The ongoing wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have led many people to wonder how their travel insurance, visitors medical insurance, or travel medical insurance can provide coverage in the event that a fire affects their trip. Fortunately, travel insurance and international insurance can provide a variety of different features that may be able to assist you under the natural disaster portion of their coverage.
Trip Cancellation Coverage
The primary coverage offered by travel insurance is trip cancellation coverage. If you’re forced to cancel your trip for a covered reason, your travel insurance plan can reimburse you for the nonrefundable portion of your prepaid travel expenses, such as airline tickets or hotel bookings.
If a wildfire were to cause the closure of your hotel or airport or cancel flights for at least 24 hours, you may be able to make a claim for reimbursement so long as you cannot make alternate arrangements or reservations.
Trip Interruption Coverage
If a wildfire were to spark up in the middle of your vacation, trip interruption coverage may come into play. If the fire were to affect your destination lodging, the travel insurance plan may be able to reimburse you for your remaining nonrefundable travel costs. It can also pay for alternate lodging and travel arrangements if applicable. In addition, some travel insurance plans can pay for a trip home if a wildfire or other covered event were to occur near your home while you are traveling.
Travel Medical Insurance and Visitors Insurance
Travel medical insurance (for international travel outside the USA) and visitors medical insurance (for international travel to the USA) typically do not offer trip cancellation coverage, and may provide different levels of trip interruption coverage.
However, many of these plans can offer natural disaster evacuation coverage, and most could cover the cost of evacuation due to a wildfire or other covered event. Some can also offer a natural disaster replacement accommodations benefit, which can provide a daily stipend for a certain number or days to pay for alternate accommodations when applicable.
Read the Fine Print
Every international insurance and travel insurance plan will have a policy certificate that provides a detailed explanation of its coverages and exclusions. It is very important that you read this information prior to making a purchase, as all plans are different. Take the time to compare several before deciding which plan offers the best coverage for you, and do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.