Do your vacation plans this summer include sailing the sunny seas to remote climes? Onshore adventures featuring jeeps and zip lines? Driving golf balls into the ocean? Will your daily wardrobe range from a bathing suit at the pool to evening wear at a luxury night club? And all while never leaving your “hotel”?
Congratulations — you booked a cruise! And while your Trusted Choice® agent would love to join you (for the jeep, at least — we’re not too sure about those zip lines), we’ll have to settle for reminding you that even “floating cities” have their share of potential accidents, illness, injuries and crime. That means, when you pack your bags, don’t forget to include proper insurance protection.
An important consideration: While your current “land-based” protection will cover many of your risks, there are certain possibilities unique to your cruise vacation that may require additional endorsements or policies. We suggest your vacation planning include a visit with our protection professionals to review your cruising insurance needs. Here are brief summaries of just a few key considerations for review:
- Rented recreational vehicles and/or watercraft. Your homeowners insurance will provide liability coverage for non-owned recreational vehicles, but only for certain rented watercraft; protection for damage directly to the rentals, however, is limited and may prove insufficient.
- Rental cars/RVs. Your personal auto policy will only provide its applicable rental car protection if you are operating the vehicle in the United States, its territories and possessions, Puerto Rico or Canada. If you are going to be driving in any other location, you will need additional coverage (and there may well be additional insurance considerations even within the territory, if local laws and regulations require more than your current protection levels).
- Emergency medical care. Your current health insurance may or may not provide coverage for your trip. Even if coverage will apply, here are two key risks to review:
- Limitations as to out-of-network coverage, especially when care is provided by foreign or aboard-ship practitioners.
- Emergency transportation: Unlike in your home environs, where a medical emergency may be met by a readily available call to 911 or an ambulance, the same emergency onboard ship or in a foreign country may mean helicopters or an airlift to get the patient to proper treatment facilities; the additional costs, especially in exotic, out-of-the-way locations, can be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
- Trip/flight delay or cancellation. Regardless of the cause, your current insurance likely will provide no protection against such events.
In your review, your Trusted Choice® agent will discuss these and other concerns, as well as available options to protect you. For some risks, your current protection may prove perfectly adequate. For others, modifications may be required. For still others, the best solution may be to consider the purchase of separate travel insurance policies.
The key to any successful vacation is planning — both for the highlights as well as the potential pitfalls. Include your Trusted Choice® agent in your plans today, and enjoy a well-deserved high seas holiday tomorrow. Bon Voyage!
