Note About Travel Insurance from VACAYA
As we’ve all learned these past couple of years, having Travel Insurance is EXTREMELY important. So with each VACAYA purchase, we strongly encourage you to purchase “Cancel For Any Reason” (or CFAR) travel insurance. This type of coverage offers travelers the most cancellation flexibility and is especially important now that cruise lines are stripping away Covid-friendly protections. Our US-based guests will have the option of getting a quote for and purchasing a CFAR policy through Travel Guard at the end of your VACAYA booking.*
If you decline the coverage, know that you’re responsible for any cancellation penalties and out-of-pocket expenses incurred because of your inability to travel. By declining it, you are are also accepting the fact that you’ll be responsible for your own provisions in the event of an emergency while traveling. So while you’re certainly free to decline the Travel Guard policy, please protect yourself by purchasing a policy from someone.
CFAR policies can only be purchased within 14 days of booking a holiday. After that, standard Trip Interruption Insurance is available to you up until the time of travel.
*As a US-based company, only US residents can purchase a travel insurance policy from our partner Travel Guard at the end of their VACAYA booking. Insurance is a highly regulated industry, so policies have to be purchased from a provider who is licensed in your country of residence. For our non-US-based guests, a simple Google search for “travel insurance” made while in your home country will bring up multiple options available to you.
Travel Insurance 101, by John Finen
There is one question every traveler across the globe universally faces: should I purchase Travel Insurance?
No one wants to think about insurance. I mean… why would they? There’s literally nothing fun about the world of insurance. But the question remains: should I spend the extra dollars to protect my vacation investment? Or do I leave it in the hands of Lady Luck and hope for the best?
Let’s be frank. I’ve never purchased Travel Insurance. I admit it. Each and every time I’ve traveled to the far corners of our planet, I’ve done so on a wing and a prayer – hoping beyond hope that this wasn’t the time something would go wrong. While I’ve never won the lottery before, I feel like I’ve won on this little gamble, but it’s always stressed me out.
What is my personal psychology that keeps me from spending those few extra bucks to protect myself? I ask myself that question time and time again. And to be honest, there’s really very little logic in my decisions. It’s always just a gut feeling that I’ll be ok.
Having said that, being involved with travel for many years, I have seen countless travelers fall victim to that same bit of warped non-logic I’ve employed. It’s truly heartbreaking when their luck runs out. And as a seller of travel, VACAYA’S hands are truly tied in the help we’re able to provide. Our Terms & Conditions are the legally binding agreement between us and you. Between us and ALL of our guests. We are legally required to apply those guidelines equitably to each person traveling with us. Making random one-off exceptions to those terms runs the risk of our legal standing completely unraveling. And as a small business, we don’t have the ability to take those types of risks.
That’s where Travel Insurance comes in to save the day… to save YOUR day!
The benefits of Travel Insurance are myriad and much has been written on this subject. The most succinct and illustrative writing on this topic we’ve seen is by TravelInsuranceReview.net, which says the following:
Most travelers spend a lot of time and effort planning the perfect vacation, but they often overlook the importance of getting a good Travel Insurance policy. Travelers are more vulnerable to illnesses and accidents when they are traveling in a strange land, and there is no sure way to prevent unfortunate incidents from taking place.
Although Travel Insurance cannot help people avoid misfortunes during their travels, it offers consolation in the form of monetary compensation, which can be very useful in certain situations. Travel Insurance provides a wide range of benefits for travelers. Firstly, it offers financial recovery for medical expenses that are incurred because of accidents and illnesses. Medical treatment is very costly in some countries, and those who sustain serious injuries may have to pay medical bills that amount to tens of thousands of dollars. With travel medical insurance, travelers can get reimbursement for the total amount of money they spend on medical treatment. Travel Insurance also covers medical evacuation, which means travelers do not have to pay medical emergency transportation expenses with their own money.
Another important benefit of Travel Insurance is that it provides protection against trip cancellation and interruption. When an emergency arises before or during a vacation, travelers may have to cancel or cut short their trips. Since they have already paid for their vacations, they will stand to lose a substantial amount of money. Travel Insurance ensures they will get compensation for losses that result from trip cancellation or interruption. Additionally, those who have a travel policy will get coverage for lost baggage or personal belongings.
One thing to keep in mind is that not all Travel Insurance is created equal so we highly recommend you take time to understand any policy before you make a purchase. There are additional insurance coverage options that are available to Travel Insurance buyers that include travel delay, cruise line and resort default, personal liability, accidental death, legal expenses, repatriation, emergency reunion, dental expenses, and others. Just the right Travel Insurance policy elements does not only ensure you will get coverage for unforeseen losses; it also allows you to avail of a number of services that can be invaluable during times of emergency. Most Travel Insurance companies offer travel assistance and 24-hour emergency services to help their customers deal with unfavorable situations during their vacations. If you have an accident or lose your travel documents, you can seek assistance from your insurance company. The company will offer the best advice or contact local emergency services to help you solve your problems in the shortest time possible. This kind of assistance is especially important if you are traveling to a country where the locals do not speak your language.
At the end of your online reservation, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase an independent third-party policy to protect your vacation.
You can also learn more about coverage options and the various companies available to you at www.travelinsurance.com. Here, you can get competing quotes from various providers.
I was always skeptical about travel insurance when a cruise line went bankrupt I had insurance but I didn’t sail out of a U.S. Port I loss of course I was pissed lol. For the longest time I didn’t get insurance .since I trust in vacaya I get the insurance that my agent offers and it covers everything thing have a great day.JH