Navigating Travel Insurance

We understand that not every traveler is familiar with travel insurance, and the options can be a little overwhelming. This guide is designed to help you choose which coverage type is right for you.

If you already have travel insurance coverage or plan to use a different insurance company, please send us a copy of your policy so we have it on file.

Who do we Partner with?

We partner with Travel Guard and can prepare personalized quotes for their products. If you would like a quote including the specific coverage and benefit limits for your trip, please let us know which type of plan you are interested in.

Things to Keep in Mind when Selecting a Plan

  • Coverage benefits can vary greatly by the type of plan and the insured’s state of residence.
  • It makes sense to find a plan that fits your needs. If there are specific concerns you have, let us know and we will work with our insurance partners to find a plan that suits you.
  • ‘Trip cancellation’ does not mean that you are covered to cancel for any scenario. Most plans only cover specific situations outlined in your policy. It is essential that you review the fine print to understand what exactly is and is not covered. We will include the fine print with personalized quotes.
  • There are important early purchase benefits when travelers buy comprehensive insurance (usually within 15 days of their first trip payment; deposit or flights, whichever comes first).
  • Early purchase benefits typically include a preexisting conditions waiver, and the option to add (at cost) a ‘Cancel for any Reason’ upgrade to comprehensive plans.
  • Travel insurance is designed to cover unexpected and unforeseen events.
  • Insurance premiums are typically based on age and trip cost
  • Travelers must live at the same address to be covered under one policy.
  • Trip details (including dates and cost) can be updated even after a policy is purchased.

Insurance Plans

Medical Evacuation Insurance

Coverage for Minor & Major Medical Incidents

We recommend that all travelers at minimum have medical evacuation insurance. These types of plans cover basic medical treatment in country, or for more serious issues, transportation to an adequate hospital in a major city. If it is medically necessary, flights back to the United States are also covered. Medical Evacuation policies will often include 24/7 support to assist with any medical arrangements while you are traveling.

Comprehensive trip coverage plans include medical evacuation insurance. Many credit cards offer this service as do some personal health insurance plans. If your credit card offers coverage, it is likely your entire trip cost needs to be paid with that credit card.

Comprehensive Travel Insurance

Coverage for cancellation – Interruption delays – Baggage – Minor & Major medical incidents – Optional upgrades

Most comprehensive insurance plans provide trip cancellation or interruption coverage when canceling for a reason that is included in your specific policy. In the event of a claim, travelers can receive up to 100% reimbursement for their insured paid expenses. Typically, coverage also includes things like lost luggage, travel delays, some weather scenarios, etc. If you are someone who worries about the “what ifs” of any given situation, then purchasing a comprehensive plan is one way to ensure peace of mind should the unexpected occur before or during your trip. If you purchase a plan within 15 days of paying your deposit, many insurance companies include the preexisting conditions waiver at no additional cost. Cancel for any Reason (CFAR), described on the next page, is often available as an *upgrade (at cost) when purchasing a plan within 15 days of your deposit. Please note that aside from sickness, all cancellation reasons related to COVID-19 (including travel bans and border closures) are not covered unless’ Cancel for any Reason’ is part of your insurance policy


Below are a handful of situations we have encountered through the years where comprehensive travel insurance was useful in refunding or assisting our clients for unexpected travel issues.

  • You throw your back out the night before getting on your flight to climb Kilimanjaro.
  • A serious illness or death in the family before or during travel
  • A bush plane has mechanical issues on your departure day causing you to miss your flight home
  • You think you are having deep vein thrombosis and would feel more at ease being checked out at a hospital before continuing with your trip
  • A traveler tests positive for Covid-19 prior to travel
  • A traveler becomes pregnant prior to travel *
  • You are suddenly required to work over your scheduled trip dates*
  • Lost luggage                                                                                                                                                      

*may not be available in every state

Optional upgrades may vary by state and plan, but they can include things like increased medical expense limits, various trip inconvenience scenarios, even cancellation coverage if something happens to your beloved pet before your trip!

Preexisting conditions waiver: In the event of a claim, travel insurance companies may request documents that prove a specific cancellation reason was unforeseen. If a traveler files a claim for a medical reason, and has a preexisting condition related to the cancellation, it is likely the insurer will view the incident as foreseen.

With the waiver, it is possible to be covered for medical issues on your trip, despite your preexisting condition. The waiver is typically included at no additional cost when insurance is purchased within 15 days of the first trip payment. To retain the waiver, most insurance companies require all non-refundable trip costs (including flights) to be insured on the policy. If you are not ready to book flights yet, you can still get the waiver, but once flights are booked, they are usually required to be insured within 15 days, as well as any subsequent trip payments.

Optional Upgrade on Select Comprehensive Plans

Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) Insurance

Cancellation coverage without a covered reason

Travelers wanting cancellation coverage for reasons not included in their comprehensive plan’s terms are sometimes given the option to add the Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) *upgrade when purchasing a base plan within 15 days of their trip deposit. CFAR is for travelers who want the utmost peace of mind that should anything unforeseen OR foreseen occur, they could recover some, if not all their travel expenses. Since CFAR is often available to add onto base plans, cancellation for a covered reason could still provide up to 100% reimbursement in the event of a claim. When a traveler has CFAR, and meets their plan’s specific requirements, their cancellation reason might be ‘just because’ and they could claim (50-75%) of their paid expenses. Since regular cancellation coverage is limited to certain reasons, adding CFAR makes some travelers feel more at ease having filled in any of their plan’s coverage gaps.


Aside from sickness, cancellation reasons related to COVID-19 (including travel bans, border closures, cancelled flights, any concerns related to COVID) have not been covered under comprehensive plans without CFAR.

We can prepare a CFAR quote that offers 50% reimbursement of paid expenses in the event of a claim. There may be plans available to you that offer Cancel for any Reason coverage with 75% reimbursement. We recommend going to Travelinsurance.com if you are interested in exploring those options.

Cancel for any reason (CFAR) is sometimes available within 15 days of the first trip payment. To retain the CFAR upgrade most insurance companies require all non-refundable trip costs (including flights) to be insured on the policy. If you are not ready to book flights yet, you could still get CFAR, but once flights are booked, most insurance companies require them to be added to the policy within 15 days, as well as any subsequent trip payments. Cancellations are typically required to occur no less than 48 hours prior to departure, but you must review your specific plan’s fine print.