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Your travel insurance might be worthless during hurricane season
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Does this hurricane have a name yet?
Hurricane season is upon us and ornery Ike is the latest to wreak havoc across Texas and the East coast. For some of us bargain travelers, that means lower fares and accommodations along the coastal South and Caribbean.
And while many frugal travelers are known to cut corners and take their chances with unexpected emergencies, illness, or inclement weather, others decide to shell out the cost of travel insurance, resting easy at night that they won't succumb to the weather whims.
Sorry, but it's my job to tell you that your travel insurance might be worthless, depending on when and where you bought it. Many insurance policies have a secret little loophole called the "named-event clause." In short, it means that once a tropical storm receives a name from the National Weather Service, companies don't have to pay its policy-holders who are hit by the same hurricane.
The good news is that the clause does protect against a variety of catastrophes related to hurricanes:
* Your flight cancels because you're traveling to or from a hurricane effected area.
* You're visiting an area that is under mandatory evacuation and are forced to leave.
* The mandatory evacuation has caused you to cancel or extend your vacation.
* Your home was deemed uninhabitable because of the storm and you can't return to it.
But the named clause event isn't just for hurricanes. Airline strikes, terrorist attacks and a variety of other unlikely disasters also fall under the clause.
To protect yourself, do your homework by picking a travel insurance carrier that provides additional coverage against the clause, or book early enough to beat the odds. If you've already purchased insurance, it doesn't hurt to complain and lobby for a refund or discount on an additional policy.
Email me your budget travel questions and challenges at travelexaminer@yahoo.com. I'll post them here and help you get on the open road.
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