Travel Safety Net

Laura Liakos is making sure everything was in place for her upcoming trip to Orlando, including her travel insurance.

It’s something Liakos says she never leaves home without.

“Just to be on the safe side because you never know something may happen,“ said Liakos.

AAA Manager Joyce Bradford says they always recommend it.

Bradford says travelers can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to hundreds of thousands of dollars for trip insurance, but she says it pays for itself if they have to use it.

“If it’s a situation where you’ve paid $4,000 for a trip and it gets canceled because of a hurricane, and you didn’t take out any insurance, you’re in a bind,“ said Bradford.

Depending on the company and your policy, if a storm damages your hotel before your departure, shuts down your airport or even if a hurricane’s predicted path is near the location of your upcoming insured vacation, it is possible to get reimbursed.

It all depends on your policy.

That’s one reason the Better Business Bureau recommends you read the fine print and the exclusions of your policy to know exactly what you are paying for.

“Just insuring your investments is really what it amounts to,“ said Bradford.

If you have to cash in your trip insurance, Bradford says the wait time varies depending on the policy, but says the average turnaround is about six weeks.

According to AAA, it’s rare that cruise ships will cancel their plans because of hurricanes.

Most of the time the ships will simply change their routes.