Vacation Insurance

In the aftermath of all of the recent hurricanes, Jon and I re-thought our decision not to add vacation insurance. Our travel agent offered it to us when we first booked the vacation, but told us that we could add it anytime from now until 30 days before we leave for our trip. The hurricane's direct path hit Cancun and our resort in the Riviera Maya is about 40 miles away. Randomly both my travel agent and friend Catie who was married recently were vacationing in the Riviera Maya during that time. Catie managed to get a flight off of the island, but ironically my travel agent got stuck in Mexico for 5 extra days. Sometimes when you are in a foreign place, the confusion about getting a plane or early travel arrangements can become difficult. This is where the insurance part kicks in.
Both my travel agent and Catie bought insurance for their vacations. Although it will take each of them a while to get the money back, both of them ended up spending a fortune either way. Catie's early flight expenses, hotel cost, and rental car to get back home ended up totaling almost $2000. My travel agent also had to front the bill for staying at the resort a few extra days and changing her flight out. If neither of the two of them had the insurance, they would not be refunded for the full amount of their extra trip fees and problems.
Not only does vacation insurance cover problems such as this, but if something were to happen before we left for the trip we would be refunded the entire amount of the vacation, minus a $50 fee per person for travel agent expenses. The trip insurance also includes trip cancellations for things like medical problems, family illness/deaths, jury duty, and many other situations that may not allow for the trip to happen. You can look for travel insurance quotes for vacations, destination weddings, weekend getaways online or contact your travel agent to receive more information. Our insurance is only $59 per person and definitely worth the expense!
As for our resort, the Riviera Maya had some small structural damage such as fallen trees and broken windows, but all of the resorts in the area are up and running to full capacity again. By the time we get there at the end of June, the hurricane will be a thing of the past, and I will be sipping my margarita pool side!! Until next time...