(WHTM) — Hurricanes Helen and Milton sent tens of thousands of people home and ruined vacations if travelers didn’t have travel insurance.
Beverly Moorman had to cut short her trip to Florida and “there was a forced evacuation off the island,” she said.
Although she knows her problems are minor compared to those living on the Gulf Coast, getting home early was expensive.
“We had to pay for a new ticket. Our car had it the whole time and they didn’t give us a refund or anything,” Moorman said. .
In this situation, it’s very easy to get a voucher for a future airline trip, but it can be much harder to get an Airbnb refund or a full cruise refund.
This is where travel insurance becomes valuable.
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A few years ago, Queen Jones and Sheila Smoot each lost hundreds of dollars after missing a cruise when their flight was canceled due to bad weather. “It was never explained to me that I needed to get insurance because of the weather” —
According to NerdWallet, there are two types of insurance, and both are worth considering.
Travel insurance covers lost baggage, medical treatment, and emergency medical evacuation.
Trip cancellation insurance will reimburse you if you cancel for reasons such as weather, illness, or unemployment.
What happens if you lose your vacation rental?
Vrbo’s Auto Book with Confidence Guarantee and Airbnb’s AirCover Guarantee cover you if your property becomes unavailable, but not if you cancel.
So consider paying an extra $100 or so for insurance like Beth Akins. “I always buy aviation insurance around this time every year when I go to Florida,” she said.
So consider travel insurance, even if it’s a basic plan offered by Airbnb or a cruise line. Don’t waste your money.
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