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Trip Insurance?

Anyone have advice about purchasing trip insurance for tours?
Thanks!

Posted by
5447 posts

Depends on what type of insurance you want/ need. Do would want trip cancellation, interruption, lost baggage, medical, medical evacuation? Or a combination? Do you already have some insurance with your credit cards? There is no one size fits all travel insurance policy.

Have a look at Insuremytrip. They're an online broker where you can compare many different policies to find one that best fits your needs.

Posted by
3643 posts

There have been loads of discussions here on that topic. If you do a search, you find everything you need to know.

Posted by
2787 posts

Are you speaking of RS tours? If so, he provides a good deal of tour insurance specifically for the tour. If you are interested in getting insurance for your trip other than the tour, a good place to start is insuremytrip (I think it is spelled). I check out their web site when I started going to Europe after I got onto Medicare which does not cover me in Europe. I picked out a policy that I have been happy with but have never had a claim, thank goodness.

Posted by
911 posts

The two situations i want insurance for are emergency healthcare in a foreign country and trips where you are paying up front thousands for a tour, cruise etc where you could lose it all plus airfare, etc should a last minute crisis keep you from going ---- then it may well be worth it.

I've known two couples who had to canx at the last-minute and were saved several thousand dollars. Also another couple where the wife got injured on tour. Medical was covered, an unexpected hotel stay and even a business class upgrade coming home because she had to be laying down.

Research the options, costs, what's covered and what are considered valid cancellation reasons. With insurance it's always a risk benefit analysis.

Posted by
5837 posts

Rick Steves has a good analysis of the trip insurance topic: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travel-insurance

Rick notes:

For some travelers, insurance is a good deal; for others, it's not.
What are the chances you'll need it? How willing are you to take
risks? How much is peace of mind worth to you? Take these
considerations into account, understand your options, and make an
informed decision for your trip.

The personal question to ask and answer is: How catastrophic will the loss be? If you would need to sell your first born you would be a candidate for insurance. So far I've beaten the odds and never had to make a claim (if I had insurance). That said, I have been purchasiing MedEvac insurance. Rick's comments on Evacuation Insurance:

Evacuation insurance covers the cost of getting you to a place where
you can receive appropriate medical treatment in the event of an
emergency. (In a worst-case scenario, this can mean a medically
equipped — and incredibly expensive — private jet.) This is usually
not covered by your regular medical-insurance plan back home.
Sometimes this coverage can get you home after an accident, but more
often, it'll just get you as far as the nearest major hospital — so it
may be worth buying if you're planning an adventure in a remote area.
"Medical repatriation" — that is, getting you all the way home — is
likely to be covered only if it's considered medically necessary.
Before purchasing a policy, ask your insurer to explain what exactly
what's covered before and after you get to the hospital.

Keep in mind that medical and evacuation insurance may not cover you
if you're participating in an activity your insurer considers to be
dangerous (such as skydiving, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, scuba
diving, or even skiing). Some companies sell supplementary
adventure-sports coverage.

Posted by
11577 posts

Three large claims paid 100% in a timely manner by Travel Guard.

Posted by
369 posts

I am also a big fan of Travel Guard, I bought it the first time when taking my parents, who were on Medicare, to Europe. We were there for 24 hours when my mother fell and broke her kneecap, requiring surgery and a week's hospital stay in Belgium. One phone call to Travel Guard was all it took. They sorted out the hospital costs and arranged everything, including a flight upgrade so my mother could get in the airplane seat with her knee brace. We didn't have to ask - they suggested what was needed, including things I hadn't thought of, and paid for it all. My parents did not have one dime out of pocket for the injury. Now I buy it for every trip I take, immediately after purchasing my airline ticket.

Posted by
1065 posts

We always get it = you never 'plan' for an emergency, ruptured appendix, broken ankle, family death, flu. My brother was killed in NC while we were in the Caribbean- we flew home from St.Thomas for free and the whole trip was reimbursed. And just last month, our flight to a cruise was cancelled due to heavy fog - the airport bused us to a bigger airport 2 hrs away - all paid for. We love USAA if you have access to it, they are the most comprehensive and best priced. If not, AAA also has good insurance - it is Allianz - you can also get on your own. Travel Insured and Travel Guard are also good. Check out insuremytrip.com - it is very helpful at comparing companies and policies. We always be sure flights, luggage, medical evacuation are included.

Posted by
2734 posts

China lake said it all. Three things about insuremytrip .com that keep us coming back: 1) there are a multitude of companies to choose from so you can compare coverages, rates, A.M Best ratings (financial stability) side by side, 2) there are user reviews. You just have to go through them to find reviews by folks who had a claim. A review that did not involve a claim tells you nothing, a bad claim experience takes it off our list, 3) the customer service reps are all insurance agents so they know their stuff, can answer all your questions. I note from your prior posts you signed up for a tour sometime ago. By waiting this long you will not be able to purchase insurance that covers pre-existing conditions; you must do that within 10-14 days from your initial tour payment, so, I hope you are all healthy!