Circumstances can change dramatically overnight. We’ve all experienced this in the last few months. Although you may be a cautious, careful planner, it is still possible for all your plans to blow up in your face. In the case of travel this is especially common: you book well in advance to avoid problems and an incident impossible to foresee dismantles your plans.
Types of contingencies
For these cases there is trip cancellation insurance. These policies cover all the costs of canceling a trip before the departure date arrives. Although the percentage of the refund will always depend on the conditions established in the contract, 100% is usually covered. Regarding contingencies, expenses are usually covered in the event of illness, accident or death of the user or a direct family member, and even in unexpected situations such as work-related reasons: dismissals, extension of the employment contract, getting a new job or being called up by an official body (such as jury service).
Traveling in times of COVID-19
And of course the current question is: what about the coronavirus? Does travel insurance cover cancellations due to this circumstance? It is important that you are aware that epidemics or pandemics are usually excluded in the standard contracts of most insurers. Fear of traveling is not covered either, so no cancellation request would be accepted for this reason.
Special clauses
But there are special coverages that you can include in your insurance: for example, the “declaration of a disaster area or epidemic in the place of residence of the insured party or the destination of the trip“, or free withdrawal insurance, which lets you cancel the trip without due cause. Of course, these are unusual insurance policies that not all companies offer and their cost is usually higher.
Check it out and book with peace of mind
We recommend that if you are about to book a trip, read the general insurance conditions thoroughly to fully understand what is covered and what is not. Also, make sure that there is no travel ban in effect on your travel dates, since insurance coverage could be very limited. The important thing is to book with confidence. Knowing that there is a formula that allows you to get your money back will make the problem of not being able to make your trip on the scheduled dates more bearable.
