Hurricane Travel Insurance

Author: Melissa A.

Published: November 11th, 2024 | Updated: November 11th, 2024
Read time: 6 mins

As Canadians, we often know we need emergency medical insurance when travelling abroad because we cannot rely solely on our government health insurance to protect us. But do we also stop and think about the importance of purchasing travel insurance for hurricanes to protect our travel plans during hurricane season? Primarily when we are known to frequent destination hotspots in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and around the Atlantic Ocean, which all happen to be hurricane-prone areas. Travel insurance coverage for hurricanes can financially protect you from unforeseen expenses you could incur if a hurricane disrupts your travel plans, given that the hurricane is unnamed and a travel advisory has not yet been issued.

Does travel insurance cover hurricanes?

Travel insurance is designed to offer protection against unforeseen events. It can cover hurricanes and other adverse weather and natural disaster events (tornados, cyclones, typhoons, floods, monsoons, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, blizzards, wildfires, etc.), but only if you purchase your travel insurance before the Canadian government issues a travel advisory or a storm is named. Check the Government of Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisory webpage when planning your trip and again before you depart for your holiday. Once a travel advisory has been issued for your travel destination or there’s a prediction for a named storm in the weather forecast, it’s considered a foreseeable event. Therefore, it’s too late to buy travel insurance protection for that event. This is why purchasing travel insurance right when you book your trip is crucial. Hurricane travel insurance coverage can be found in trip cancellation and interruption insurance, as well as all-inclusive insurance plans.

When is hurricane season?

Because seasons are experienced at different times in areas around the world, depending on the destination you are travelling to, hurricane season runs from January through December.

Pacific: Hurricane season is May through November in the East, West, and Central Pacific and November through April in the Southwest Pacific.

Atlantic: Hurricane season runs from June through November.

Indian Ocean: Hurricane season is from April through December in the North Indian Ocean and October through May in the South and Southeast Indian Ocean.

Australia: Hurricane season runs from October through May.

If you plan to travel to a destination during peak hurricane season, it’s recommended that you prepare by purchasing travel insurance for hurricane season as soon as you make your first trip payment and review the policy in detail so you know what exact events are covered and how much you will be covered for.

Will travel insurance cover cancellation due to hurricanes?

Travel insurance can cover trip cancellation due to a hurricane, but only when travel insurance that covers hurricanes is purchased before the Canadian government issues a travel advisory or a storm is named. Once a travel advisory has been issued for your travel destination or the storm is named, it’s considered a foreseeable event; therefore, your policy will not cover associated claims.

If you are going on a cruise vacation, if purchased before an issued travel advisory or named storm, travel insurance with the trip cancellation benefit can cover you when the travel carrier cannot get you to your home port (where your cruise begins). However, there must be at least a 24-hour delay from your originally scheduled arrival time because of the hurricane. In this case, travel insurance can reimburse you for your pre-paid, non-refundable cruise vacation costs.

How is hurricane travel insurance coverage affected by named storms?

Travel insurance hurricane coverage will not cover claims related to a particular storm once the storm is named or a travel advisory has been issued for the travel destination where the storm is located. You must get your travel insurance before the storm is indicated to be a foreseeable event. And you must ensure that a hurricane is listed as a covered reason for trip cancellation, interruption and delay in your policy, as well as insure the total prepaid, non-refundable cost of your trip and the complete duration of your trip from start to end to be eligible to make a claim.

Which destinations are most prone to hurricanes?

Hurricane-prone destinations tend to be in the Gulf of Mexico, around the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean, specifically Florida, Texas, Louisiana, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, the Bahamas, St. Kitts, Antigua, Barbuda, the Carolinas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York, to name a few.

How much is hurricane travel insurance?

Hurricane travel insurance coverage found in trip cancellation and interruption insurance will cost 4%-10% of your total prepaid, non-refundable trip cost (expenses you pay before departure). In addition to the trip cost, risk factors that affect the price are a traveller(‘s) age, the number of travellers insured on a policy, and the level of coverage. Also, destinations classified as high-risk or remote, limits, deductible and any options or add-ons you choose to add to a plan are risk factors that can also affect the price. Some cost-saving tips when shopping for hurricane travel insurance are to avoid coverages you do not need. Do this by looking at travel insurance you might already have, such as through your credit card, given that you have paid for your trip by card or look at your employee benefits plan. In these cases, you may only need top-up travel insurance. You can also compare providers and plans to get the best bang for your buck. Carry out a comparison by visiting us online at InsureMyTrip and starting a quote.

What is the best travel insurance for hurricane season?

The best travel insurance for hurricane season is trip cancellation and interruption insurance, which contains coverage benefits for when you must cancel, interrupt, or delay your trip. However, your policy must indicate that a hurricane is a covered reason to do so. If you are looking for more comprehensive coverage, there’s all-inclusive travel insurance, which contains all the coverage benefits found in trip cancellation and interruption insurance plus emergency medical, baggage loss and delay benefits. If you want to play it extra safely, if eligible, you can add the Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) benefit to your chosen plan, so you can cancel your trip for reasons not indicated in your policy to receive a partial refund. Regardless of which travel insurance plan you decide to purchase, ensure that it also has 24/7 travel assistance if you must change your travel plans on short notice.