What Travel Insurance Doesn’t Cover

In the same way you can pay for insurance for your health and properties, you can also insure your trip. During a trip, there are so many things that could take place. There is so much risk and a tendency for anything wrong. 

However, travel insurance has its limitations as it doesn’t cover as much as you think it does. In this post, you’ll learn about those things travel insurance doesn’t cover. It promises to be a highly educational post so ensure you stick with it to the end. 

What are the Events Travel Insurance Doesn’t Cover? 

Weather Conditions

Travel insurance typically does not cover weather that affects your activities while on vacation. If inclement weather causes a delay or cancellation of your flight, it covers you. However, it may not apply if it rains while on a jungle tour. 

Hence, you should acquire a “cancel for any reason” rider. You won’t be able to cancel your beach trip simply because the forecast predicts rain and clouds.

Unplanned Accommodations 

Most travel insurance policies do not cover accommodations that are significantly less appealing in person than they appeared online. You’re in charge of looking up rooms on review sites like TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company). The sole exception is if a natural disaster, structural damage, or other unforeseen circumstances render your vacation rental unsuitable.

Losses Caused by Pre-Existing Conditions

Travel Insurance does not cover most pre-existing medical illnesses. However, the definition of “pre-existing” varies depending on when they diagnosed you and when you bought your policy. Depending on the insurer, they apply a “look-back period” of 60, 90, or 18o previous days before buying your insurance.

In other words, if you received treatment for an illness during the look-back period, travel insurance will not cover you. Nevertheless, they pay losses resulting from so-called “stable” conditions for which there has been no change in treatment or symptoms. 

Assume you’ve had arthritis for a few years and haven’t experienced any flare-ups or medication changes in the last six months. They will most likely cover you if you had a severe, incapacitating flare-up while on vacation. 

However, your travel insurance would not cover any losses related to your arthritis in the months preceding your vacation. They might only if you purchased a specific add-on.

Traveling for medical procedures

Most trip insurance policies do not cover issues when people go, particularly for medical treatment. These include trips such as overseas procedures that are not available or are too expensive at home.

Pregnancy and Childbirth

If you’re pregnant and give birth during vacation, your travel insurance is unlikely to cover childbirth costs. However, they may cover complications relating to pregnancy or childbirth. Make sure you double-check this if you want to travel while pregnant.

Risky Activities 

Note that many travel insurance policies exclude losses from adventure activities. These include bungee jumping, backcountry skiing, snowboarding, rafting, caving, sky diving, scuba diving, etc. 

Some rules go even further, excluding any sport that involves physical contact. Check the terms of your insurance coverage before committing to an active vacation.

Ticket Theft

Standard travel insurance will not cover you if your event or sightseeing tour ticket turns a fake. Make sure you buy your concert tickets or tour tickets from a trusted supplier.

Changes made at the eleventh hour

Unless there is a severe curtailment, travel insurance usually does not cover any travel problems created by a last-minute itinerary. Also, it excludes issues from excursion modification. You could try contacting the person in charge of the compensation adjustments.

Anything for which you don’t have paperwork 

You should have a credible paper trail for all of the reasons and expenditures involved in your claim. If not, your chances of getting compensation when the need arises plummet. 

Anything that isn’t on the list of covered items

Travel insurance covers only those items you explicitly specify as being covered. Hence, they almost probably ignore anything that you don’t list. Contact your travel insurance provider to see if you can acquire an appropriate add-on.

Dental Care

Travel insurance does not cover routine dental care, but it may cover dental trauma in some cases. For instance, coverage may only cover damage to “sound natural teeth.”

Emergencies in the Health Care System (such as Pandemics) That Begin Before You Buy

Like natural disaster insurance, Trip insurance may cover losses resulting from global health issues. However, you must get it before the problem becomes a “known event.”

The date when the event is “known” varies depending on the insurance carrier. For instance, for something like COVID-19, it mainly was January 21 through 27. If you want to save your payments—especially nonrefundable airfares—ensure your travel insurance policy covers cancellation from fear of a pandemic.

When it comes to nonrefundable airline tickets, you have two options. You can rely on the airline’s goodwill (some may lower fees in an emergency) or purchase cancellation insurance. Most plans don’t cover “preventable” calamities or existing hazards like pandemics that have already happened.

Losses from a mental or emotional disorder

Travel insurance coverage rarely covers psychiatric or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression. In some cases, insurance may cover these conditions if hospitalization is necessary.

Some of the favorites things you like to have around

Baggage delay, damage, and loss insurance do not cover anything you own. Exclusions for glasses, hearing aids, dental bridges, tickets, passports, keys, cash, and cell phones are all prevalent. 

However, you might have numerous pricey electronic products such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. The insurer might want to stay clear of these items depending on the agreement. They increase your risk of facing a robbery on your trip.

Hence, you may not have adequate coverage to cover the loss of all of them.

Delays from security issues or overbooked planes

According to travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth, your policy won’t typically cover you if you miss a flight. Furthermore, it won’t cover you if you bump from an overbooked airline and miss a later connection or cruise departure.