Natural disasters like volcanoes, sandstorms, tsunamis, and hurricanes can disrupt or even cancel a trip. However, travel insurance is not about fixing these mishaps but about protecting your money. Travel insurance cannot reverse the effects of a natural disaster but can help cover the financial losses you may incur. This includes expenses like replacing lost baggage or paying for alternative accommodation if your flight is delayed. When considering travel insurance, focus on the financial risks you face, especially with big-ticket items like vacation rentals, cruises, tour packages, and nonrefundable airfares. These are the expenses that trip-cancellation and trip-interruption insurance are designed to cover. Additionally, consider travel medical insurance for high medical costs in exotic locations. Baggage insurance may cover lost baggage expenses, but it is not as critical as covering major financial risks. Evaluate your exposure to significant losses and non-recoverable expenses before deciding on insurance coverage.
Email Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out Ed’s new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com.
