Planning a trip? Here are some reasons why you should insure your next trip:

When Covid-19 hit early last year and brought most travel to a halt around the world, vacationers sought refunds from hotels, airlines, cruise ships and other travel vendors, or canceled trips. I hurried to file an insurance claim.

They often hit the wall on both fronts. Suppliers struggled with refunds, and sometimes interfered. On the other hand, “insured persons” often found that the plan they purchased did not cover Covid-related travel or medical expenses.

“People were trying to get their money back, they were looking at credit or refunds, they were claiming travel insurance,” said co-founder and president of the InteleTravel network of about 60,000 homes based in Delray Beach, Florida. says James Ferrara. based trip advisor. “They were also looking at travel insurance for their upcoming trip. [trip] And to the surprise of many, including the insurance industry, we made sure our insurance covered another outbreak of the pandemic. “

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In the wake of these epic “burns,” many Americans are traveling again and planning to travel now that pandemic-era restrictions have been lifted, ensuring travel and health. We do so both to avoid future troubles and, in some cases, because we have to. For example, more than 20 countries require visitors to be covered for medical and possibly travel expenses, including Covid-related incidents.

“There was quite a handful before [Covid]but now there are more,” said Megan Moncrief, chief marketing officer and data specialist at travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth.com.

Based in St. Petersburg, Fla., Squaremouth currently maintains an online list of nearly 26 countries that require visitors to have Covid-specific medical insurance. (U.S. health insurance plans generally do not cover medical care abroad.)

Additionally, to visit Dubai, for example, you need at least $100,000 in general emergency medical insurance and $50,000 in medical evacuation. Also, for trips to Antarctica, where different countries rule different regions, tour operators often demand at least $100,000 for both medical and evacuation costs.

The amount is guaranteed. Jeremy Marchland, president of travel insurance company Seven His Corners, said his team regularly assists with evacuations and that “last year he had two cases above six figures.” increase.

It’s not just destinations and travel agencies that need coverage. In the hard-hit cruise industry, Royal Caribbean Cruises has announced that passengers without vaccinations must have travel insurance, she reported CNBC. “there will be [push] from travel agents,” Moncrief said. [sales] Nearly 100% are from consumers who are shocked and want to know what their coverage options are. ”

In June 2020, Indianapolis-based Seven Corners became the first to offer Covid-specific medical coverage as part of three plans for international travelers, students and frequent travelers. One of the companies. (The company, which sells both comprehensive travel insurance and medical coverage-only plans, has also introduced a new His Claims Your Way service that combines customers with its own agents to ease the claims process.)

Last month, Squaremouth surpassed June 2019 in travel insurance sales, up 14%. Sales surged 466% compared to June 2020, when virtually no one was traveling. “There’s definitely a big rebound happening and I think it’s great for the industry,” Moncrief said.

However, the customer base is changing. Baby boomers and older travelers — once the mainstays of the industry — haven’t returned, she noted. “We are now seeing people in their early 40s actually driving the purchase of travel insurance.”

Similarly, according to data from Seven Corners, the average age of purchasers of travel insurance plans is 43, while the average age of customers purchasing medical-only travel plans is slightly younger at 39 ( In 2020, about 87% of all billers use Seven Corners.) The company said it only received a cancellation of the trip. )

“It’s really everyone that some kind of cancellation happened. [last year] …and now they’re looking at travel insurance or need to buy it,” said Moncrief, noting that at some point during the pandemic, travelers up to 21 were Squaremouth’s largest customer demographic. I mentioned that… that change,” she said. But they were the only ones traveling. ”

Marchland said the latest industry forecasts predict that international travel in 2021 will reach 40% to 50% of the figure announced two years ago, but Seven Corners said sales of insurance policies were down. is only about 10% less than in 2019. “What that tells us is that the ‘attach rate’ is much higher,” he said. “More people are aware of travel insurance and the need for it.”

According to InteleTravel’s Ferrara, health and safety are now top concerns among travelers of all ages, even those traveling domestically. “What are hotels, cruise lines and tour operators doing to protect me if I travel now?” he said. The traveler also wondered what to expect on arrival regarding vaccine credentials and his Covid testing requirements, and also worried about costs and whether he would be able to file a claim if he had to cancel. I’m here.

Standard traditional travel insurance plans often required the purchaser to contract themselves with Covid in order to be reimbursed for their trip. Sick family members, canceled flights, state-imposed quarantines, unemployment, etc. were not eligible.In fact, of his Covid-related claims Squaremouth confirmed, the policyholder himself became ill. He was only 30% responsible. The remaining 70% were due to other factors such as border closures.

Seven Corners’ Murchland explained that even sensitive cases are not billable. “Quite a few people booked trips late last year and said, ‘I’m kind of nervous, I don’t want to travel, and… I’m going to cancel the trip,'” he said. “However, travel sensitivities and fears are usually not covered by basic insurance policies.”

Insurers often have complex rules about whether canceled trips are covered or not, so Squaremouth is currently seeing a surge in sales of so-called ‘Cancellation for any reason’ plans. According to Moncrief, sales have increased by 165% since 2019. At Seven Corners, last year he saw a 180% increase in sales of such plans compared to 2019, and this trend continues in 2021. trip.

“I would never recommend canceling for any reason pre-Covid because insurance premiums have gone up so much,” she said, but people want it. i feel like i’m slipping out [the pandemic] But even now… travelers buy cancellations for whatever reason, ‘you never know what’s going to happen’. ”

Will demand fade over time as the pandemic hopes to fade into memory? Moncrief doesn’t think so. “How will we respond to the next pandemic?” she said. “No one knows the answer, so I think interest in travel insurance will remain high.”

These new coverage requirements from travel operators may follow as well, she said. “Cruise lines, tour operators and airlines can only keep refunds for the long term and need other options,” she said.

Marchland noted that before COVID-19, only about 30% of U.S. travelers had travel insurance. This, for example in Europe he was 60% of the people, but the severity of the pandemic caused a change. “Covid has been around for so long, I think it will have some staying power. Only time will tell how much.

InteleTravel’s Ferrara is less certain. “We Americans have short memories,” he said, noting that Google searches for travel insurance first spiked at the start of Covid and within six to eight months “fell off the floor.” It’s part of our defense mechanism as humans — we just don’t want to think about this.

“I would like to say that I will buy more travel insurance, but I am not sure.”