USVI-On-Line

Hi all!

This is our 8th trip to STJ but for the first time we're considering travel insurance, due to the fact that we'll be traveling within 'H' season in early August.

Is it worth it? Does it cover airfare & villa? Any recommendations on the best company to use? Any good/bad experiences, specifically with H-related insurance cancellations?

Any advice is much appreciated!

Thanks,
Sarah

We had to cancel a trip to Kauai due to DH's health and I wished I had travel insurance. We subsequently got insurance for our last trip to STJ (DH was with us) and now I have it for our trip for 8 Tuff next year (just me and the kids, and we're all healthy but still worth it.)

I'd say yes, at least make the call to see what it costs. It was less expensive than I thought it would be and the sooner you get it after booking your trip the better. Especially during hurricane season I think it's worth it; it should cover villa, airfare, and jeep rental (deposits at least.) It also should have provisions for medical care if you have an emergency, being evacuated, theft, etc. I would ask all those questions about coverage to make sure.

There is a link in the upper left corner of this web site for CSA. Many have used them. I haven't used CSA but in other threads about travel insurance people seemed to like them.

Don't know if this link will work or not, but I want to direct you to a thread on the off topic forum regarding trip insurance. We had HUGE success with Travel Guard when our trip got messed up due to Hurricane Irene. I highly recommend getting insurance in your situation.

virgin-islands-on-line.com/virgin-islands/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21366&hilit=travel+guard+trip+insurance&sid=113a05c50cb3ed46fb279f93676faab0

We are also traveling in Aug and the first thing I did after booking was get trip insurance. The cost is minimal when compared to the cost of the trip.

CSA sponsors the forum, and I remember a really good report not to long ago. Do check the limitations on what they cover.

We have purchased trip insurance several times from CSA using the link on the forum site, mostly because my Mother In Law was very ill with cancer. But we have not purchased every trip. However, I will purchase every trip from now on and this is why: on our trip a few weeks ago, one of our travelors began to have stomach issues and we took her to the clinic in St John. They determined she needed an emergency appendectomy. She went by ambulance to the Nat. Park Dock, water ambulance to St. Thomas, then another ambulance to the hospital on STT plus all the medical expenses of the hospital stay and procedure. Had she purchased trip insurance, it would have paid a considerable amount of the emergency transportation and medical bills.

Thanks so much, everyone -- great info & recommendations!!

I really like using the website insuremytrip.com. I have purchased travel insurance this way several times.You can get a quote, compare prices, see the insurance company's rating and choose what you think would best fit your needs.
I feel insurance is necessary, piece of mind. Good luck! Have a great trip.

Lark - make sure you really read your future policy as it relates to hurricanes. Someone on the forum got a nasty surprise when they were not covered for a hurricane because STJ didn't have a mandatory evacuation, which was a condition for a claim. STJ never has mandatory evacs. If I remember correctly, they got booted from their villa and had to check into Gallows. Their claim was denied. I seem to remember someone else was denied a claim because x% of their vacation was already completed.

We started getting insurance for non-mainland US trips after our son was born. My main motivation is the medical evacuation coverage. This is also an area where you need to read the fine print. Some policies cover to closest hospital (St. Thomas for example) while others cover evacuation to the closest major hospital (Miami, for example).

My close friend lost both of her parents while she was on vacation, two separate instances. Both of her claims were paid. One required a bit of back and forth paperwork but in the end, it was paid.

Booking of your trip and timing of the purchase of trip insurance can be important too if you are concerned about pre-existing medical conditions.

I have used CSA and tried to make a claim when both my mother and sister had serious health issues that prevented me from traveling at the time I intended. My mistake, if you call it that, was that I was able to reschedule but that cost me money in flight plans, etc. In my mind, which I admit was not that clear at the time, I was cancelling my vacation. In the insurance rules I merely changed my plans and that cost me more out of pocket so that was my choice and cost.
From a financial perspective I would have been better off cancelling everything.

We have purchased it for many trips for the last 10 years at least. In hurricane season i would definitely get it- just check to make sure it covers hurricanes- they have different levels of protection. It also covers many other things like trip interruption and lost luggage. Now we purchase it for the emergency medical evacuation to the hospital of our choice. I have only used it once when a close relative died but it is worth the peace of mind. (for me at least).

We both sell the CSA brand insurance, and have used it over and over, and have made several claims over the last 8 years. I can recommend it personally, and as long as you read the policy and fine print, etc. you should not be surprised by anything that comes up.

If you purchase from the CSA link at the upper left of this page, the forum gets a commission, which is becoming more and more important to us -

And as always - I thank all of you who have purchased in the past - it really makes a difference!

We have always purchased travel insurance for our STJ trips. Like you, we always travel during H season. There are fine print items you need to be aware of, but I think it is almost a necessary evil.

One other point to note: some villa mgmt companies REQUIRE travel insurance during H season.

With the amount of money you are shelling out for the trip, insurance is a small amount for great peace of mind. We will always get it. Its a couple hundred bucks and covers airfare, villa, car rental, etc. Just really read the differences in the policies and chose what works best for you.

I purchase insurance for all of my travel, and having had to use it once, it's been a good investment. I go through the site Trip Insurance Store. They have excellent customer service and answer all your questions which helps to make sure you're getting everything covered that you need. They offer several companies (Travelguard, etc) so you can get a quote and compare options.