For even the most prepared, seasoned travelers, there are always things that will be outside of your control – weather, natural disasters, strikes, political unrest, illness, and injury to name a few. When these things happen, you may not be able to recover the money you spent on flights, hotels, or excursions, that is unless you buy travel insurance ahead of time.
If you’re joining us on a Zephyr Adventure, then you are taking a vacation that tends to be a bit more unpredictable in nature, potentially to a more remote area of the world and engaging in activity that may put you at risk for injury than say a stay at an all-inclusive resort where you lie on the beach all day – but that’s the whole point of going on an adventure tour, to live a little!
It is always a bummer when someone has to cancel a tour last minute due to sickness, injury, or a personal situation – but it’s even worse when that person has to eat the cost of their travel expenses because of it.
Buying travel insurance is a fairly easy process but here are a few pointers to help you get started:
Check to see if the destination you are traveling to requires a specific kind of insurance. For instance, when you travel to Cuba, you must provide proof of medical insurance that includes evacuation by air, medical emergencies, and repatriation.
Do you have a pre-existing condition? Check to make sure the insurance company you are purchasing from not only covers pre-existing conditions but if they have any rules on when you have to purchase insurance by. For example, you may have to purchase insurance within 15 days after paying your deposit for a tour.
There are varying levels of insurance coverage. Decide what you think is appropriate for the trip you are taking and choose a policy that fits your needs – make sure to read the fine print!
Most travel insurance policies won’t cover events that are reasonably preventable. For instance, most policies won’t cover events that were caused by someone being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It’s important to check the exclusions in your policy document before departing on your trip.
Ready to buy travel insurance? We have two companies that we recommend for U.S. travelers – TripAssure and Alliance Travel. (If booking by phone, please do us a favor and let them know that you were referred by Zephyr Adventures.) If you’re outside the U.S., feel free to shoot us an email for other insurance companies we recommend.
Safe travels!
