Travel Insurance Recommendations?

[chicagoans]

I'd like to get some travel insurance for our February trip to STJ. (Just had to cancel our Kauai trip - guess I need to change my ticker.)

I started looking into one called TravelSafe but then read terrible reviews that they don't pay if you actually need to use it.

Has anyone purchased travel insurance that they actually had to USE and can recommend? Obviously I'm planning to take this trip, but I realize that stuff happens.

Did a quick search and didn't find much so sorry if this has been answered before.

Many thanks,

Katie

[Connie]

We used CSA and we went through this forum. We had to use it because my Mom got very sick and we had to go home.We had to get a lot of paperwork from not only the hospital, but proof from the owner of the condo where we stayed.

Travel insurance is definetly worth the money.

[PA Girl]

We had horrible experiences with two trip insurance claims, both with Four Corners. I will try to find my post in the OT forum that describes what went wrong and how to avoid our mistakes.

Something you want to look at is when the insurance will kick in as well as how much it will actually cover if your trip is delayed/shortened. I remember someone posting that the trip insurance wouldn't cover the end of their trip because the trip was 60% complete or something like that.

The policy we had for the second claim kicked in after 12 hours of delay, which was good because we missed a connection and were delayed 23 hours but that required a night in a hotel.

Off to find my other post....

[stjchica]

Here is one thread on the topic that might have some answers for you. There are some others if you search this forum for "travel insurance"...I looked into it before our last trip but after reading everything, decided to not spend the money on it.
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... +insurance

[mindehankins]

I think that poster "Marcia" (? I think that's right) had to use travel insurance for a hurricane, and I believe she posted about being paid. You might want to search her posts if you know who I mean.

[JJShaw]

Check out Travel Guard...There are advantages to buying it within a few days of booking your trip ...as far as cancellation claims, be sure to check that out, they have different levels that you can purchase based on what type coverage you would like. I book Travel part time and that's usually the one I prefer for clients and I always check them first...but, make sure of the type plan you are purchasing. Some covers more than others...

[chicagoans]

Thanks everyone! Absolutely true that it's best to get the travel insurance right after booking your flights. I'm kicking myself for not doing that.

I ended up calling the insurance agent who handles our cars, house, business, etc. He doesn't do travel but referred me to someone who does. This other agent went through numbers with me, got me a great price, and if I need to submit a claim I can do it through him which could help get a faster payout.

So, lesson learned - buy the insurance early (for four of us it was only $130 total!); go through an agent if you feel better about it (his price was better than what I found online through the same company); and if you do have any issues (theft, delays, medical emergency, etc.) save ALL the documentation. That means if your camera is stolen at the beach you need to file a police report (and keep the documentation), which would be an annoying time suck but worth the effort.

Thanks for all the input!

[Anthony]

We use personally and recommend CSA - you can buy it via the forum (link in the left column) and we get a commission, so it helps out around here too. We have also made and had claims paid by them in the past. I think they are as good as it gets -

[PatrickMcc]

Just wanted to add a recommendation for Travel Guard. The $130 total cost sounds to good to be true to me or possibly somewhat limited but it all depends on the cost of the trip, your age and other factors and Travel Guard offers several different levels of protection. I can't say for sure they are better than any others but I did have a good experience with them. A few years ago my sister-in-law passed away. All he agencies do require written proof for claims and they wanted a death certificate. I really did not want to ask my brother to get one for me because I felt he had been so overwhelmed by this loss. I sent Travel Guard a copy of the obituary in which we were mentioned as survivors. When I called Travel Guard the woman said a death certificate is required but suggested I write a letter- I did and within a few weeks the check came I never sent a death certificate. When I was complaining about the death certificate requirement on another travel forum before I got the reimbursement most of the respondents were extremely unsympathetic to me- some were downright rude- business is business they said. Now my wife and i have taken about 15 international trips since 2000 and always insured with them so we were good customers. We usually buy upgrades also. Nevertheless I was surprised and happy to receive the check from them and have remained a loyal customer ever since.

[akersten]

It looks like the original poster found insurance, but I also recommend Travelguard. We used them for a trip to Hawaii last summer since my parents are elderly. The only reason I would have cancelled was if they were sick or had passed away. They were ok, but my luggage was lost. Travelguard took over the frustrating task of calling United each day to check on our bag, they would then call me with an update. It took my bag 21 days to show up, United reimbursed me for all of my interim expenses so Travelguard didn't have to pay. I would use them again, however.