Escape Wisely - Know When to Buy Travel Insurance

What most people do not realize is that many insurance companies allow you to purchase travel insurance up until 24 hours before your departure. That being said, if you have any pre-existing medical conditions you need to purchase travel insurance as early as when you put down your first deposit on your trip.

(PRWEB) April 11, 2005 -- You finally got your week off from work and your travel agent is working hard on finding you the best deal. Now, before you can rest assure you realize that you need travel insurance. The big question then becomes 'When do I need to buy travel insurance?"

What most people do not realize is that many insurance companies allow you to purchase travel insurance up until 24 hours before your departure. That being said, if you have any pre-existing medical conditions you need to purchase travel insurance as early as when you put down your first deposit on your trip. Most of our plans will insure for pre-existing medical conditions if you purchase within 10-15 days from when you either paid your trip in full or made a deposit. It is also important to buy insurance early if you want to be covered for terrorism at departure or destination as well as financial default of travel provider," says Kara Cayman customer service manager at http://www.TotalTravelInsurance.com. Remember that if you buy the insurance after the 10 to 15 day window youll still be covered in the event that a medical emergency occurs. What would not be covered are any emergencies incurred from your pre-existing medical conditions.

Pre-existing medical conditions is a broad term and affects not just the traveling parties. It also affects immediate family members. If you have an immediate family member that is ill, you may be able to cancel your trip in case your family member gets worse or passes away unexpectedly.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you are traveling on a frequent flyer mileage trip, insurance company will not reimburse you for your airfare costs since there is no out-of pocket expense. You will still be covered for medical, lost luggage, missed connection and travel delay as well as accidental death & dismemberment and common carrier accident insurance.

The tricky part is to know what determines your first deposit date when traveling on a frequent mileage flight. In this case, the first time you made your payment toward any tax charges for your frequent flyer trip is considered the first payment.

Alex Velinov, president of Total Travel Insurance (www.totaltravelinsurance.com), says, I tell my customers to always remember the earlier you buy, the longer and better coverage you will have. If you did not buy insurance within the first two weeks of your deposit date and subsequently a family member got sick or your travel provider filed for bankruptcy, you will not be covered. If you did not buy early, you should buy at least 24 hours before departure. When you buy insurance on the day of your departure, you are not covered for the departure leg of your trip. Coverage does not go into effect until midnight of when application was received by the insurance company. When buying on the day of your departure, you are better off buying one of our post-departure (trip interruption) plans, it will save you money."

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