Many Tri-Staters love to vacation on the East Coast, including Florida. But, Tropical Storm Debby is taking a bite out of the fun for many vacationers. Local 12 troubleshooter Howard Ain says even those who tried to protect themselves by taking out hurricane insurance are running into problems.
Tropical storm Debby is drenching Florida and delaying flights. Yet, the devastation caused by hurricanes over the years has not dampened the spirits of many travelers who go the Atlantic hurricane zone each year.
While you can find low airfares and hotel rates now, you really need to be a careful traveler. To protect yourself, travel insurance is highly recommended, but not just any insurance. For instance, hurricane insurance generally will not cover you if it's a tropical storm, as is the case with Debby. Instead, look for trip insurance policies that cover natural disasters, not just hurricanes.
Perhaps the best policies allow you to cancel your trip for any reason. That 'for any reason policy' requires you to cancel at least two days prior to your scheduled departure. You'll only get back about 75 percent of the amount you insured, be it for a condo stay, plane trip or whatever. The cost is about 15 percent of the amount you insure. That's 50 percent more than regular trip insurance.
Remember, you need to buy trip insurance when you book because no insurance carrier is going to pay claims if bad weather is predicted and then you decide to buy insurance.
Finally, check with your travel agent. This can be complicated since there are many variations in plans. In addition, your travel agent can be a valuable advocate if you run into problems filing a claim.
