Travel Agent Insight: Trip Insurance Is Worth The Cost
Ask any corporate travel agency and they’ll agree it’s wise for anyone booking vacations to buy travel insurance.
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Amie Miller and Sara Newbury - two top travel agents, each said more and more of their clients are buying the insurance to protect against potential pandemic-related disruptions.
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"I don’t think I’ve sold anybody (a vacation) without insurance since COVID-19," Miller said.
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"If it’s international, we won’t book it without travel insurance," Newbury said. "If a guest declines travel insurance they have to sign a waiver."
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AAA Travel recently surveyed 1,126 people in the U.S. The survey found that more than half planned to travel at least once overnight by 2021’s end. Of those would-be travellers, nearly one-third intended to buy travel insurance because of COVID-19.
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Insurance can be purchased through a reliable corporate travel agency and direct through insurers online. It’s available for international and domestic vacations. Newbury estimates between 50% and 60% of her firm’s clients buy insurance for domestic trips and more than 90% for international business destinations.
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Types of travel insurance vary. Vacation-goers can insure their baggage and also themselves with emergency medical coverage or accidental death. Trip cancellation insurance is available, too, but it’s not comprehensive. Plan details will spell out the specific incidences in which a cancellation by either the host or guest is covered.
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AAA says pandemics and epidemics historically haven’t been covered prior to COVID-19. Providers shifted to introduce at least some coverage in this specific pandemic, and AAA advises consumers to consult travel industry experts before buying a plan.
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Reimbursement is returned in the form of cashback or travel credits. Credits typically last up to two years and are valued by people fully intent on taking a vacation.
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"The money’s already there. They don’t have to worry about having to set more aside," Newbury said.
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Newbury said none of her clients so far have had to cancel a trip because of COVID-19. Miller said she had four cancels for that reason. They were insured and now have credits.
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"It’s too much money for most people," Miller said of the prospect of not insuring a trip. "They save for vacation most of the year, they don’t just want to throw that money out of the window."
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Both Miller and Newbury encourage travellers to stay on top of ever-changing regulations when it comes to COVID-19.
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For example, Newbury explained that travellers must test negative before travelling overseas including to Hawaii. Miller emphasized that a negative test is needed before returning, too, whether the traveller is vaccinated or not.
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