Travel is bigger than ever this July and it seems as though there has been no shortage of tragedy. There has been over half a dozen shark attacks and two, very tragic terrorist attacks most recently. Now, more than ever, travelers are beginining to understand the risks they are faced with while traveling domestic and abroad.
We are going to focus on two benefits this month that could aid your clients in times of need.
Trip Interruption
Imagine being on the beach as your child sreams shark. He stumbles out of the water, blood streaming down his thigh. This was the scene on the coasts of North Carolina this previous weekend, before a boy was medically evacuated from shore to Norfolk hospital.
Depending on the seriousness of the injuries he sustained, the boy may have to be hospitalized for a period of time, or even sent home to heal properly. After a something as tragic and unexpected as a shark attack, a family should not have to worry about the reprecussions of having to cancel their trip. They should be able to focus on their son.
TravelSafe's trip interruption benefit would be able to do just that. The family would be able to file a claim for the remainder of their trip, of any prepaid expenses. They would be reimbursed for their hotel, car rental and any other prepaid travel expenses they would have to miss.
Trip Cancellation
A terrorist has struck again in Sousse. After 38 were gunned down, thousands of tourists have decided to flee the island. Many vacationers who planned to travel to Sousse, will be cancelling their trips. They just do not feel safe traveling to the beaches.
The recent attack has made one thing evident to travelers, the country needs massive security reform. This attack was the second of this year. Twenty-two were killed at the National Bardo Museum in March. Many travelers may have felt the odds for a second attack were low, and traveled to Sousse despite the recent attack.
Now, travelers are cancelling their trips, and they are doing so quickly. While Sousse is not a popular destination for American travelers, this is still an example of how travel insurance can help. In the event your client's destination has suffered a terrorist incident within 30 days of your departure date, your client is covered to cancel their trip and will be refunded all prepaid travel expenses.
Emergency Evacuation
Last month we covered emergency evacuation as one of June's Travel Insurance Benefit features (you can read the full article here if you missed it). However, we cannot stress enough how important this benefit truly is as most medical insurance policies do not cover evacuations for medical emergencies, and they definitely do not cover it for non-medical emergencies (i.e. terrorist attacks, earthquakes, etc.).
Emergency evacuation can cover your clients if they are issued to leave by local authorities, or the U.S. State Department for a natural disaster, civil, military or political unrest and being expelled or declared a persona non-grata by a country they are visiting during their trip.
While many travelers may feel as though the odds are low, it is best to have them prepared in the event one of these benefits is needed. Be sure to advise your clients to review their plan certificate and call Team TravelSafe with any questions about their coverage.
