When planning a dream vacation, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of booking flights, accommodations, and excursions. However, one aspect many travelers overlook is travel insurance. As travel advisors, we frequently hear objections to purchasing travel insurance—from thinking it’s an unnecessary expense to believing “nothing will go wrong.” In this article, we’ll explore the nine most common objections to travel insurance and explain why each one falls short when it comes to protecting your travel investment. After all, safeguarding your trip ensures that you can enjoy it without worrying about the unexpected.
#1 I don’t need travel insurance. We don’t plan to cancel our trip.
No one ever plans to cancel a trip. We can’t predict the unforeseen, and the insurance will help cover certain unexpected events. We have heard the stories where a client did not think they needed insurance, and then it was too late to purchase when a covered reason to cancel surfaced.
#2 We’re going no matter what.
You may assume you will travel no matter the circumstances, but if there is a sudden death of a close family member or have an unexpected illness or injury, you will unlikely be able to make the trip. We in no way want to scare you over this, but it is important to remind you that life events may happen that could impact your ability to take your planned trip. Not to mention events that could occur outside of your control that could affect your trip, such as a cruise line or travel supplier goes bankrupt before your scheduled trip. It doesn’t matter how much you want to go – if the ship doesn’t show up, you aren’t going.
#3 My primary health insurance will cover me.
Many travelers, especially those who have not been out of the country before, don’t realize that your domestic health insurance may not cover you while abroad. Some insurance plans may not even cover if you are in the U.S., but out of network.
#4 I don’t have any pre-existing conditions, so I don’t need the waiver.
The pre-existing condition exclusion waiver (pre-ex waiver) applies to non-traveling family members as well. Not everyone shares health updates with their parents, siblings and other family members every time they visit a doctor or have a change in their medication. Without the pre-ex waiver in place, an illness of a non-traveling family member may not be covered for Trip Cancellation if it is determined to be a pre-existing condition which is typically excluded under the policy. *Typically, the pre-ex waiver is only available when purchased within 21 days of initial deposit, so this is not something you will want to tarry on once you book your trip.
#5 I have coverage through my credit card.
Benefits offered by credit card companies are generally not as broad and vary amongst credit card companies. Often credit card coverage only applies to the cardholder, not to family members or even authorized users. Some may even deny coverage if the entire trip was not booked with the card, while others may only offer assistance without reimbursement for missed services or out of pocket expenses. If you consider pursuing this, you should locate the insurance policy for their credit card and compare it to what we offer. Often, the two don’t compare.
#6 I want to use supplier coverage.
There can be benefits to supplier coverage – the premium is often lower and sometimes the supplier includes a Cancel for Any Reason benefit for either a credit or money back. However, the benefits in supplier coverage are often reduced and medical coverage is secondary, meaning travelers need to submit medical expenses to their domestic health insurance first, even if they know the claim will be denied. Also, suppliers will only cover the travel arrangements booked through them and they can’t cover their own bankruptcy. If you decide to pursue supplier coverage, we recommend pairing it with our provider plan for increased post departure benefits while on their trip.
#7 Insurance is too confusing. There are too many options.
We are in no way insurance agents, which is why we partner with highly approved vendor(s) for all of your insurance needs. They are readily available to both us and our clients to answer those specific questions our clients may have. We don’t want to overwhelm you with too many options for flights or hotels, so don’t overwhelm them with insurance options either.
#8 Insurance is too expensive. I can find it cheaper online.
There are travel insurance sites that will find the cheapest insurance option available, but often you get what you pay for. Travelers can log on to any travel site and find the cheapest flight and hotel combo, but that’s not our primary purpose. We make connections with vendors & suppliers that provide travel insurance so that anything we offer to our clients, is from a reputable company we know and trust, who we know we can get on a quick call with to discuss any scenarios and/or concerns and get immediate answers.
#9 Insurance doesn’t work.
Travel Insurance can’t cover every possible scenario. A covered event must be listed in the policy as well filed claims must be supported by appropriate documentation.
Have you had a poor experience with travel insurance before or don’t believe that insurance works? If that is your scenario, what is your alternative in protecting your investment? Do you have a plan to cover unexpected medical costs while traveling? Are you comfortable forfeiting your total trip cost if you have to cancel while in full penalty? Insurance can’t cover everything, but without it you won’t have coverage for anything. Be sure to give this a true consideration when we discuss this as a part of your trip package. In fact, it is so important, we will have you sign a declination waiver if you decide not to get it, indicating that we discussed it, but you decided against it. It is that important these days. Make it a part of your package and make sure your trip is protected!