Trip Insurance

TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE – SHOULD I GET IT?

TRAVEL PROTECTION PRODUCTS

TRAVEL SE


The best-selling policy. Policy includes trip cancellation and trip interruption benefits in addition to medical and emergency evacuation coverage. Commonly filed claims include injury prior to trip, travel delay, and hospitalization or death of a family member.


Example A: Frank and Linda insure their trip for $2,000 each. Linda hurts her knee prior to the trip. Frank and Linda submit a cancellation request and are refunded up to $4,000 of losses.


Example B: Jeff and David graduate from college and book a tour and buy insurance. Jeff’s grandma passes away before the trip. Both Jeff and David can file a cancellation claim.

TRAVEL LX


This policy includes all the benefits of the Travel SE but also includes an optional upgrade to CANCEL FOR ANY REASON benefits (example, your son’s baseball team has a championship game and you would rather go to the game and not take your tour). To be eligible to CANCEL FOR ANY REASON you must purchase the policy within 20 days of initial trip payment and purchase the Optional Upgrade. Small business owners particularly like this benefit, especially if they have a history of not being able to get away from work. Important Note: Not available in the state of New York.

Important Note: To obtain full policy benefits and waiver of pre-existing conditions, you must follow these guidelines:


  • Travel SE trip insurance should be purchased within 20 days of your initial payment or deposit.
  • Travel LX trip insurance should be purchased no later than 24 hours after your final payment or deposit.


INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS


If you are traveling from abroad, the Travel SE or Travel LX are highly recommended. Not only would you insure the cost of your trip, but you’d also have medical coverage, which is extremely important when traveling to the United States.

Get A Quote on Travel Protection Insurance

It is not uncommon that some of our guests must cancel their trips due to unforeseen reasons. We strongly recommend buying Travel Protection Insurance. Prior to trip departure, a sudden illness or injury involving yourself, a family member, or a travel companion can lead to a canceled trip. Also, unexpected travel interruptions and delays can cause guests to miss the tour departure. Travel Protection Insurance also provides full medical coverage in the event of an accident or illness incurred while traveling.


When Four Season Guides secures your tour, we incur many non-refundable expenses. When a guest cancels a reservation, we must enforce our cancellation policy. Once you are within 30 days of the departure date (or 60 days for Phantom Ranch and Custom/Private trips), these consequences become significant and result in a full forfeiture of your trip cost. Furthermore, the majority of travel insurance claims happen one week prior to trip departure. For this reason, we strongly recommend buying Travel Protection Insurance.


Here are the most common claims we see:


  • Sickness or injury prior to trip (includes insured or travel companion)
  • Weather – missed connecting flight and last-minute cancellations
  • Hospitalization or death of a grandparent, elderly parent, or immediate family member
  • Job Loss, Job Relocation, Revocation of Approved Time Off
  • Jury Duty
  • Trip destination becomes uninhabitable from a wildfire or flooding


Also, while injuries or medical emergencies that happen during a hike are extremely rare, they are covered in full. A more likely example would be a guest who catches the flu, gets food poisoning, or sprains an ankle while traveling to their destination. Not only could these require a doctor’s visit, but you would also miss your tour. Travel Protection Insurance would cover these costs entirely.


With Travel Protection Insurance, you can insure just your trip cost with Four Season Guides, or you can include your flights, hotels, and other travel costs. If you have not yet booked hotel or air, you can estimate those costs when you buy Travel Protection Insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • WHO BUYS TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE?

    The more a person travels, the more inclined they are to purchase travel protection insurance. Most travelers learn the hard way, as to the importance of travel protection insurance. Once a person files a travel protection insurance claim, they clearly see the value in including it as a normal cost associated with traveling.

  • WHAT DOES TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE COVER?

    The most common coverages under BOTH the TRAVEL SE and TRAVEL LX plans are:


    • Trip Cancellation
    • Injury prior to trip: knee, ankle, back, etc.
    • Illness prior to trip: flu, bad sinus infection, sudden illness
    • Hospitalization of family member: grandma, grandpa, parent, spouse, sibling, child, grandchild, adopted child.
    • Trip Interruption
    • Travel complications
    • Food poisoning
    • Emergency back home – example hospitalization of grandma
    • Medical Emergency while Traveling
    • Sickness while traveling
    • Injury while traveling
    • Baggage and personal effects

    Less likely Claims, but Covered Services

    • Emergency medical / evacuation / repatriation
    • Return of remains
    • Lost passport / Identification

  • WHAT POLICY SHOULD I GET?

    The Travel SE is the most popular option. Most Four Season Guides travelers view this product to align with their insurance needs. Here are some reasons to buy Travel LX:


    LX benefit of Cancel for ANY REASON as outlined below. *Important Notice: to be eligible to CANCEL FOR ANY REASON you must purchase the policy within 20 days of initial trip payment and purchase the Optional Upgrade).


    • Fear of Traveling would be covered at 75% – example afraid to travel….
    • Travel LX allows a person to walk away from a trip with NO REASON. While NO Reason is covered at 75%. Covered Reasons would still be covered at 100%.

    NOTICE: Since COVID-19, many travelers who are leery of traveling prefer the LX option, including the Optional Upgrade (LX not available to NY Residents).

  • MY JOB IS HARD TO GET AWAY FROM. I OWN A SMALL BUSINESS AND SOMETIMES I JUST CAN’T LEAVE WORK. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

    The LX Product with the Optional Cancel For Any Reason Upgrade would be the best option. The LX allows you to cancel at full reimbursement for all the covered reasons at 100% (as listed above and in your policy), but also ANY other reason (arbitrary reasons) at 75% for all the non-listed reasons.


    If you have the LX policy you could cancel for ANY REASON; however, you MUST purchase the policy within 20 days of initial deposit date and purchase the optional Cancel For Any Reason Upgrade to utilize ANY REASON benefits. Here are some examples of ANY REASON:


    • A realtor who is pending a sale – Any Reason
    • An IT consultant who has sudden projects – Any Reason
    • A trial lawyer who is known to skip vacations – Any Reason
    • A person with farm who would want to stay home if an animal became ill – Any Reason
    • A person with an elderly pet who would cancel if the pet became ill – Any Reason
    • A sports fan who’d skip his tour if his team qualifies for the championship game – Any Reason
    • An active traveler who may be too tired to do their tour – Any Reason
    • A person who has a history of canceling their trips for no reason – Any Reason

  • WHEN DO I BUY MY TRIP INSURANCE?

    Trip insurance should be purchased within 20 days of your initial payment or deposit on the Travel SE and no later than 24-hours of your final deposit for the Travel LX. This is the way seasoned travelers purchase their policy. If you purchase outside this window, your policy will not pay claims on pre-existing conditions. Pre-existing conditions are a condition that began before your trip was ever purchased.


    Example: Peter has a back that has been doing fine, but sometimes it acts up on him. Peter would want to purchase his policy within the correct timeframe so his back is covered.


    Example: Jane has a history of knee problems. She has been fine and loves to hike, but she does have a medical history on her knee and gets regular injections. Jane should buy her policy within the correct timeframe.

  • DO I HAVE TO BUY MY TRIP INSURANCE WITHIN 20 DAYS OF THE DEPOSIT?

    You can buy trip insurance anytime. However, pre-existing will not be covered unless you buy within 20 days of your initial payment or deposit on the Travel SE and no later than 24-hours of your final deposit for the Travel LX. Furthermore, the Travel LX product (with CANCEL FOR ANY REASON Upgrade) will only accept ANY REASON claims if you buy within the first 20 days.

  • CAN I CANCEL MY TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE AND GET MY MONEY BACK?

    Like most insurance products, you do get a 10 Day Free Look Period. During this window you can cancel and get all your money back. If you cancel after 10 days, you cannot get a refund. However, after 10 days the insurance company allows you to move your trip dates. This comes in handy when a traveler must change their travel dates. The traveler simply sends notice that his dates of travel have changed, and a new certificate of insurance is issued.

  • I AM TAKING MY FAMILY ON A TOUR. IF ONE OF US GETS INJURED, CAN WE ALL FILE A CLAIM?

    Yes, this is the exact reason you buy trip insurance. For example, if a family of seven were on a policy, and one person became injured, the entire family could file a claim, and everyone would have a Trip Cancellation Claim.

  • HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR A CLAIM TO PROCESS?

    A claim could process in as quickly as 2 weeks. However, many claims take about 3 weeks from start to finish.

  • DO I REALLY NEED TO BUY TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE?

    No, you don’t have to buy travel protection insurance, but the data shows the more traveled a person is, the more inclined they are to have insurance. A well-traveled person will have experience from being injured or sick while traveling or know of someone who has. It is tremendously stressful to cancel a trip and lose not only money but also miss out on the great experience that comes with traveling.

  • WHAT IS THE TRAVEL LITE PRODUCT?

    The Travel LITE Product has lower coverage limits, never covers pre-existing, and most importantly is categorized as a secondary insurance. Due to Four Season Guides offering active trips that take place in remote areas, the Travel SE or Travel LX would be a better fit as they are primary policies and do not rely on any other coverage you may or may not have. As a consumer, it would be far better to spend a few extra dollars for the recommended Travel SE or LX Product.


    Get A Quote on Trip Insurance

  • HOW DO I GET MORE INFORMATION?

    Please contact Laura Bass. Laura handles travel protection insurance and international medical insurance for a multitude of companies around the world. She does not charge any service fees, so please be respectful of her time. She will help you identify the best product for your needs and there are no costs associated with her assistance. See her contact information below:


    Email Laura Bass at FSGuides@EasyToInsureME.com

    US: Call 877-259-6186

    Direct/International: 615-843-0572

NEED HELP? WANT TO LEARN MORE?

For additional information please scroll below to see our Travel Protection Insurance FAQs. Or if you prefer communicating with a real, live person, feel free to contact our exclusive agent, Laura Bass. Laura handles trip insurance and international medical insurance for a multitude of companies around the world. She will help you identify the best product for your needs and there is no cost associated with her assistance. See her contact information below.


Email Laura Bass at FSGuides@EasyToInsureME.com

US: Call 877-259-6186

Direct/International: 615-843-0572