Is Your Cancellation Reason Covered by Travel Insurance?

You or your traveling companion get sick or hurt and are no longer able to travel — but make sure you see a doctor so you can provide proof when you submit your claim.

A family member gets sick or hurt and you need to stay home to provide care — same thing goes here… make sure they go to the doctor so you have evidence of the illness.

Your business partner gets sick or hurt — that’s right, even your business partner’s sickness is a covered reason to cancel on some travel insurance policies!

You get fired before the trip or must transfer to a new location (conditions apply).

You’re required to be at work for unforeseen reasons and can no longer travel as a result. This is sometimes additional coverage called “Cancel for Work Reasons”.

There is an act of terrorism in a city on your trip itinerary within a certain period from your departure date.

You get into a car accident before your trip.

There’s a natural disaster that occurs at your travel destination.

You get legally separated or divorced.

Your home or business is burglarized or damaged.

You’re summoned for jury duty.

You are deployed by the military.

Your school year is unexpectedly extended.

You’re the victim of an assault before your trip.

Your passport or visa is stolen so you can no longer travel internationally.

The travel company or common carrier you’re booked with goes bankrupt.

The host at your destination dies or is hospitalized.

For medical reasons, see a doctor. If you have to cancel for medical reasons, make sure you go to the doctor who can verify that you are ill or injured and cannot travel. If it’s your family member or business colleague’s ailment or injury, make sure they do the same.

Get documentation for everything. Go to the doctor if you or someone in your family is sick, request a letter from your workplace if it’s work-related and get a police report if something is stolen. Whatever goes down, just make sure you have documentation to provide the reason you’re looking to cancel. If you don’t have documentation, coverage may be denied, even if your reason is included in the list above.

When it comes to weather, purchase your policy sooner rather than later. If you purchase your travel insurance policy after a storm has been classified or named by the National Weather Service, you’ll likely be out of luck when filing a claim. The effective date of your travel insurance policy MUST be before this classification since it will then be deemed a “foreseen” event and not insured for trip cancellation coverage by the policy.

Read your insurance policy’s terms and conditions. While the list of trip cancellation reasons above is pretty standard for most travel insurance policies, it’s possible that the list looks a little different from insurance company to insurance company. Make sure you look into the specific policy you select to see what exactly is covered. This is the best way to double-check your plan has all the benefits you’re looking for.

Consider “Cancel for Any Reason” coverage. If you want more cancellation coverage, make sure to purchase this upgrade coverage. It costs a bit more but you could save a lot of money if you do end up cancelling due to a reason that’s not typically covered. If you think that you might not be able to actually make it on the trip you’re booking, we highly recommend adding this coverage upgrade to your policy to insure your non-refundable trip costs.