TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Travel Insurance

Tom and I are taking a two week trip this fall. We have elderly parents and are looking for travel insurance for the airline flight. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Goozee

Why just for the flight? If you can't fly you normally just incur a change fee. Most airlines offer flight insurance when you book. Otherwise go to the sponsor tab here for Insurance.

This trip is from Milwaukee to London; Paris to St Thomas. I'm going to book refundable hotels.

Thanks,

Goozee

You may get some kind of travel insurance with the credit card you used for the airline tickets, so make sure you check that first. Also, if you need to come back for your parents, that is probably not covered under the cheap insurance policy. You may have to get the "cancel for any reason" policy, which must be purchased the same day as your airline ticket (or the price goes way up). I've used Travel Guard before...not sure if there are better ones, but I was pleased with them. Good luck, have fun.

I use Squaremouth.com to purchase travel insurance. The rep dozens of companies and you can easily compare rates and available services. What I look for is "cancel for any reason," lost bags ( 10 hours) and medi-vac to the US. The cost is nominal (around $75 per person) and I feel safe knowing I can cancel if my elderly parents get sick.

From experience, I can tell you to read the fine print VERY carefully -

different policies kick in at different times as it relates to when the delay/disruption begins/ends.

keep all documentation, absolutely everything. I fought for months to collect one claim. The insurance company refused the claim because they wanted a boarding pass to prove I actually took a flight. (the ticket receipt and a letter from USAirways was not enough?)

Should your plans change due to parental illness, be prepared to work thru a lot of documentation with their doctors. A close friend had to cut two separate vacations short due to her parents' health issues and the claims required considerable paperwork.

re: fine print - read the info about pre-existing conditions very carefully.

So far, I have been lucky not to need to tender any of the insurance coverage. The ratings on Squaremouth of each of the companies does help me decide. I will keep boarding passes now as a precaution until I see my bag on the carousel--but next BVI trip I am trying carry-on only <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />

Elderly parents are the reason I choose "cancel for any reason" coverage. With this type of policy no documentation is needed. Just cancel. But the coverage must be purchased within 10 or 14 days of the original purchase of the tickets, it is not available after the initial purchase.

www.insuremytrip.com is a sponsor. I would also consider adequate emergency evac for your elderly parents. We never travel without insurance. The airline insurance is not very comprehensive.

So, where can Canadians purchase trip cancellation insurance?

sail2wind

I will use the board sponsor for my next trip! thank you for letting us (me!) know.

Karen

As in my previous post I also use and recommend InsureMyTrip

I only got travel insurance once several years ago when I was on active duty in the Marines. I had to cancel the flight due to an unexpected military exercise that came up last minute. I had got it through one of those online travel websites like expedia or orbitz.

I called up the number and was told I had to get a notarized note from my commanding officer that I couldn't make the flight. Yea, I was going to bother the CO with having him write out a letter.... I think not.

Read the fine print before you purchase it, because it could be a waste of money.

Thank you for all of your replies.

Goozee

We have always bought the insurance, and have had to make two claims. Saved us a ton of money.