Rare Travel Disruptions Highlight the Need to Buy Travel Insurance Early
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 29, 2023 — From wildfires to FAA outages, 2023 has been plagued with unusual travel disruptions that have already created chaos for travelers.
Now, with hurricane season off to an unprecedented start and 5G rollouts threatening flights over 4th of July weekend, travelers can expect increasing unpredictability.
Squaremouth.com, the nation’s leading travel insurance marketplace, says these rare travel events highlight the most important factor about protecting your trip: timing matters. Coverage for any event must be purchased before that event occurs, or before it becomes expected to impact travel.
Stay Ahead of the Storm
With two named tropical storms forming over the Atlantic in June, this year has marked one of the most aggressive starts to hurricane season in history.
Most travel insurance policies include coverage for hurricanes and severe weather that impacts a trip. These benefits are available as long as the policy is purchased before a storm is named. Once named, any future travel insurance plans purchased exclude that storm from coverage.
Timing Tip: Travelers concerned about a storm impacting their summer travels should purchase a policy as soon as possible to ensure coverage is in place before any storm is named.
Expect Unexpected Tech Troubles
Government officials are warning against airline delays and cancellations following a major 5G rollout due just ahead of a busy holiday travel weekend.
Most travel insurance policies include coverage for technical or mechanical issues that impact travel. However, because related travel complications caused by the rollout have been publicly anticipated, it is too late to buy a travel insurance policy that covers this event. Squaremouth reports some providers are considering June 26th the cutoff date for cancellation or delay coverage related to the 5G rollout.
Timing Tip: Most travelers using squaremouth.com purchase a policy around 60 days before their trip, the point at which an unexpected event could prevent them from traveling. It typically doesn’t cost any more to insure your trip early, and waiting to the last minute may mean the coverage you need is no longer available.