With hurricane season quickly approaching, it’s a critical time to consider purchasing travel insurance for your upcoming summer vacation. Subtropical Storm Andrea earned its name last week, marking the fifth consecutive year that a tropical system has been named before the season officially begins on June 1st.
According to Allianz Global Assistance, a leading travel insurance and assistance company, it is essential for travelers to plan ahead and protect themselves from potential disruptions. Last year alone, the company received a total of 6,700 claims from customers whose travel plans were impacted by hurricanes or storms. Recently, the company improved their OneTrip Premier product to include more covered reasons to cancel or interrupt a trip, including mandatory evacuation and hurricane warning.
Allianz Global Assistance Hurricane Claims – 2018
- Tropical Storm Florence (5,017) on the Carolina coast
- Hurricane Michael (1,433) on the Florida Panhandle
- Tropical Storm Gordon (161) on the Gulf coast
- Hurricane Isaac (59) and
- Hurricane Beryl (18) in the Caribbean
- Hurricane Chris (12) near the Gulf Stream
“The high number of claims we saw during last year’s hurricane season demonstrates how essential it is to buy travel insurance as soon as you book a flight or cruise,” says Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. “If you wait to shop around for insurance, and a hurricane impacting your destination is identified and named, you can no longer buy a plan that protects you from the impact of that hurricane. Buying when you book helps protect you from the unpredictable, often provides the best value, and saves time.”
Insured customers may be reimbursed for pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs if they need to cancel due to severe weather conditions covered by their plan.
For more information, visit https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/travel/planning/hurricane-insurance-coverage.htm.