Holidays are always fun times to get together with friends and family and travel, but there is also a stress level involved in holiday activities and the increased number of travelers making travel logistics a little more hectic. So as you prepare for holiday travel, just recognize that you are more likely to have a delay in their trip, or a luggage delay or loss around the travel season. I thought it might be a good time to hit upon a few points that might be helpful to travelers who are getting out and about this season:
1. If you are interested in getting coverage for disruption or delays that can occur in your travel, you should look for a trip cancellation/ interruption policy, such as our Round Trip policy. Our travel medical policies provide more complete medical benefits, but very little or no benefits relative to disrupted trip plans.
2. Delays caused by airlines or other common carriers can result in additional lodging or meal expenses, so be careful to get documentation of these expenses (receipts, etc) so you can file your claim for trip delay and get reimbursed for these items as well. You'll also want to get documentation from the airline or other travel supplier, that they did cause a delay of X length (hours, days, etc).
3. Your baggage can also be delayed or even lost. Prompt reporting to the travel supplier is necessary, and a be sure to keep a copy of the report they provide you to file your claim on your trip disruption policy. And agin be sure to get documentation of all of your additional expenses (i.e. purchase of toiletries) so you can get reimbursement for those items as well.
4. Some policies, like our Round Trip policy, even covers lost or stolen items. In the case of a lost or stolen item, you should first promptly report the event to the local authorities (airport security, police, etc.). Be sure to keep a copy of that report and send it in when you file your lost or stolen items claim. Original purchase receipts are very useful to establish value of lost items, so if you purchase things just for your trip, it's always good to keep receipts. Typically, older items are covered for a reduced (depreciated) amount. Often, if you have homeowners insurance, you'll have to file a claim must first be filed under our homeowners policy, with the trip cancellation policy considering any amounts not paid by the homeowners insurance. It's always important for you to understand what is covered under these policies for trip delays or baggage delays or loss. Generally, additional costs related to a delay, up to some limit per day or item of baggage is covered. Lost or stolen items are also confined to a specified amount per bag or article, and some electronics may not be covered, so be sure to ask questions when you are purchasing coverage.
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