Did you know that COVID-19 is not a listed reason for travel insurance policies? Yep, and that can seriously delay or even change your entire trip!

Recently we had some friends try to go to Hawaii. However, you need a negative COVID test within a certain number of hours from the time your last flight departs. Sadly, their first flight got delayed! Which meant their test would probably not be valid by the time they boarded their connecting flight.

So our friends (who have 7 kids mind you!) ended up changing their entire trip and going to Florida instead. (Trying to escape Utah’s cold February weather for a sandy beach is always a good idea.) Oh and their luggage? Yep, it still got sent to Hawaii somehow. So they had to buy clothes for everyone and really improvise.

Luckily travel insurance can cover these sort of unavoidable mishaps.

Our associates at ConsumersAdvocate.org have recently updated their travel insurance guide. It now includes a hefty section about COVID-related information. Read the guide to get helpful information before you plan your next trip. The article (which took over 200 hours of research!) gives insight about:

• the top 8 options for travel insurance
• what is and isn’t covered
• different types of policies
• some alternatives to travel insurance and
• comparisons of the top travel insurance companies

So next time you plan a trip, consider all the things you might want covered. Especially during these unique times, a lot can go wrong. It’s not worth it to throw money down the drain due to circumstances you can’t control.

Even if you don’t usually get sick or have accidents happen, COVID-19 has thrown a lot of people for a loop. It would be such a bummer to have to cancel a trip because of a delayed flight or testing issues.

Luckily many of the options listed in the guide are affordable. Insurance costs vary based on the type of coverage. But as a rule of thumb, insurance prices typically range from about 4 to 10% of the trip price. Note that premium coverage or Cancel-For-Any-Reason (CFAR) policies can cost more.

Have you ever purchased travel insurance?