Rest Insured:
When Travel Plans Go Awry
by Meg Green
Consumer Editor

If you think you can cancel a trip at the last minute and be reimbursed by your credit card company or the trip supplier, you’d most likely be wrong, the Travel Insurance Association said. That’s the biggest misconception among travelers, the association said.
Most policies will cover you if you have to cancel due to a sudden family illness or if severe weather prevents you from traveling. For a little extra, you can buy a policy that would cover a cancellation
or delay for additional issues, such as a change in a work schedule, although the standard policies may not include that coverage.
Generally, a comprehensive travel insurance policy costs about 4% to 8% of the cost of your trip. The cost is based on the length of the trip, destination and the age of the travelers.
Trip cancellation or delay insurance, the most common type of travel insurance, will cover the additional cost of many unexpected events, including:
• You have to go home early because of a family illness or if a family member has an accident;
• Your flight is delayed overnight because of bad weather, and you need a hotel room;
• You miss your cruise departure because of weather-related flight delays;
• You have to cancel a trip because your home is flooded or uninhabitable;
• You can’t get home because of a hurricane, floods or other natural disaster at your travel destination;
• Your baggage is lost or substantially delayed;

Making a Travel
Insurance Claim
• 25% said it was a “simple” process.
• 23% said it was “time consuming.”
• 19% said it was “frustrating.”
• 18% said their claims were refused.
• 36% whose claims were refused did not know why.
Source: TripAdvisor