Taking the Kids: Why families need travel insurance
If you are still thinking travel insurance isn't necessary this winter, consider the unpredictable weather. According to Taft, inclement weather accounted for a quarter of the claims last winter.
Airlines typically don't help you with anything other than rebooking a flight -- and that might be three days later -- if weather is to blame. One year, we had to scuttle an entire Caribbean vacation when a blizzard stopped air traffic in the northeast for several days. By the time we could have gotten a flight, we would have had to come home to get back to work. Others were stuck at their vacation destinations, having to pay for several more nights of lodging.
And there is the domino effect. When 1,200 Chicago flights were canceled one day in mid-December, those connecting through Chicago were in trouble, as were those elsewhere in the country when planes and crews couldn't get where they were scheduled to be.
Travel insurance can help travelers with expenses like hotels, meals and prepaid expenses (for the nights they miss at a resort or on a cruise ship), said Taft, as long as you have bought your policy before the storm is named.
Travel Delay coverage may cover the unused part of your prepaid expenses or reasonable extra expenses you incur during your delay, said Daniel Durazo, the spokesman for Allianz. He noted the company's most popular Classic Plan provides coverage of $200 per person per day with a maximum of $800.
I wish we'd had that when we were delayed overnight in Minneapolis with our three kids. Bad weather delayed our first flight from Wyoming and caused us and an entire plane full of people to miss their connections.
The best part of travel insurance: the de-stress factor. You're worried enough when vacation plans get derailed, especially when there's a medical emergency.
With travel insurance, you make a call and they've got your back. That's worth it to me.
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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow "taking the kids" on www.twitter.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)
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