If you are like me, I just hate to have to pay for insurance. . . .of any kind. But I’m really proud of myself when I have to use it for something unexpected.
Protecting your travel investment with insurance is a wise move; at least it gives one peace of mind before you go on your trip or while you are on it. We sell it quite often, especially for those trips where there is considerable cost involved if you have to cancel. Most of the time we use the insurance offered by the tour operator or cruise line. Depending on the circumstances, we often will sell insurance offered by an agency that specializes in travel insurance, Travel Guard or Travel Insured.
One of the tour operators we sell, Funjet Vacations, offers what I think is a no-brainer travel insurance policy. They offer the cancel-for-any-reason insurance, and if you have to cancel up to 24-hours before you travel, you will get all that you have paid with the exception of the insurance cost.
Most travel insurance coverage include trip cancellation, travel delay, accident and medical expense, emergency evacuation, accidental death and dismemberment, and lost or damaged luggage protection.
One of the carriers has published a list of reasons to purchase travel insurance. I’ll mention a few:
- Life is cannot be predicted. . .some trips just have to be cancelled.
- Most lost luggage takes an average of five days to return to its owner.
- 30-50 percent of travelers stateside and abroad will become ill or injured during their trip.
- In the event of a natural disaster, airline strike or act of terrorism, airlines will not refund the cost of your ticket.
- Credit card coverage, homeowners and auto insurance most of the time will not provide sufficient coverage for travel.
- Even the most stable of travel suppliers can default quickly.
We all experience tough economic times, even when we’ve planned a trip in advance, we might have to wait to take the trip.
The experienced travel counselors at The Travel Factory will help you plan the vacation of your dreams, and we’ll offer you the option of protecting that investment with insurance. Drop in at 4150 Southwest Drive, call us at 698-1421 or 800-760-4040, or visit our website: www.thetravelfactoryabilene.com.