Why Buy Travel Insurance?
Relax and enjoy your trip with a well-crafted travel insurance plan to help protect against potential hassles and expenses of an unexpected illness, injury, or travel delay. Below are three examples of how the Travel Protection Plan can protect your travel investment or provide support or reimbursement for issues during your trip. Visit the Plan Details page for more details about the benefits mentioned in bold type below.
3 Ways Travel Insurance Could Benefit You:
1. You have an unexpected health issue while traveling.
Perhaps you twist an ankle while hiking Mont Blanc or contract pneumonia in Tanzania; what options do you have? Since few medical insurance policies or Medicare offer coverage outside the U.S., you may encounter unexpected bills if a medical emergency strikes on your trip.
The $50,000 Medical Expense benefit can cover you for emergency medical and dental expenses incurred during your trip. If you need to be transported to a medical facility out of the area or transported home for care, the plan provides $500,000 in coverage for Emergency Assistance and Transportation. This plan includes 24-hour, worldwide, collect-call access to Zurich Travel Assist to identify local qualified doctors who speak your language and to coordinate emergency travel arrangements as needed.
2. You encounter travel delays and hassles during your trip.
Your flight to join your Alaska voyage was cancelled due to inclement weather, and you arrive a day late to find that the ship has already sailed. You may incur costly transportation expenses to catch up with the group.
The plan’s Missed Connection benefit can reimburse you up to a maximum of $1,500 for accommodations and the unused portion of the travel arrangements until you can catch up to your cruise or tour. Even if joining the trip is simple, the Travel Delay benefit of up to $250/day can reimburse you for meals and hotels if you are delayed for more than 6 hours.
You arrive in Paro for your Bhutan adventure to discover your luggage is missing and you have unexpected expenses to replace clothes and essentials until it is found. Or perhaps your passport is lost or stolen while you are in Tuscany.
The Travel Protection Plan’s Baggage Coverage benefit covers loss or damage to your personal effects and can reimburse your purchase of necessities if your baggage is misdirected or lost for more than 24 hours. This plan includes support from Zurich Travel Assist for emergency replacement of lost or stolen passports, visas, or other travel documents.
3. You need to cancel or interrupt your trip.
You are eagerly anticipating your Peruvian trip to Machu Picchu but must cancel due to a serious medical condition arising a few months/weeks/days before departure. Or, perhaps you are already in Spain exploring its prehistoric caves when you learn of the passing of a family member, and you need to return home urgently.
The timing of a cancellation can impact what part of your travel investment is refundable; travel insurance may be able to recover much that is not. The Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption coverages may reimburse you for the unused, non-refundable pre-paid portion of a trip, as well as the expenses of new or changed air tickets to return home if your travel plans change due to a reason covered by the plan. Additionally, this plan includes 24-hour, worldwide, collect-call access to Zurich Travel Assist to coordinate any emergency travel arrangements.
NOTE: Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption benefits are not eligible for coverage if the reason for cancellation is due to a pre-existing medical condition. However, the Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion will be waived when the plan is purchased within 21 days from initial deposit.* With this waiver, cancellations due to a chronic condition which becomes acute and/or causes you to change treatment within the 90 days prior to the effective date of the Travel Protection Plan would be covered. This provision extends to you, your spouse, parents, children, siblings, and business partner.
* For residents of FL, ID and VT the pre-existing condition look-back period is 30 days prior to date premium received; for IL residents the period is 6 months from covered loss; for IN residents the period is 90 days from the policy effective date; for MT residents the period is 6 months prior to effective date; in NY the period is 6 months from effective date on emergency medical and dental benefits.
Perhaps you choose to cancel your trip because you received a work promotion or your first grandchild is expected during the dates of the trip. You are faced with the dilemma of whether to continue with your travel plans or change them, with the possibility that you will have non-refundable or additional costs.
Upgrade the Travel Protection Plan with Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage and know that you can cancel your trip for any reason at all. With CFAR, your pre-paid, non-refundable trip payments are covered for up to 75% of your Total Trip Cost when you cancel your trip (up until 48 hours prior to departure date) for any reason not otherwise covered under the Trip Cancellation benefit.
NOTE: This upgrade option is at additional expense and must be purchased within 21 days from your initial deposit on the trip. Individuals must insure 100% of travel arrangements (90% for residents of CT, IN, KS, MO, MT, VT, and WA) that are subject to cancellation penalties or restrictions, and must not be disabled from travel at the time the premium is paid. For residents of NY, a Cancel for Any Fortuitous Reason benefit is available as an optional upgrade and must be purchased within 30 days from your initial deposit and individuals must insure 90% of their travel arrangements.