Pristine white-sand beaches along the Caribbean Sea draw thousands of Americans to the Cayman Islands each year to enjoy sun and warm weather.
Daniel Durazo, spokesperson with Allianz Partners USA, says the islands’ accessibility to the U.S. East Coast makes it “a favorite tropical escape for romance and relaxation” and is also popular with cruise ships.
Traveling to the Caymans can be quite an investment that includes non-refundable flight, hotel, tour and excursion costs. One way to offset that risk is to buy a comprehensive travel insurance policy with trip cancellation, delay and interruption; medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation; and baggage coverage.
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Trip Cancellation Insurance for Calling Off Coral Gardens
Trip cancellation insurance is a key part of the best travel insurance policies. It compensates you for your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs if you cancel a trip for reasons covered by your policy.
Acceptable reasons for trip cancellation insurance benefits vary by policy, but you can generally expect covered problems to include:
- Serious injury or unforeseen medical condition that makes you or your travel companion unfit for travel (by order of licensed physician).
- The death of you or your traveling companion, or the death of a non-traveling family member.
- Severe weather that results in travel services being unable to operate.
- Unforeseen natural disasters at home or at the destination that make them uninhabitable.
- A legal obligation, such as jury duty or being served with a court order or subpoena.
A basic travel insurance policy won’t cover all potential reasons you might cancel a trip. For example, if you read negative reviews online and become disenchanted with the resort you booked, travel insurance won’t reimburse you for a canceled trip.
Cancel for Any Reason Travel Insurance
If you want the highest level of flexibility to scuttle a trip, consider adding “cancel for any reason” travel insurance (CFAR) to your travel insurance policy. This upgrade typically increases the price of your plan by about 50%, but allows you to cancel travel plans for any reason, as long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure.
You usually must buy CFAR coverage within 14 days of making your first trip deposit. CFAR reimburses 50% or 75% of your trip expenses, depending on your travel insurance policy.
Travel Delay Insurance When Starfish Beach Awaits
Travel delay insurance can compensate you for layover expenses if your trip is delayed, such as if your connecting flight is grounded. In that case, travel delay insurance can reimburse you for a meal, a change of clothes or personal care items. Hold on to any receipts, so you can submit them when you file the claim.
If the delay causes you to forfeit any prepaid trip expenses, you can also file a claim for that loss. Trip delay insurance typically has a per day and total maximum benefit limit per person.
Travel delay insurance requires that your delay lasts at least a minimum amount of time—such as three, six or 12 hours, depending on the policy—before you’re eligible to make a claim.
Trip Interruption Insurance: So Long Stingray City
Trip interruption insurance compensates you if you need to cut your trip short and return home for a reason listed in your policy. That might include illness, injury or a serious emergency.
Trip interruption benefits can pay for a last-minute flight home, transportation to the airport and any prepaid, unused and non-refundable outlays you lose due to leaving your vacation early.
Your policy won’t cover all reasons for a trip ending earlier than planned. For instance, you won’t be eligible to file a trip interruption claim if you head home early after a fight with your partner.
Interruption for Any Reason Travel Insurance
If you want the freedom to bail on a trip early and receive partial reimbursement no matter what, you can buy “interruption for any reason” travel insurance (IFAR). This upgrade, like CFAR, comes with stipulations.
You usually must buy IFAR coverage within 15 to 20 days of your first trip deposit, and coverage typically doesn’t start until you are at least 48 hours into your trip. IFAR coverage generally adds 3% to 10% to your travel insurance cost.
Travel Medical Expense Insurance and Emergency Evacuation
Travel medical insurance is essential coverage if you’re traveling internationally, as your U.S.-based health insurance may not cover you outside the U.S. That includes Medicare, though a Medigap plan may help pay a portion of costs.
If you’re injured or become ill during your trip, travel medical insurance can pay for medical expenses, such as X-rays, lab work, medicine and hospital and doctor bills, up to the limits in your policy.
Your medical evacuation travel insurance can compensate you for expenses for emergency medical evacuation by air ambulance to the nearest adequately equipped trauma center if the condition is life-threatening.
“For travelers visiting the Cayman Islands, we recommend a travel insurance policy with at least $50,000 in emergency medical coverage and at least $100,000 in medical evacuation coverage,” says James Clark, spokesperson with Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison site.
Clark says that despite the remote nature of the Cayman Islands, medical evacuation travel insurance should provide adequate coverage if a traveler needs to be airlifted to a medical facility from anywhere on the islands to the nearest medical facility.
Baggage Loss, Delay Insurance
If your luggage decides to vacation in Aruba instead of Grand Cayman, you can submit a baggage insurance claim. Baggage insurance pays the depreciated value of your lost, stolen or damaged luggage, up to your policy limits.
There is an increased chance of baggage trouble because a trip to the Caymans might involve some inter-island travel, says Scott Adamski, spokesperson with AIG Travel.
You may also want a travel insurance policy that includes coverage for baggage delay, which kicks in after a specific period, such as six or 12 hours. It helps pay for necessities you buy to keep you comfortable until your luggage arrives, such as toiletries and a change of clothes.
Despite the carefree vibe of the islands, petty crime can happen anywhere. Be sure to keep an eye on your belongings, particularly in crowded places. Baggage insurance also compensates you for the depreciated value of personal items that are lost, damaged or stolen during your trip, as long as they aren’t excluded from your policy.
Insurance Coverage for ‘Adventure Sports’
Many travel insurance policies exclude adventure sport activities, such as scuba diving, hang gliding, parasailing and cliff diving, but you still might be able to obtain extra coverage for such activities.
Some travel insurance companies offer upgrades that cover adventure sport activities.
“AIG Travel has developed an optional adventure sports bundle to address these exclusions under its travel insurance plans,” Adamski says. “When purchasing the adventure sports bundle, the insured will gain coverages for adventure and extreme sports that might otherwise be excluded from the policy.”
World Nomads also offers travel insurance plans that cover many adventure sport activities and WorldTrips’ Atlas Journey Premier plan allows you to buy an adventure sport upgrade.
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Severe Weather Concerns When Planning Travel to the Caymans
The Cayman Islands can get hit by hurricanes. That means if you’re visiting during hurricane season—between June and November—make sure your travel insurance plan includes coverage for trip cancellation, trip delay and trip interruption for severe weather.
It’s wise to buy travel insurance as soon as you book your trip if you’re traveling to a hurricane-prone destination. That way you get the maximum length of coverage for trip cancellation. This benefit will reimburse you 100% for lost prepaid, non-refundable deposits if your trip has to be canceled due to inclement weather.
This is critical because if you buy a policy before severe weather becomes a named storm, your travel insurance will generally compensate you for your trip expenses. But once a storm is named, it’s too late to buy travel insurance with coverage for that storm.
If you cancel a trip because you fear a current storm might come your way, but it’s not currently projected to hit your destination, travel insurance likely won’t cover the cancellation. You would need CFAR travel insurance to be eligible to file a claim.
