How To Make Sure Your Trip Cancellation Doesn’t Cost You

How To Make Sure Your Trip Cancellation Doesn’t Cost You

You never book a trip you don’t intend to take, right? Let’s face it though, life gets in the way more often than we’d like to admit. And even though it might be difficult to think about possible reasons your dream vacation might not happen, it’s good to keep in mind that unforeseen circumstances do happen.

That’s why trip cancellation insurance exists and it’s always a good idea to purchase it. It might not be a solution to all travel woes, however. Let’s take a look at reasons why your insurer might be reluctant to reimburse you, so that you take care to avoid such situations, where possible.

You Didn’t See Your Doctor In Cases Of Illness Or Injury

If you are forced to change your plans due to an injury or a bad case of the flu, make sure you visit a doctor who will provide the required medical documentation you can then present to the insurance company. This is one of the first and most important tips you would get from travel insurance companies like GoBear. If you submit an insurance claim not backed up by medical proof, you can be sure that the claim is going to be rejected.

If either you or the person you are supposed to be traveling with suffers an injury or a serious medical condition that renders the trip impossible to take, chances are pretty good that’s a condition that will be covered by your insurance policy. The decision to cancel, however, should come after a trip to the doctor and be backed up by the results from the medical examination. Worst case scenario, you should see a doctor no later than 72 hours after you were supposed to start your journey in order to stand any chances of getting cancellation coverage.

Back Up Your Claim With The Proper Documentation

Imagine that a couple of days before your wildly expensive trip to Asia falls through as you learn your tour operator has gone out of business. Now who’d expect that, right? You submit your claim to the insurance company, and it gets rejected. So, what did you do wrong? Let’s see.

Sending in a single invoice you got from the tour operator is far from sufficient. All expenses you’ve made need to be properly documented, item by item, and in separate invoices, if possible. If you are unsure exactly how insurance and submitting an insurance claim work, it is a good idea to go through this useful article on the topic: https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/travel-insurance1.htm . On that note, confirmations from the tourist property, any official documents detailing the reasons why your trip did not take place, unused plane, train and bus tickets, invoices, proof of insurance payments, all of those will add weight and importance to your claim and contribute to an outcome in your favor. The more supporting documents you can get a hold of, the better chances you stand.

Don’t Cancel Your Trip Without Giving It A Second Thought

Now what does that mean? It means that you should carefully weigh in the situation you have found yourself in and judge to what extent it is reasonable to give up on your trip in view of the current circumstances. For example, you might be tempted to change your travel plans because of a delay. If you miss a connection flight or get delayed due to bad weather, make sure it is absolutely impossible to get to your travel destination before you decide to cancel.

Even though airport delays and trip obstacles can be really frustrating and often make people call the whole trip off, it is good to be aware of the fact that the insurer will respect your travel cancellation claim only if your tour operator was absolutely unable to get you to your tourist destination for a full 24-hour period from the originally intended arrival. If you make an emotional decision to interrupt your trip because you were angered or annoyed by the delay in your plans, more often than not that’s not a good reason for your insurer to reimburse you.

Read The Conditions Of Your Trip Cancellation Policy Carefully

While travel insurance policies are designed to protect you from many common possible travel mishaps, do not take it for granted that you are going to be covered in case you change your plans for whatever reason. Imagine you are about to go on a honeymoon cruise but get into a huge argument with your fiancé just before the wedding. As a result, you decide to call the whole thing off and cancel the cruise as well. In that case, do not be surprised to learn that your travel insurance claim is rejected.

In short, before you purchase a travel insurance policy, make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully. If you need additional guidelines in order to understand any of these terms and conditions, check out this useful guide for further tips and guidelines. An example would be that going through a divorce is considered a valid reason for trip cancellation, whereas breaking up with somebody, however long-term the relationship might be, is not. Same goes for the death of a family member versus the death of a pet. Seems complicated, right? Still, do not, put your signature on the policy document before you are fully informed when you can count on receiving your benefits from it, and when not.