Is Annual Travel Insurance Right for You?

With recent winter weather panics canceling flights and wreaking havoc for travelers around the globe, there have been lots of stories about travel nightmares -- airline passengers stranded in airports, having an impossibly difficult time dealing with customer service agents, losing vacation and/or work time and certainly lots of money. It's like pulling teeth to get an airline to accept any responsibility for any kind of inconvenience, and not only are they not shelling out for hotel rooms for stranded passengers, they often make it even more complicated and pricey to schedule alternate flights when others get canceled. The sad truth is that there are a lot of bullies in the travel industry, and customer service is pretty much a complete misnomer. You can protect yourself against many kinds of travel hassles with annual travel insurance. Read more to find out if annual travel insurance is right for you.


When is annual travel insurance better than insuring my individual trips?
If you don't travel very much, or don't travel to places that are at very high risk for weather-related problems and cancellations (think snow or hurricanes), you probably don't need annual travel insurance. It's probably more cost-effective for you to insure individual trips, if you're going to purchase travel insurance at all. But if you travel frequently, annual travel insurance can cover all those trips under one policy.

What kind of protection can I get with my annual travel insurance?
You know all those things that airlines and hotels won't give you refunds for? You can get annual travel insurance policies that cover most all of these things and more -- from acts of God to acts of terrorism, lost luggage, financial default on the part of your travel provider, health emergencies, lost work, and any rescheduling needs. If you've ever had to cancel or reschedule a vacation, you know how expensive that can get, from change fees to non-refundable deposits and reservations. Annual travel insurance can cover these costs for you in the event that you need or simply choose to make changes to your travel plans.

With most annual travel insurance policies, you can customize your coverage to fit your travel agenda. It's always a good idea to protect yourself against cancellations and the expenses that go along with them, but definitely consider health coverage as well, especially if you're going to be traveling internationally.

Where can I get a quote or purchase annual travel insurance?
The easiest way to research and purchase annual travel insurance is online. Services like Travel Guard, Voyager Insurance, and Travel Protecta offer customizable annual travel insurance with user-friendly online quote tools.

If you've ever been burned by an unexpected travel complication, you know how valuable travel insurance can be. Hopefully you won't have to find out the hard way.