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If you want sun, sand and blue ocean water, then pack your swimsuit, flip-flops and sunscreen for a glorious trip to the British Virgin Islands.
“When you need a place to relax, unwind, sit on a pristine beach or boat around, the British Virgin Islands is just the place,” says Scott Adamski, a spokesman for AIG Travel Insurance. “This Caribbean destination is famous for yachting, snorkeling, scuba diving or just doing nothing on a sandy beach. Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke are popular stops.
When planning a trip outside the United States, Adamski recommends purchasing a travel insurance plan that includes coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, medical expenses, medical evacuation and lost baggage.
“Travel insurance should ideally be purchased within 15 days of the initial travel deposit date,” says Adamski. In this way, early purchase provisions such as a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver may apply. But, he says, your travel insurance plan can be purchased up to 24 hours before the departure date of your trip.
The average cost of travel insurance is 5% to 6% of your trip cost – or an average of $228 for a $5,000 trip – so buying travel insurance can be a smart move to safeguard your investment.
Here are travel insurance considerations for a trip to the British Virgin Islands.
Trip Cancellation Insurance for When You Opt Not to Yacht
The main purpose of purchasing travel insurance is to offer you a safety net against unexpected and unexpected events related to your trip. If you need to cancel your trip for a reason listed in your policy – such as serious illness or injury to you, a travel companion or a close family member – a travel insurance plan with Travel cancellation insurance can reimburse for pre-paid and refund. Read also : NY Health promotes affordable health insurance in agricultural markets across the state. non-refundable travel expenses.
For example, if two days before your trip to Virgin Gorda to celebrate your tenth wedding anniversary, your spouse needs an emergency appendectomy, you have to cancel your island getaway. So if you paid in advance to charter a yacht, stay in a beach house or take surfing lessons with a dedicated instructor, your policy could reimburse you for these costs.
Other reasons that are usually covered by trip cancellation benefits include:
Not all reasons for canceling your trip will be covered by standard travel insurance. For example, if you see that rain is forecast in Tortola for the four nights you plan to travel, you cannot return to your standard travel insurance plan for financial relief.
The grounds covered can vary significantly between travel insurance plans, so it’s important to read your policy carefully.
Weather considerations
Because the British Virgin Islands are in the heart of the Atlantic hurricane zone, Adamski says if you’re visiting between June and November you’ll want to make sure your travel insurance plan includes cancellation coverage of the journey and the interruption of the journey. On the same subject : Strengthening Guyana’s relationship with the United States.
“If a storm hits your destination during your scheduled trip, and [an AIG] Travel Guard travel insurance plan was purchased before it became a named storm, you may be covered for unused travel expenses, prepaid and non-refundable. , subject to the terms of the insurance policy,” says Adamski.
“However, if the insured traveler wants to cancel (or shorten) a trip due to fear of an actual storm or a future tropical cyclone, that cancellation probably won’t be covered by a travel insurance plan,” Adamski explains. In this case, adding the optional “cancellation for any reason” (CFAR) coverage can be beneficial.
“Cancel for any reason” coverage
For the highest level of flexibility in canceling your travel plans, consider upgrading your policy to add “cancellation for any reason” coverage. This may interest you : Politics and the Future of Medical Education. This higher level upgrade will typically increase the price of your travel insurance plan by an average of 50%. But for that extra expense, you will have the freedom to cancel your trip for any reason, as long as you cancel no less than 48 hours before your scheduled departure.
If you meet all the requirements of your “cancellation for any reason” coverage, you’ll usually get back either 50% or 75% of your travel costs, depending on your policy. You will not receive a 100% refund of your lost travel expenses.
To get a “cancellation for any reason” upgrade, you usually have to buy it within about 15 days of making your first travel deposits.
Trip Delay Insurance: Waiting to Wade in the Waves
You need a connecting flight for a trip to the British Virgin Islands. If that flight is delayed due to torrential storms, your travel delay insurance can cover the cost of any extra meals at the airport, a nearby hotel room plus transportation costs.
However, travel insurance plans have a waiting period before your travel delay benefits kick in. For example, it can be six or 12 hours, depending on your policy. Consider a short waiting period when purchasing a policy.
Your travel delay benefits can also reimburse you for any prepaid, non-refundable expenses you will lose due to a delay covered by your policy. So if you’ve already paid for a private cabana and a massage at your resort that you missed, you can file a travel insurance claim for reimbursement.
Trip Interruption Travel Insurance: Bye-Bye BVI
Life is unpredictable and that is why travel interruption insurance is so important. If you are enjoying the pristine beach in Virgin Gorda when your sister calls to say that your father had a heart attack, you may want to cut your trip short and return home.
Typical covered reasons listed in a travel insurance plan for trip interruption coverage include:
Your trip interruption benefits can ease the emotional toll and financial worry of planning a last-minute trip to the United States. These benefits usually cover the cost of a one-way economy flight and a taxi to the airport. This coverage will also reimburse you for any unused, non-refundable travel expenses you lose with an early departure from the British Virgin Islands.
If you want to cut your trip short due to an emergency with a family member at home, note that “family member” is defined differently between travel insurance plans. Be sure to check your policy for details.
Also, not all reasons will be covered under the trip interruption benefits of your policy. For example, if you have a fight with your travel partner and decide you want to end the vacation early, you cannot rely on your travel insurance policy to pay your way home. In this case, you will personally cover your travel costs and losses.
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Medical & evacuation limits per person
Medical & evacuation limits per person
Medical & evacuation limits per person
Travel Medical Insurance for Island Injury and Illness
Although there are plenty of beautiful beaches and bays, there are also some precautions to take while traveling to the British Virgin Islands. Travel medical insurance can help if you get sick or injured while on vacation.
“From snorkeling and windsurfing to hiking and horseback riding, the islands offer plenty of adventure activities on land and water, but things aren’t always an island paradise,” says Lisa Cheng, a spokesperson for World Nomads, a travel insurer. Unexpected events may occur. You may get into an accident, sunstroke or suffer from dehydration.
If you are traveling to a foreign country, it is important to understand that your domestic health insurance will probably not work outside the U.S. Before your trip, contact your health insurance company to see if there is a global benefit. Likewise, Medicare is not accepted abroad, so older travelers should have a travel insurance plan in place for medical coverage.
This is why a robust travel insurance plan with medical benefits is so important.
If you are injured on a snorkeling excursion and need medical attention, travel medical insurance usually covers the cost of the following, up to your policy limits:
“In the event of a medical emergency, your plan could help protect you from being stuck with paying high medical bills,” warns Cheng.
Keep in mind that “extreme” activities, for example skydiving and deep-sea scuba diving, are often excluded from travel insurance coverage. It is prudent to review what types of activities are and are not covered, as it varies by policy. You may want to consider adding an adventure sports upgrade if you plan to do more than snorkeling and sunbathing, or take a look at World Nomad policies, which cover many types of high-impact entertainment.
Medical Evacuation Insurance for Scrub Island Snafus
Cheng says that emergency evacuation can be especially important when you are on an island and you may need to get to a specialized hospital elsewhere.
For example, if you are on a catamaran fishing excursion and have a seizure, emergency medical evacuation travel insurance covers the costs of air ambulance transportation, up to your policy limits. You can be medevaced to the nearest appropriate treatment facility, or even return home if medically necessary.
“Without travel insurance, emergency evacuation can end up costing you an arm and a leg, so make sure your travel insurance plan has a sufficient amount of coverage,” says Cheng. The World Nomads Standard Travel Insurance Plan provides $300,000 of emergency medical evacuation coverage and you get $500,000 under the Explorer Plan. But you can find policies that provide $1 million in evacuation coverage, such as the TripProtector Preferred plan from HTH Worldwide, if you feel you want higher limits.
Baggage Insurance and Coverage for Your Belongings
If your checked baggage decides to go on vacation in Aruba instead of Tortola and never returns to you, you can file a baggage insurance claim with your travel insurer. Make sure you get an incident report from your airline.
Your comprehensive travel insurance plan also protects your personal possessions beyond your checked baggage. If while enjoying lunch at Willy T’s floating restaurant, your camera is stolen from your bag, you can file a claim for that loss.
Just make sure you get a report from the restaurant, the local authorities or your tour leader, as you will need to send this documentation when you make a claim.
Although the British Virgin Islands are a safe and friendly destination, petty crimes can occur. If you have your watch stolen, or a necklace swiped, be sure to report the loss.
Your policy defines the per-item limits, maximum reimbursement limits and any exclusions such as computers and cash. Be sure to read your policy carefully to understand the scope of your coverage.
Baggage insurance is typically secondary to other claims you may make. This means that you need to try to be reimbursed by your airline or home insurance.
If you are reimbursed through your baggage insurance coverage, note that it will likely be for the depreciated value of your items. Be sure to save receipts for any new items you buy for your trip, in case you need to share them with your travel insurance.
Don’t Drink and Claim
Finally, Adamski with AIG says there is a very active party culture in the British Virgin Islands. Therefore, it is important for you to be aware that losses caused by or resulting from intoxication above the legal limit (at the place of the insured traveler) are generally excluded from coverage under the travel insurance policy.
“It is incumbent on the traveler to know what the legal limit is in the country they are visiting, and also to be aware of the possibility of imbibing excessively in a place with a lively party scene,” he warns. If you lose your cell phone after drinking too much, you can’t rely on your travel insurance plan to cover it.
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