Is it worth buying travel insurance?

FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
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Everytime I book airline tickets or hotel rooms online it offers me travel insurance? Are they worth buying or is it a ripoff attempt at milking me for cash?
 

Bacstar

Golden Member
Nov 2, 2006
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I think it all depends on the trip you're planning. My local dive shop has a trip going to the Galapagos Islands this december that a couple joined and paid for like 6 months ago. Well, the guy just broke his femur a month ago, and now he and his wife are out over $6k since he decided against taking the travel insurance. Insurance probably would have costed him a couple hundred extra...so in this case, it would definitely be worth it...

You know the saying..."SH*T HAPPENS!!!"
 

imported_Lothar

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2006
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Originally posted by: Bacstar
I think it all depends on the trip you're planning. My local dive shop has a trip going to the Galapagos Islands this december that a couple joined and paid for like 6 months ago. Well, the guy just broke his femur a month ago, and now he and his wife are out over $6k since he decided against taking the travel insurance. Insurance probably would have costed him a couple hundred extra...so in this case, it would definitely be worth it...

You know the saying..."SH*T HAPPENS!!!"

Whatever happened to their health insurance?
Since when did health insurance companies stop covering for injuries that happened outside the US? :confused:
 

newb111

Diamond Member
Oct 8, 2003
6,992
1
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Originally posted by: Lothar
Originally posted by: Bacstar
I think it all depends on the trip you're planning. My local dive shop has a trip going to the Galapagos Islands this december that a couple joined and paid for like 6 months ago. Well, the guy just broke his femur a month ago, and now he and his wife are out over $6k since he decided against taking the travel insurance. Insurance probably would have costed him a couple hundred extra...so in this case, it would definitely be worth it...

You know the saying..."SH*T HAPPENS!!!"

Whatever happened to their health insurance?
Since when did health insurance companies stop covering for injuries that happened outside the US? :confused:

He is not out 6k for the injury, he is out 6k for the trip that they paid for and that he cannot go on now. Trip insurance pays out if you cannot go on a trip due to illness or injury.

On topic, I usually buy trip insurance for expensive trips planned well in advance. The premium is usually fairly low, and anything could happen in the mean time that might screw the whole trip up.
 

imported_Lothar

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2006
4,559
1
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Originally posted by: newb111
Originally posted by: Lothar
Originally posted by: Bacstar
I think it all depends on the trip you're planning. My local dive shop has a trip going to the Galapagos Islands this december that a couple joined and paid for like 6 months ago. Well, the guy just broke his femur a month ago, and now he and his wife are out over $6k since he decided against taking the travel insurance. Insurance probably would have costed him a couple hundred extra...so in this case, it would definitely be worth it...

You know the saying..."SH*T HAPPENS!!!"

Whatever happened to their health insurance?
Since when did health insurance companies stop covering for injuries that happened outside the US? :confused:

He is not out 6k for the injury, he is out 6k for the trip that they paid for and that he cannot go on now. Trip insurance pays out if you cannot go on a trip due to illness or injury.

On topic, I usually buy trip insurance for expensive trips planned well in advance. The premium is usually fairly low, and anything could happen in the mean time that might screw the whole trip up.

Thanks for the explanation.
This "travel insurance" thing is new to me.
I never saw a point to it, just kept ignoring them on the forms and will continue to do so.
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,914
3
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Originally posted by: Lothar
Originally posted by: Bacstar
I think it all depends on the trip you're planning. My local dive shop has a trip going to the Galapagos Islands this december that a couple joined and paid for like 6 months ago. Well, the guy just broke his femur a month ago, and now he and his wife are out over $6k since he decided against taking the travel insurance. Insurance probably would have costed him a couple hundred extra...so in this case, it would definitely be worth it...

You know the saying..."SH*T HAPPENS!!!"

Whatever happened to their health insurance?
Since when did health insurance companies stop covering for injuries that happened outside the US? :confused:

Is it pretty standard for companies to cover outside the US? I'm a bit worried about this because I'm going to be abroad for foreseeable future but am still on my Dad's plan so I want to milk that as much as possible
 

vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
81
travel insurance usually only covers injury/sickness/job termination etc. If it covered ANY reason to cancel/postpone, i'd be all over it.
 

Kaieye

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,275
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I knew a small group of about 20 kids who lost about $500 bucks each because the host government in China cancelled at the last minute. The travel agency refused to return all the $$ paid.

Yes, they were pissed!

 

n yusef

Platinum Member
Feb 20, 2005
2,158
1
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insurance is rarely a good deal; if it were then the insurer would be losing money. insurance is for when the potential cost of the negative event is too high for you to pay. insuring fifty dollar electronics and five thousand dollar trips will have a negative expected value, unless you know something that the insurer does not.
 

Spineshank

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
7,728
1
71
Ive gone to Europe twice for 2 weeks each time. The first time i had it. The second time i did not. But its a chance you take. And my trips for a couple thousand.
 

daveshel

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
5,452
1
81
I bought it a couple times, but I won't again. The one time I tried to make a claim, the company managed to wiggle out of having to pay. I don't know why I would expect an insurance company to behave like anything but an insurance company.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,883
2,121
126
I ALWAYS buy it if I'm going somewhere south during hurricane season. I've used it 3 out of 8 times---saved me tons of money and the hotel always gives me "sorry about the weather" discounts afterwards.

If you're going somewhere where the weather is stable though, nah...don't bother.
 

Injury

Lifer
Jul 19, 2004
13,066
2
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Originally posted by: Fritzo
I ALWAYS buy it if I'm going somewhere south during hurricane season. I've used it 3 out of 8 times---saved me tons of money and the hotel always gives me "sorry about the weather" discounts afterwards.

If you're going somewhere where the weather is stable though, nah...don't bother.

Good idea.


Anyone that wants to get travel insurance might want to look in to AAA and see what they offer. I'd be hesitant to buy the insurance from an offer during checkout when I'm booking on a website... especially if I've never heard of the company... but a company like AAA may offer better insurance for cheaper.
 

racolvin

Golden Member
Jul 26, 2004
1,257
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I get the travel insurance on cruises or anything outside the US. The TravelGuard insurance is what I've bought and it covers health from the time you leave your door to the time you get back. It also pays you back if the trip is canceled for any reason out of your control. It wasn't much extra on top of the tickets and I've had too many friends that have used it (or wished they had) over the years to not do it myself.

Had one guy take his family to the UK for trip and he got a kidney stone the day after they arrived. He ended up spending the week in a UK hospital and owed like $13k in charges. He was kicking himself for not buying the $500 TravelGuard policy that would have covered his whole family.
 

imported_Lothar

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2006
4,559
1
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Originally posted by: racolvin
I get the travel insurance on cruises or anything outside the US. The TravelGuard insurance is what I've bought and it covers health from the time you leave your door to the time you get back. It also pays you back if the trip is canceled for any reason out of your control. It wasn't much extra on top of the tickets and I've had too many friends that have used it (or wished they had) over the years to not do it myself.

Had one guy take his family to the UK for trip and he got a kidney stone the day after they arrived. He ended up spending the week in a UK hospital and owed like $13k in charges. He was kicking himself for not buying the $500 TravelGuard policy that would have covered his whole family.

Did he not have health insurance? :confused:
I thought they have free health care in the UK... :p