Travel Insurance: USA To Ireland Trip

Many Americans travel to Ireland for the heritage, beautiful rolling countryside, compelling history, and the beer and whiskey.

If you’re visiting the Emerald Isle, it makes sense to go with a solid insurance travel plan. The best travel insurance policies provide coverage for trip cancellation, trip delay and trip interruption; medical expenses and evacuation, and baggage protection.

Having a good travel insurance policy can provide peace of mind if unexpected situations arise before or during your Ireland trip. Purchasing a policy to safeguard your trip investment is relatively inexpensive and may be a better strategy than relying on the luck of the Irish.

The average travel insurance cost for an Ireland trip is $272, according to Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider.

Trip Cancellation Insurance for Ireland

You may have relatives in Ireland, or can trace your family lineage back in Ireland for generations. You likely have been planning an exciting itinerary for your Ireland trip and probably have prepaid for hotels and arranged private tours that are non-refundable.

All this momentum building up to your departure date can come to a sudden stop if a family emergency happens a week before your trip.

For example, if a hurricane blows through your area and damages your house, you will need to cancel your trip. Problems with weather, illness, injuries, job loss, unexpected jury duty, terrorism and more can be covered by trip cancellation insurance. It reimburses you 100% for what you lose in non-refundable deposits when you can’t go on the trip.

Not all reasons for canceling a trip are covered. For example, if you see that it will rain the entire time you’ll be visiting, this is not a covered reason to cancel.

If you want the most flexibility to change your mind, choose to upgrade your standard policy with “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) insurance. With this higher tier of coverage, you can change your mind up to 48 hours before your scheduled departure and get partial reimbursement—usually 75% of your trip costs.

CFAR coverage adds an average of 50% to your policy’s cost but gives you the ability to cancel for any reason. For example, maybe you decide it’s going to be too rainy in Ireland, or maybe you want to stay home while your house is repainted.

Travel Delays for an Ireland Trip

There can always be hassles when traveling, whether it’s to Des Moines or Dublin. Having a travel insurance policy with trip delay benefits can provide you reimbursement when there’s a delay in reaching your destination.

For example, if you are flying to Dublin from New York City, and you are driving in to Newark to catch an evening flight, and a threat of terrorism causes the Lincoln Tunnel to shut down and you miss your flight, this is generally a covered reason under your policy’s trip delay benefit.

If you need to re-book your flight for the morning, and you have to spend the night by the airport, your policy can reimburse expenses such as the hotel room and meals.

And if your delay causes you to miss a prepaid stay in a charming Irish inn, you can file a claim for that as well.

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Leaving Ireland Early

There’s really no way to describe the feeling of getting a call while on vacation that an emergency has happened at home and you must return immediately. For example, if a parent has died, you’ll need to cut your trip short.

Trip interruption benefits can cover the cost of booking a last-minute economy plane ticket home from Dublin, plus any other transportation costs and unused, prepaid and non-refundable outlays.

For example, if you prepaid for an Irish dancing show in Galway with dinner and also a hotel stay that is non-refundable, you can file a claim for reimbursement under trip interruption coverage.

Medical Expenses in Ireland

Your U.S. health plan may not be accepted in Ireland or any other foreign country. Check your health plan coverage rules thoroughly before you travel to find out whether you have global coverage. And Medicare doesn’t work in Ireland.

To be best protected while traveling abroad, buy a comprehensive travel insurance plan that includes travel medical insurance. This can pay for medical care, prescription medication, diagnostic tests and more.

Say you’ve booked a day trip near Cork that includes a tour of majestic castles, and you are going to see the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle. This is surely a high-point of your Irish vacation.

But if you fall and require stitches on your arm, your policy’s medical expenses benefit will cover costs. If you don’t have any medical insurance that works in Ireland, you would be required to pay out-of-pocket costs for any medical expenses.

Serious Medical Emergencies

One of the most popular choices for recreation in Ireland is horseback riding. Even experienced equestrians could suffer a fall and get injured.

If you’re on a trail in Dunfanaghy, a serene coastal village remotely set in the northwest of Ireland, and you are thrown from the horse, your injuries may require a better facility than a local clinic. Your travel insurance company can coordinate a medevac to transport you to a well-equipped trauma center. This comes under emergency medical evacuation coverage.

The small price you pay for a travel insurance policy can literally save you tens of thousands of dollars (or more) if you need medical transport in an emergency.

Lost Bags (and Golf Clubs)

Ireland is widely known for its genteel population and renowned for hospitality.

Even though Ireland is safe, there are still risks of travel, especially if you are in busy tourist spots, taking public transit or in crowded bars and venues.

To reduce the likelihood of falling prey to crafty pickpockets, don’t draw attention to yourself with flashy jewelry or overstuffed backpacks that scream “tourist.”

But if something happens, a travel insurance policy not only covers lost or misdirected luggage, but also extends to personal belongings. If you are in the bustling pub district in Dublin and realize that your goose-down jacket is gone from your bar chair, you can file a claim with your travel insurance company for reimbursement. Be sure to file a theft report with local authorities. You will need to present documentation of the theft when you file a claim.

If you are bringing your golf clubs, consider a policy with a Sports Equipment and Fees benefit. Ireland is a popular golfing destination, among other attractions, observes Megan Moncrief, spokesperson with Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider.

“Should the clubs be damaged or lost in transit, this benefit can provide reimbursement up to the policy’s limit, as well as for the cost of renting new equipment if yours is delayed,” she says.