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NYT Profile on hurricane insurance while traveling

While much of the nation has been spared any sort of adverse weather as a result of tropical storms or hurricanes, insuring one’s home is not the only way precaution may be taken by people, regardless on where they live. One helpful tip is to avoid any sort of delay or detriment to travel enjoyment by insuring your trip or vacation.

Article writer Michelle Higgins recounts various trips she has taken and the security insurance now provides. She writes

Several years passed before we returned to the Caribbean in hurricane season. In October 2007, my husband and I rented a house on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. The three-bedroom home was perched on a hilltop, and its pool offered clear views of the bioluminescent bay and remote beaches. The October rate was a bargain, and other than a few afternoon showers, we escaped any foul weather.

This year, we decided to press our luck again. Why? Because we were getting hurricane insurance.

Basic travel insurance typically covers hurricanes or other unexpected weather events. This can offer peace of mind to travelers going to a storm-prone region. If a hurricane shuts down the airport or wipes out the hotel, for example, you don’t lose the money you spent on the vacation.

But some companies have started going a step further, offering more specific storm-related benefits like hurricane-warning protection. With this type of insurance, travelers don’t have to wait until a hurricane ruins their vacation to get their money back. Rather, hurricane-warning coverage generally allows cancellation of a trip within 24 hours of departure if the destination is under an official hurricane warning from the National Hurricane Center.

The article goes on but the general idea is that a variety of situation-specific provisions exist. By researching before your trip and looking into anything a travel agent or the company you are buying through, or in the event it is a trip just researching the internet or your rental car company, valuable time and money can be preserved. Some companies might let you go on the trip again while others may simply reimburse a portion of your trip. Either way, being an educated traveler can be quite helpful when hurricanes sweep through, if they do. And if they don’t, at least knowing you’re protected can make travelers less wary about the weather day to day.

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