Is Travel Insurance Really Worth It?

Real Travel Stories and What You Should Know Before Your Next Trip

Travel protection is one of those things you hope you never need—until you really need it.

I can tell you from personal experience that driving from Miami to Memphis is a LONG way home when you weren’t planning on making that drive!

In 2024, an ice storm canceled our flight home from Miami, and my husband and I ended up renting a car and driving back to Tennessee. Later that year, tornado warnings in Memphis caused a flight my son and I were taking from Los Angeles to divert to Dallas. Once again, we found ourselves renting a car and driving home.

Neither situation was something we could have anticipated. And because we didn’t have travel protection for those trips, those unexpected expenses came straight out of our pockets.

As a travel advisor, I’ve also seen the other side of that equation. I’ve helped clients recover thousands of dollars when an injury prevented them from traveling, receive reimbursement after flight cancellations left them stranded, and navigate medical emergencies while cruising.

That’s why I recommend travel protection. Not because I expect something to go wrong, but because I’ve seen firsthand how quickly travel plans can change.

What Happens When You Can’t Take Your Trip?

Sometimes, the unexpected happens before you ever leave home.

I once had a client who suffered an eye injury that prevented him from flying to his vacation destination. He had already invested money in his trip, and suddenly he wasn’t medically able to travel.

Fortunately, he had purchased travel protection. Because his circumstances qualified for coverage, he was able to recover the entire cost of his vacation package.

Imagine how different that situation could have been without coverage!

An unexpected illness, injury, death in the family, or even an involuntary job loss can completely change someone’s travel plans.

Some travel protection policies include these circumstances as covered reasons for trip cancellation, provided specific eligibility requirements are met.

It’s important to remember that travel protection isn’t just about what happens while you’re traveling. It’s also about what can happen in your life before you ever leave home.

What Happens When Your Trip Doesn’t Go as Planned?

Flight delays and cancellations are frustrating enough on their own. But when those disruptions turn into unexpected hotel stays, meals, transportation costs, and other expenses, the financial impact can add up quickly.

I had a client who experienced repeated flight cancellations while trying to get home from Washington, D.C.

What should have been a straightforward trip home turned into additional expenses for hotel accommodations, food, transportation, and even clothing.

Fortunately, this client had purchased travel protection and was reimbursed for eligible expenses.

Depending on the policy and the circumstances, travel delay benefits may help reimburse reasonable additional expenses when a covered delay exceeds the minimum time specified in the plan.

Trip interruption coverage may also help when a covered event forces you to cut your vacation short or interrupts your travel plans.

And here’s something travelers don’t always realize: Just because an airline cancels your flight doesn’t necessarily mean the airline will cover all the additional expenses you incur.

Airline responsibilities and insurance benefits are separate things. That’s one reason having appropriate travel protection can make such a difference.

Of course, every policy has limits, exclusions, and requirements. Not every flight delay qualifies for reimbursement, and not every unexpected expense is covered.

Understanding your coverage before traveling is important.

What About Medical Emergencies Away From Home?

This is one of the areas where I think travel protection deserves particular attention.

In 2022, we were sailing on the Disney Dream when we witnessed a passenger being medically evacuated from the ship by the United States Coast Guard.

At the time, we had no idea who the passenger was. It wasn’t until we returned home that we learned the person who had been evacuated was actually a client of our travel agency who happened to be sailing on the same cruise!

Through that connection, we also learned that the Coast Guard had not charged the passenger for the evacuation itself.

It’s one thing to think about a medical emergency happening during a vacation. It’s another thing entirely to witness one, and then discover afterward that it involved someone connected to our agency.

While the Coast Guard did not charge for that particular evacuation, that doesn’t mean every expense associated with a medical emergency is free.

Medical treatment, hospitalization, additional accommodations, and transportation home can become extremely expensive, particularly when you’re traveling internationally.

Many travelers don’t realize that their regular health insurance may provide limited coverage—or potentially no coverage at all—outside the United States.

And even when a health insurance policy provides international medical benefits, emergency medical transportation may not be included.

Cruise passengers should pay particular attention to this. Medical facilities onboard ships have limitations, and a serious medical emergency may require treatment at a hospital in a foreign country.

That’s why I encourage my clients to understand the emergency medical and medical evacuation benefits included in their travel protection plans.

It’s not necessarily the most exciting part of planning a vacation, but it can be one of the most important.

What Happens When You Actually Need to File a Claim?

Here’s something I always remind my clients:

Purchasing travel protection is only part of the equation. If something goes wrong and you need to file a claim, documentation is extremely important.

Let’s say your flight is delayed or canceled, and you’re stuck overnight somewhere you never intended to be.

You suddenly have expenses for a hotel, meals, transportation, and possibly even clothing or other necessities.

My advice? SAVE EVERYTHING!

Keep screenshots of your flight status, emails and text notifications from the airline, and any written explanation of why your flight was delayed or canceled.

Insurance companies may also require official written verification from the airline documenting the disruption and its cause.

This is something we can request directly from the airline to help support your claim.

And don’t throw away those receipts!

Here’s one of my favorite tips: Take a picture of every paper receipt as soon as you receive it. When you’re dealing with canceled flights, hotel stays, meals, and unexpected transportation, it’s easy to accumulate a pile of little paper receipts. Those slips of paper can get lost, thrown away, or become difficult to read.

Taking a quick picture with your phone means you’ve immediately preserved that documentation if you need it later. I also recommend keeping the original receipts whenever possible.

That Uber ride to the hotel, dinner at the airport, unexpected hotel stay, or necessary clothing purchase may all be expenses worth documenting, depending on your coverage.

I recommend keeping documentation of:

• Flight disruptions: Airline emails, text messages, screenshots, cancellation notices, and official written verification of delays or cancellations.
• Original travel purchases: Booking confirmations, invoices, airline ticket receipts, and other records showing what you purchased.
• Proof of payment: Credit card or bank statements showing the payments made for your trip.
• Additional expenses: Itemized receipts for hotels, meals, rideshares, taxis, transfers, and necessary purchases resulting from the disruption.
• Refunds or credits: Documentation showing any refunds issued, travel credits received, or cancellation penalties charged by travel suppliers.
• Medical emergencies: Medical records, physician statements, and other documentation required by the insurance provider.

Something that surprises many travelers is that the insurance company may require copies of credit card or bank statements showing the original trip purchases. Your booking invoice alone may not be sufficient.

For example, an invoice might show that you paid $3,000 for a vacation, but the insurance company may also want documentation verifying that the payment was actually made.

They may also need to know whether the hotel, airline, cruise line, or tour operator refunded any portion of your trip.

The insurance company needs to understand three things:

What happened? How much money did you actually lose or spend? And what documentation supports your claim?

It’s also important to begin the claims process promptly and follow the insurer’s instructions and deadlines. Don’t assume you can wait indefinitely to report an incident or gather the necessary information.

And this is another area where working with an experienced travel advisor can make a difference.

I’ve helped dozens of clients prepare and submit travel protection claims over the years.

While I can’t guarantee a claim will be approved—that decision belongs to the insurance company—I am familiar with the types of documentation insurers typically request.

I can help my clients gather booking records, understand what documentation is needed, request appropriate information from suppliers or airlines, and put together an organized submission.

When you’re already dealing with a disrupted vacation, having someone help you navigate that process can be a tremendous relief.

My job doesn’t end when your vacation begins, and it doesn’t necessarily end when you return home, either.

Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute to Purchase Travel Protection

Something many travelers don’t realize is that when you purchase travel protection can be just as important as which plan you choose.

Certain benefits, including Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage and waivers for pre-existing medical conditions, may have specific eligibility requirements and purchase deadlines tied to your initial trip deposit.

Not all plans offer these benefits, and requirements can vary significantly between policies.

That’s why I encourage my clients to consider travel protection early in the planning process. It’s important to review the specific terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions of your chosen plan before purchasing so you understand exactly what you’re buying and when coverage applies.

The last thing you want is to discover that a benefit you thought you had isn’t actually included in your policy.

Not All Travel Protection Plans Are Created Equal

Just as vacations differ, travel protection plans differ, too.

A family spending a week at Disney World may have very different coverage priorities from a couple cruising through Europe or someone taking an expensive bucket-list vacation halfway around the world.

Some travelers are primarily concerned about losing their prepaid vacation investment.

Others may be more concerned about emergency medical treatment, evacuation coverage, or unexpected travel delays.

Some plans provide broader benefits than others, and even policies that sound similar can have significant differences in coverage limits, exclusions, and eligibility requirements.

It’s also important to understand that travel protection is not a guarantee that every unexpected expense will be reimbursed. Every claim is evaluated under the terms of the specific policy purchased.

That’s why I encourage travelers to review their coverage carefully and ask questions before purchasing.

The least expensive policy isn’t necessarily the best policy for your particular trip.

The goal is to select protection that makes sense for your travel plans, your investment, and your individual concerns.

Protect the Vacation You’ve Worked So Hard For

You work hard for your money, and vacations aren’t inexpensive.

Whether you’re saving for a family trip to Disney, celebrating a honeymoon, taking a long-awaited anniversary trip, or finally checking that bucket-list destination off your list, you’ve invested more than just money into making those memories.

You’ve invested your time, your excitement, and sometimes years of planning and saving.

You can’t prevent every illness, canceled flight, weather event, or unexpected emergency.

But you can take steps to protect the money you’ve invested.

Travel protection isn’t about expecting the worst. It’s about being prepared for the unexpected.

I never want my clients to need their travel protection. But if something goes wrong, I want them to be glad they have it.

And just as importantly, I want them to know they don’t have to navigate those unexpected situations alone.

You’ve worked hard for your vacation. Make sure you’ve taken steps to protect it.

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Travel protection benefits, coverage limits, exclusions, and eligibility requirements vary by policy. Always review your specific plan documents before purchasing.