After Devastating Hurricanes, Here’s What to Know About Travel Insurance

After Hurricane Ian decimated a good portion of Southwest Florida two weeks ago – following a destructive easterly path of Hurricane Fiona prior to that – there’s been an uptick in people seeking information and advice about travel insurance.

After all, the six-month hurricane season doesn’t end until November 30 and Hurricane Julia made landfall in Nicaragua this morning as it steams toward Central America.

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Further, we are just weeks away from ‘Snowbird Season’ in Florida, when a vast number of tourists from the northern part of the U.S. and Canada set up show in Florida for months, generally from just before Thanksgiving through Easter.

With that in mind, travel insurance company Squaremouth has a couple of helpful hints.

-Once A Storm is Named, It’s Too Late To Buy Travel Insurance

Yup, it’s true, and this is one of the most important things to know about securing your trip. Once the National Hurricane Center elevates a storm to ‘named’ status, it’s too late to guarantee your trip with travel insurance. That includes Tropical Storms.

According to Squaremouth, if travelers are concerned about a hurricane or storm impacting their trip, it’s best to buy a policy as soon as possible. Travel insurance, just like any other type, is only designed to cover the unforeseen. Once a storm is named, coverage can no longer be applied.

-How To Save Money on Travel Insurance For a Hurricane

Squaremouth is a Florida-based company, so it has great expertise in travel insurance revolving around hurricanes.

The biggest factor that impacts the premium of a travel insurance policy is the insured trip cost. When buying a policy, travelers can choose to insure all or just some of their expenses.

For example, many accommodations are refundable up until a certain point right before the trip. Travelers can choose to insure just a portion of their expenses upfront and add additional costs later or as they become nonrefundable. At that point, if the storm is no longer a threat, they can decide whether to insure additional expenses.