Trip Insurance

[Marcia (Mrs. Pete)]

As far as buying Trip Insurance re: Hurricane season -

Be advised that if you get chased out of your villa because a hurricane is approaching the island, and have to leave early or rent rooms in a hotel, you will NOT be covered if you have completed over 50% of your planned vacation OR have 4 days or less left on your planned vacation.

This happened to us with CSA, and I've found the same or similiar clause in most other trip insurance verbiage.

So for us, 14-day vacation in STJ, 4 days left in Paradise, Hurricane Earl hits very close to island, villa boarded up, we must leave, forced to go to Gallows Point to stay, resulting in an additional $1300 in unexpected charges......NO COVERAGE.

I am not bad-mouthing CSA. I believe all the insurance co.s have similar wording in their policies. Still, it comes as a huge shock, as you would believe that you are covered. We still buy TI when going to STJ in August.

Most of the good coverage to take care of almost any scenario is BEFORE and during the first half of your trip. After that, travel plans change due to weather is severely curtailed or unavailable.

A word of warning to all.

I don't know how we escaped this clause because we were more than 50% into our vacation and had only 3 nights left but got covered for the loss of our vacation home rental and the extra expenses for 3 nights in a hotel (including food) for all six of us with Travel Guard. I wonder if that was something I selected when picking the plan...I went for the most coverage possible, knowing that I was arranging a trip during the height of hurricane season, going to a barrier island in North Carolina. Wow. I feel lucky!