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Free travel insurance (limited time only)! Cancel for any reason and get a 100% refund

In what may well be a travel industry first, Uniworld, to encourage the travel-shy, is offering free travel insurance on most of their 60 European river cruises in April and May of this year.

With Uniworld’s “Worry-free Travel Protection Gold Plan,” guests can cancel for any reason up until the day of departure. Cancellation coverage guarantees a refund of 100% of the cruise cost in cash and travel certificates.

Seniors and the preexisting-condition clause

Ruth Harris of Concordia, KS, sent ITN the following letter: “We have all been warned to watch for a ‘preexisting-condition clause’ in travel insurance. Uniworld has changed the company from which they get their travel insurance for their travel packages; consequently, if you are over 70 years of age, you may not want to buy your travel insurance through Uniworld.

Caution for freighter passengers

Graham Collins of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, found out the hard way that the fine print in his Trip Mate travel insurance policy did not cover an unexpected change in his freighter’s itinerary.

Early in 2001 he boarded a freighter for a round-trip Vancouver/Chile/Vancouver itinerary. When booking with TravLtips, he was encouraged to purchase a travel insurance package for US$340.

Travel insurance complications due to the September 11, 2001, attack

How did the travel insurance industry respond to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack and how did this affect travel insurance coverages for this period and for subsequent travel?

Shortly after September 11th, a few travel insurance company websites quickly provided detailed answers to policy holders who had questions regarding canceled, delayed or interrupted trips.

Travel insurance, travel safety and State Department advisories

Trip-cancellation/interruption coverage

Will your trip-cancellation policy pay if you cancel a tour prior to departure because you feel uneasy due to political unrest or threats of terrorist problems?

The short answer is no.

The following information comprises expansion and correction of the article 'Travel insurance trend: dumping the over-age-75 traveler?' (April 2000, page 68)

Stand-alone emergency medical evacuation service

Worldwide Assistance provides emergency medical evacuation service, but it must be purchased through Travel Assistance International (phone 800/821-2828 or 317/818-2099).

This coverage has no upper age limit, and there is no upper dollar limit on the amount of the evacuation/repatriation benefit.

Travel insurance trend: dumping the over-age-75 traveler?

Effective April 1999, TEN (Traveler’s Emergency Network; phone 800/275-4836) no longer provides emergency evacuation service for anyone over the age of 74.

Effective November 1999, one of Access America’s most popular travel insurance policies no longer waives the preexisting-medical-condition clause for the over-age-75 traveler. (Thanks to Noeline Kelly of Corpus Christi, TX, for the tip.)

The ‘preexisting medical condition’ clause

The ins and outs of emergency medical evacuation coverage

Basics of evacuation coverage

Emergency medical evacuation service is very rarely needed but can be extremely expensive. It is one of the travel emergencies usually not provided for in your “at home” health insurance coverage.

For purposes of this article, the term “emergency medical evacuation” will also include “repatriation.”

Insurers define emergency medical evacuation as transportation to where the nearest appropriate medical treatment can be provided, by the most direct and economical route possible.

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