3 Common Travel Insurance Exclusions All Travelers Should Know
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. June 14, 2024 — Many travelers assume travel insurance is meant to cover every aspect of their trip. While it can cover many travel mishaps, all policies have common exclusions that could affect traveler’s coverage. Travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth, breaks down 3 of the most common policy exclusions and how they apply to travelers.
Pregnancy
Most travel insurance policies specifically list pregnancy as an exclusion within the cancellation and medical benefits. This means that travel complications related to a normal pregnancy, such as morning sickness, are not covered.
What can be covered: Pregnant travelers can still be covered by all of their policy’s benefits for a sickness or injury unrelated to their pregnancy.
Intoxication
While some travelers like to enjoy alcoholic beverages during their vacations, most don’t understand that ordering that next drink could nullify their travel insurance coverage. In the event of a claim for an illness or injury, your provider will need medical documentation. If it shows you were under the influence, your claim will likely be denied.
What can be covered: Some policies may cover medical treatment if you accidentally ingest a poisonous substance or a controlled drug, or if you experience sickness or injury resulting from medication prescribed by a physician.
Mental, Nervous or Psychological Disorders
Since Trip Cancellation policies cover you if you need to cancel your trip for medical reasons, many travelers assume this coverage automatically includes any health issues. Unfortunately, mental, nervous, and psychological disorders, such as anxiety, depression, neurosis, or phobias, are commonly excluded from travel insurance coverage.
What can be covered: Some policies offer Trip Cancellation coverage in the event of hospitalization due to a mental or nervous condition if the hospitalization prevents the traveler from leaving on their trip.
What Travel Insurance Does Cover:
Travel insurance typically provides a wide range of coverage for the most common travel disruptions, such as flight cancellations, travel delays, natural disasters, medical emergencies, medical evacuations, terrorism, and lost luggage, among others.
For more details on when coverage becomes available, Squaremouth provides an in-depth look at what travel insurance covers.