This coverage provides reimbursement for your pre-paid travel expenses (up to the policy limit) in the event your primary residence or travel destination is rendered uninhabitable due to a weather-related natural disaster prior to or during your trip. This is a listed covered reason under trip cancellation coverage and trip interruption coverage.
Contents (click to jump down) What does Weather/Natural Disaster cover? Important notes about this coverage What type of policy covers this? How much coverage does each company provide? Summary |
Let us tell you a story
Jim and his son, Jason, had long planned a pre-college summer trip before sending Jason off to school. They decided to visit Mexico City and immerse themselves in Spanish lessons while fitting in some of the surrounding sites.
In June, just a month before their trip, Jim was glad he travel insurance protection that included trip cancellations for natural disasters because Mexico City was hit with a terrible earthquake. The inn where they were to stay was in crumbles. Jim was able to cancel their trip and quickly schedule a safe fishing adventure in Montana as a substitute.
What does Weather/Natural Disaster cover?
Travel insurance coverage for weather-related natural disasters includes losses due to hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, and floods.
This coverage is considered a covered reason for trip cancellation or trip interruption benefits in the event:
- your primary residence or destination is rendered uninhabitable due to a weather-related natural disaster
- your airline, cruise line, tour operator, or travel supplier stops all services for at least 24 consecutive hours due to a natural disaster or severe weather
Some plans include adverse weather as a covered reason for travel delay benefits as well. Specifically the trip protection plans from HTH Worldwide allow for this benefit.
Important notes about this coverage
- This coverage is considered a covered reason for pre-trip cancellations and post-departure trip interruptions in travel insurance package plans
What type of policy covers this?
Travel insurance package plans provide coverage for weather-related losses of travel costs, but travel medical plans do not, with one exception. The following plan provides some coverage in the event you are displaced from paid accommodations due to mandatory evacuations as a result of forecasted natural disasters or following a natural disaster:
- Worldwide Health International plan by Travel Guard
How much coverage does each company provide?
Plan | Company | Home Uninhabitable | Destination Uninhabitable | Airlines Cease Services |
---|---|---|---|---|
Protect-a-Group | TravelSafe | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Vacation | TravelSafe | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Vacation Classic | TravelSafe | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Plus | Travel Insurance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Elite | Travel Insurance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Basic | Travel Insurance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tee, Tour, and Travel | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Sportsman's Travel | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pack 'n Go | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Adventure Travel | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Platinum | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Savvy Traveler | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
My Travel Guard | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Gold | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Travel Rite Annual | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Silver | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Basic | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Business Traveler * | Travel Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Travel Plus | Travelex | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Travel Max | Travelex | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Travel Lite | Travelex | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Select Advantage | Travelex | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Basic | Travelex | Yes | ||
Select | Travelex | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Liaison Worldwide | Seven Corners | Yes | ||
RoundTrip Elite | Seven Corners | Yes | Yes | |
RoundTrip | Seven Corners | Yes | ||
RoundTrip Economy * | Seven Corners | Yes | Yes | |
RoundTrip Choice | Seven Corners | Yes | ||
Bridge | MH Ross | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Complete | MH Ross | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Asset | MH Ross | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Trip Protector e-Saver | HTH Worldwide | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Trip Protector | HTH Worldwide | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Trip Protector Preferred | HTH Worldwide | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Preferred | Global Alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Preferred Plus | Global Alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Essential | Global Alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
No coverage | FrontierMEDEX | |||
Custom | CSA | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Custom Luxe | CSA | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Classic (Comprehensive) | Allianz | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Deluxe (Comprehensive) | Allianz | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Basic | Allianz | Yes |
* Available as an optional upgrade
Summary
- This coverage is typically offered in travel insurance package plans, but almost never in travel medical plans
- This coverage is considered a covered reason for pre-trip cancellations and trip interruptions
- This coverage never applies to situations where the property is still open for business – it must be uninhabitable