Travel Insurance: USA To Greece Trip

Greece is a popular destination for honeymooners, families, friends traveling together and also couples.

A trip to Greece is an expensive undertaking, and it’s very common to travel there for 10 to 14 days. Since you’re likely spending a lot of money on your trip to Greece, you should protect your trip investment by purchasing a comprehensive travel insurance policy.

The average trip cost for Greece is running at $6,561, based on data from Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison site. That makes Greece the second-most expensive travel destination in the world, behind only South Africa at almost $12,000.

An expensive trip to Greece deserves a solid travel insurance policy that can protect your investment and act as a financial safety for problems during travel. Consider a travel insurance policy with benefits for:

• Trip cancellation
• Medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation, including coverage for Covid-19 medical care and quarantines
• Trip delay and trip interruption
• Baggage loss

Make sure to check the current entry requirements for Greece well before you go.

Here’s how a travel insurance policy can help when you’re traveling to Greece.

Trip Cancellation for Greece

You may be ready to visit Greece to delve into Greek history, or to experience the island vibe of Santorini. Whatever your vacation goals, it’s smart to plan for the unexpected. One way to do that is with trip cancellation insurance.

For example, if two days before your Greece trip you come down with the flu, you can make a trip cancellation claim. Illness and injuries are regularly covered by trip cancellation insurance, along with many other reasons such as severe weather, job loss, military deployment and unexpected jury duty.

Not only are the deposits on the splurge hotel in Athens 100% reimbursable, your travel insurance can also reimburse your pre-paid excursion tickets to see the Acropolis. All deposits that are pre-paid and non-refundable should be insured under your travel insurance policy.

Consider that not every reason in the world is covered under trip cancellation benefits, no matter how legitimate the reason is. For example, if your travel companion simply decides they don’t want to go, that’s not a covered reason under travel insurance.

If the CDC issues a warning against traveling to a country because of Covid-19, which it did for Greece on Aug. 2, 2021, that’s also not a reason to cancel that’s covered by standard travel insurance.

If you want the most protection and flexibility in case you don’t want to travel, add a “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) upgrade to your base travel insurance policy. CFAR coverage will give you the flexibility to call off your trip for any reason. Things to know about CFAR insurance:

• It adds about 40% to the travel insurance cost
• To make a claim under “cancel for any reason” coverage you must cancel the trip no less than 48 hours from your scheduled departure
• Reimbursement Is generally 50% or 75% of the trip’s cost, not 100%

Travel Delays in Getting to Greece

Travel delays can be especially frustrating when you’ve been looking forward to a trip and you feel like you’re missing out on your vacation time.

Since there are only a few U.S. airports offering direct flights to Greece, to snag a better fare you’ll likely opt for a connecting flight.

Common hubs for stopovers include Budapest, Berlin, Amsterdam and London. With a connecting flight, your chances for a trip delay increase. Say you’re waiting in the Amsterdam airport and your flight to Athens is canceled because of an airline security issue. If the subsequent flights were all booked, you’ll need to continue on to Athens the next day.

Travel insurance can reimburse you for expenses caused by the delay, such as a hotel stay, transportation costs, meals and basic personal necessities. Typically, the delay has to last a certain amount of time before coverage kicks in—such as three to 12 hours, depending on the policy. Be sure to save all your receipts to make a claim.

Additionally, trip delay benefits will reimburse you if the delay causes you to miss any tours or other events that you already paid for.

Unexpected Trip Interruptions

You could be enjoying the enchantment of Mykonos and receive a call that you need to return home due to a sudden death of a family member. This is where a solid travel insurance policy can help make an upsetting situation a bit easier.
Your travel company will offer a 24/7 emergency assistance number that can help you book a one-way, last-minute flight, and even arrange transportation to the airport. Trip interruption benefits will also pay for the flight home.

Trip interruption benefits will also reimburse you for the activities you miss that were pre-paid—like a private beach cabana with meal service for a beach day.

Related: Travel Insurance: USA To Mykonos Trip

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When Your Bags Are Somewhere Else

When you’re visiting Greece, a travel insurance policy can also provide a safety net for loss of your belongings.

“In Greece, your trip might involve a lot of inter-island travel, with ferries or flights on small planes,” says Scott Adamski, spokesperson with AIG Travel. “Delays on these smaller island-hopping flights pose an increased chance for baggage loss.”

It’s also possible that flights are outright canceled, says Adamski, with little or no warning, and the rebooked next flight is not until the next day.

“So you might have to suddenly arrange for an extra night’s accommodation at your current location, and you may be at risk of losing a deposit on a hotel stay or side excursion at the location you were headed to. This is a surprisingly frequent situation in Greece,” he observes.

Baggage loss benefits are designed to tide you over until you are reunited with your luggage—not replace your entire wardrobe. For example, you might need a swimsuit, a change of clothes and toiletries for a day or two. Check the policy for the baggage delay coverage limit.

If your backpack is stolen while you are waiting for a taxi, or your watch is swiped while you are browsing through a marketplace, your policy can reimburse you for the deprecated value of the items. Be sure to report the theft to local law enforcement and your tour guide. You will need documentation when filing an insurance claim.

Baggage coverage through a travel insurance policy is often secondary to any other applicable insurance, such as a claim through an airline for a lost bag or through your homeowners insurance.

Medical Emergencies in Greece

Many excursions in Greece involve walking and outdoor exploration, so travel medical insurance is vital.

Your U.S. health care plan may not be accepted outside the U.S. or provide only limited coverage.

“Some of the Greek Islands have volcanic hiking tours, so you have to be aware of sharp volcanic rock, and the potential slips and falls,” cautions Adamski at AIG Travel.

Consider the unfortunate event of slipping and breaking your elbow while on a cobblestone street. Your travel insurance medical coverage will provide benefits to allow you to get immediate medical care, medicine and diagnostic tests. Benefits will also cover overnight hospital stays.

Even if you’re fully vaccinated, you may want to look specifically for a policy that covers Covid-related travel medical expenses.

Medical Evacuation Coverage

One popular activity in Santorini is donkey rides. This unique experience offers a true taste of Greek culture. Although fun, there is some risk. If the donkey is spooked by something and you are thrown to the ground, you could need quick medical attention.

Your travel insurance company can coordinate emergency transport by medevac if you need a higher level of medical care than what is available locally. Emergency medical evacuation insurance pays for this, up to the limit of your evacuation coverage.

Without this coverage, you would be responsible for many thousands in out-of-pocket costs.

Squaremouth recommends coverage of at least $50,000 in emergency medical and $100,000 in medical evacuation. Travelers who are participating in adventurous activities should consider at least $100,000 in medical and $150,000 in medical evacuation.