendations for travel and fly back to the US. At any rate, you should mask up at this point to reduce spread to others.

Travel Insurance. Several threads on this topic if you use the search feature. I have read reports of people filing successful claims with Travel Guard and Allianz. All stress that carefully keeping all receipts and patience is required for this process.

You may want to read the weekly reports from RS tours on this page
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/on-the-road-reports

Check out “Faye”. Very clear info what is covered.

I am guessing Faye is auto correct for Frequently Asked Questions……

My husband and I both got Covid on Scandinavia tour. We had travel guard. Yes, we did get our claim approved but we submitted on 6/27 and received check 8/15. You MUST get an official Covid test. They do not accept home tests. Keep all receipts AND the visa statements proving you paid and the exchange rate you were given. Only $200 per person per day for hotel and meals. I called regularly to get updates. Lots and I mean lots of paperwork. The night we tested positive we had to fill out forms, Covid tests results, passports and original flight information with costs. When we got home, lots more forms. I mailed priority to have a tracking number. They were not helpful with flights at all. We did everything ourselves - flights, hotels etc

Don’t expect any assistance from the travel insurance company in making any arrangements for anything. The policy will tell you what the daily limit is to the expenses they cover. Period. You make your own arrangements for lodging, food, transportation, etc based on the rules of whatever country you are in. You document Every. Little. Thing. When you get home you devote half your life to gathering all that documentation, submit it, and hope for the best.

Be sure to read the travel insurance company's actual contract. Read independent reviews also. (only reviews about CLAIMS matter) Like most travel insurance companies, Trawick and TravelGuard both have a mix of negative and positive reviews regarding getting claims approved and refunded. Sometimes negative experiences are from people not understanding what the contract did/did not cover.
It takes several months for most any claim and TONS of paperwork. Like most travel ins companies, Those 2 companies have many negative reviews about customer service and no one getting back to you.
You must have a Licensed Dr. test you, and document that you have Covid (or any other illness) that prevents you from continuing your trip (That is Trip Interruption if it happens once you have begun your travels and left home). If you were to continue your travels on your own, you might not be eligible for "Travel Interruption" claims. Be sure to get clarification on that. We have chosen Generali Preferred because premiums were less than Trawick and TravelGuard, for same amount of coverage. BUT we haven't begun travels yet. The proof will be if we need to make a claim. And one other thing I have learned from reading Travel Ins contracts is that they do not cover flight delays or flight cancellations unless due to weather, mechanical issues, union strikes. Many airlines are delayed and cancel now, due to staff shortages, staff illness, etc. Ask about that also.

Just a note to state that whether you need a doctor's confirmation or merely an official (proctored) covid test depends on the company. For example, Allianz, accepts an official covid test. An at home test will not work for any of them.

I had an Allianz Quarantine policy. They would pay $150 a day for up to 14 days but I would require a PCR test. I tested positive on a self-test in Italy in June. If I took an official test I would have had to Quarantine for up to 21 days (if I continued to test positive). I decided not to have an official test and self-isolated until I was symptom free for 72 hours (day 6) at which time I continued travelling but masked up in public until day 14. I did not use my $110 quarantine policy.

Yes, Allianz Insurance accepts proctored tests. So, in the example above, the person could have done the internet proctored test and made a claim on her insurance and still not have had an Italian Government test since she was worried about that. It was not something she had to give up.

I think every traveler should have at least one proctored test kit with him/her.