Travel Insurance – Is It Worth It?

You probably have experienced or heard how horrible air travel is this summer. In fact, we can all agree flying is not as lovely as it was when I was much younger. Everyone got a meal, there was much leg room, and no one was freaking out, giving everyone anxiety and getting booted off the plane. Don’t get me started!

Booked a trip

Anyway, I was planning a trip to visit family in Canada early this summer, and it fell apart almost as soon as I booked it. COVID quadrupled in the area I was visiting, and my niece was diagnosed with Covid while her immediate family showed symptoms. Meanwhile, Flights were canceled by the hundreds, and people were stuck in airports waiting for days. This summer’s air travel told me, “cancel, cancel, cancel”!

Travel insurance

In fact, I did something I had never done before and bought travel insurance. Two things that stood out to me about the insurance were coverage for “accident & medical expenses,” “trip interruption,” and “trip cancelation.” Given Covid, I thought this would cover me in case of issues.

As I mentioned, everything went wrong, and ultimately I had to cancel my trip to Canada. Booking a flight, canceling a flight, and buying travel insurance is very easy. However, filing for a flight refund from travel insurance SUCKS!

Results

Perhaps my ignorance about travel insurance set me up for months of frustration. They require all kinds of documentation. Just a side note, wouldn’t it be refreshing and original if they treated us with respect and care? It would make life easier.

Anyway, I canceled my trip within four days of setting it up and got my niece’s medical diagnosis. I sent it to the insurance company. Additionally, I also sent them the local medical links and explained that my family had COVID and I could not make my trip. In fact, I might add that I informed them I was staying with my Mother, and she is 93 – I was not going to be typhoid Mary and infect my mother with COVID.

I finally got an email asking me to contact the doctor who diagnosed my niece. I had already sent them the link. A local government program tested her, and I had the official diagnosis via an official government website.

I was rather livid! I sent them a scathing rebuttal. Another month goes by. Finally, in the end, I got a total reimbursement. I deposited that check the second it was in my hands. I was not taking the chance they would take it back.

Summary

Flying is such a nightmare, and deciding to use travel insurance appears easy—just a click of a button. With all the everyday problems, we now have to deal with pandemics. Having something to back up your travel costs sounds like a good idea. However, would I do it again? Probably not. I can use my airline credits next time. Probably less painful. Better yet, on our next trip, we decided to drive.

Check out some of our happier trips – click on this link TRAVEL

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