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Travel Tips, Stories, Deals and Info... The Travel Factory employs 4 full time agents with 100 years total experience in the travel industry. Our agents specialize in cruise, tour and resort vacations as well as corporate incentive and school groups. Our mission is to provide the best, most courteous, most detailed, most informative service. Our slogan, "Building vacations to your specifications" says it all.

Travel Protection... Is It Worth The Money???

Travel Protection... Is It Worth The Money???

About a year ago I had a presentation on the value of protecting one's travel investment with travel protection of some kind.  At that time one of the tour operators we were using automatically included that option with each quote.

They are now treating the travel protection as an option, and not including it, so if they client wants it, they have to choose between two types of coverage:  Pre-travel protection, or All-inclusive coverage which includes pre-travel and during travel.  The all-inclusive in my estimation is the best way to go, even though it is a little more expensive.

There are several reasons for my suggestion.  One reason is that it includes a price guarantee that if the price of your hotel or charter air goes down after you have deposited, they will give you the lower price.  Also, the kids insurance becomes half-price.

Some folks say, “oh, I'm going, no matter what”.   We have experienced situations where this mantra blew up in their face.  Some we've heard before and had to deal with are:  getting pregnant, lost a job, passport expired and wasn't aware of it until checking in, jury duty extended longer than expected, the bride got cold feet and absolutely refused to fly, the wife surprised the husband with a trip and on the day of departure he refused to go, developed an illness the day of departure that required hospitalization for 6 days.  Under those circumstances, the all-inclusive coverage would insure that they would get their travel investment returned.

One of the objections we often get is that “I don't believe in insurance”.  This operator says that the All-In-One Travel Protection isn't actually an insurance plan; it is an optional travel protection plan that includes: the ability to cancel for any reason and receive a refund, low price guarantee, a special hurricane benefit, no revision fees if you need to make a change, and during travel coverage.  The during travel coverage is the only “insurance” part and it offers protection if anything happens on your vacation.  That situation came real this last summer when a client of ours was swimming in one of the resort pools and gashed his arm very deep that required a physician's assistance.  The property personnel got him to the hospital in Cancun, stitched it up, and provided a return trip when it got infected the next day.  All that attention did not cost them anything.  You just never know!!!

The main thing I like about it is that you can cancel your trip for ANY reason.  Most travel insurance coverages allow you to cancel for COVERED reasons: sickness, accident, death on you, your traveling companion, or immediate family member.  The one offered by this operator is coverage for ANY reason.....even on the day of departure.  We have had several instances where this coverage was a life saver.  I remember one where traffic was stalled because of  a wreck on I-20, and it delayed this couple from being able to make the flight, and it was the last one of the day.  ANY reason coverage allowed them to get their money back.

The experienced travel counselors at The Travel Factory will be more than happy to help you manufacture the vacation of your dreams, and will no doubt, suggest some kind of protection of your travel investment.  Come by to see us at 4150 Southwest Drive, in the Plaza at Park Central, between Rosa's and Chick-Fil-A.  A call would do the trick too:  698-1421 or 800-760-4040.  Or to know more about us, visit our website:  www.thetravelfactoryabilene.com.

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