Is Travel Insurance Worth Buying?
Couple Says Insurer Owes Them for Cancelled Trip to Kenya
POSTED: 4:24 pm EDT May 16,
2008
UPDATED: 4:25 pm EDT May 17,
2008
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BOSTON -- Planning a big trip this summer? Think you might need to buy travel insurance?
Watch VideoThen make sure your budget includes time for "reading the small print" on the policy.That's the advice from Annette and David Lachapelle. They were supposed to leave Jan. 3 for a trip to Kenya.But violence in the country following the December elections prompted the U.S. State Department to issue an advisory -- just days before the Lachapelles' departure -- warning tourists to "strongly consider the risks of travel to Kenya at this time." That convinced them to cancel their safari.They had paid $10,000 to book the trip, but weren't concerned.They had travel insurance."It never entered my mind that it would be a problem," said Annette Lachapelle, looking at her policy. "Right here --- Trip Cancellation Due to Terrorism and Other Named Unforeseen Events."But AIG Insurance denied Lachapelle's claim, arguing that the events in Kenya were civil unrest, not "terrorism.""If I were caught in the crossfire of guns from someone from an invading country in Kenya, that would have been covered," Lachapelle said. "But Kenyans killing Kenyans was not covered. It's ridiculous to me."It doesn't matter if you're going to Africa, Europe or Disney World, travel insurance is confusing and if you don't ask the right questions, you've wasted your money.Terms can be confusing. For example, some medical policies cover you while you're away. Others cover you before you go. Sometimes a policy will cover you for both. But you want to make sure before you buy it.Some policies are cheap, but read the teeny print and you may discover they don't cover much. The policies offering the most comprehensive coverage -- including a "cancel for any reason" option -- can cost an extra 40 percent more."I will continue fighting this," Lachapelle said. "I will educate people about this. It's absolutely appalling."Travel insurance is sold on the Internet, but NewsCenter 5's Susan Wornick suggests you buy it through a travel agent who can be there for you in case there's a problem.
Watch VideoThen make sure your budget includes time for "reading the small print" on the policy.That's the advice from Annette and David Lachapelle. They were supposed to leave Jan. 3 for a trip to Kenya.But violence in the country following the December elections prompted the U.S. State Department to issue an advisory -- just days before the Lachapelles' departure -- warning tourists to "strongly consider the risks of travel to Kenya at this time." That convinced them to cancel their safari.They had paid $10,000 to book the trip, but weren't concerned.They had travel insurance."It never entered my mind that it would be a problem," said Annette Lachapelle, looking at her policy. "Right here --- Trip Cancellation Due to Terrorism and Other Named Unforeseen Events."But AIG Insurance denied Lachapelle's claim, arguing that the events in Kenya were civil unrest, not "terrorism.""If I were caught in the crossfire of guns from someone from an invading country in Kenya, that would have been covered," Lachapelle said. "But Kenyans killing Kenyans was not covered. It's ridiculous to me."It doesn't matter if you're going to Africa, Europe or Disney World, travel insurance is confusing and if you don't ask the right questions, you've wasted your money.Terms can be confusing. For example, some medical policies cover you while you're away. Others cover you before you go. Sometimes a policy will cover you for both. But you want to make sure before you buy it.Some policies are cheap, but read the teeny print and you may discover they don't cover much. The policies offering the most comprehensive coverage -- including a "cancel for any reason" option -- can cost an extra 40 percent more."I will continue fighting this," Lachapelle said. "I will educate people about this. It's absolutely appalling."Travel insurance is sold on the Internet, but NewsCenter 5's Susan Wornick suggests you buy it through a travel agent who can be there for you in case there's a problem.Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
