Need Help With Travel Insurance For USA Based Friend Travelling To Ireland

[BadPinkTink]

I know this is not strictly cruise related but I know all you American cruisers are the best people to ask about this.

One of my friends is Irish but lives in California and is travelling home to Ireland this summer to see her family for the first time since 2019. A lot has changed since then and she has no clue where to start looking for travel insurance which includes Covid cover.

This is what I have with my travel insurance

• Medical Expenses covered if you or your travelling companions are diagnosed with Covid-19 abroad.
• Additional Travel or Accommodation Expenses abroad if you need to extend your stay due to a Covid-19 diagnosis.
• Cancellation cover if you are diagnosed with Covid-19 within 14 days of departure.
• Cancellation cover if you are hospitalised with Covid-19 within 28 days of departure.
• Cancellation cover if your travelling companion(s) are diagnosed with Covid-19 within 14 days of departure.
• Cancellation cover if your travelling companion(s) are hospitalised with Covid-19 within 28 days of departure.
• Cancellation cover if somebody you have arranged to stay with abroad is diagnosed with Covid-19 within 14 days of departure.
• No Cover for cancellation due to government travel restrictions or lockdown.

What American travel insurance companies offer the same or similar?

My friend is a solo traveler, under 50, no underlying health conditions and the trip to Ireland is 20 days and is a regular holiday, no cruise or activities which would need extra cover.

 

[Sarahslay]

My Dreams Unlimited agent told me to check out insuremytrip.com to compare and contrast travel insurance. We were doing it for our ABD arctic expedition trip (Norway), so a bit different, and ended up going with the insurance through Disney, but we are going to use it for our trip we're doing ourselves to Scotland in November. A lot of them have cancel for any reason coverage, I noticed most we looked at covered stuff for Covid, but sometimes you have to book extra for the cancel for any reason (it's usually extra, but for us right now it's worth it with everything changing all the time). I don't know if any of them cover if someone is diagnosed with covid you're staying with, but I'm sure that would be a "cancel for any reason" kind of thing.

 

[Sarahslay]

dang, it starred it out, tell them to google really, there are lots of websites honestly that allow you to compare companies and rates.

 

[BadPinkTink]

oops, so to make sure to look for cancel any reason coverage, thanks,

 

[Sykes]

You'll pay a pretty significant premium for cancel for any reason coverage, and it may not be absolutely necessary depending on what your friend needs. Many travel insurance policies will now cover COVID-related nonrefundable cancellation and quarantine expenses under their Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption provisions if she becomes ineligible to take the trip. Some will require a specific COVID endorsement for that, but others will just cover it under their standard policies. CFAR is no longer absolutely necessary for all COVID-related coverage, although it may still be the best option depending on circumstances (especially if there's a risk that she'll be legally allowed to take the trip but would choose not to).

The biggest thing to read the fine print on is under what circumstances is it covered. Some will cover the expenses for everyone if anyone in the immediate travel party tests positive, while others will only cover the expenses of the actual person who tests positive, there are some variations in-between.

Finally, for emergency medical coverage, it's worth checking what their primary health insurance will cover. For people with insurance policies issued by a US carrier some amount is usually helpful to ensure immediate access to care because otherwise in some circumstances you could be temporarily out of pocket a good chunk of change until a reimbursement check comes (or permanently out of pocket if you have a high deductible on your primary insurance), but excessive amounts usually aren't necessary. (Oh, and some countries require emergency medical travel insurance for entry these days.) Usually I'd say prioritize medevac and repatriation coverage, but for a trip to Ireland I'm not sure I'd be too fussed about those either.

 

[BadPinkTink]

You'll pay a pretty significant premium for cancel for any reason coverage, and it may not be absolutely necessary depending on what your friend needs. Many travel insurance policies will now cover COVID-related nonrefundable cancellation and quarantine expenses under their Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption provisions if she becomes ineligible to take the trip. Some will require a specific COVID endorsement for that, but others will just cover it under their standard policies. CFAR is no longer absolutely necessary for all COVID-related coverage, although it may still be the best option depending on circumstances (especially if there's a risk that she'll be legally allowed to take the trip but would choose not to).

The biggest thing to read the fine print on is under what circumstances is it covered. Some will cover the expenses for everyone if anyone in the immediate travel party tests positive, while others will only cover the expenses of the actual person who tests positive, there are some variations in-between.

Finally, for emergency medical coverage, it's worth checking what their primary health insurance will cover. For people with insurance policies issued by a US carrier some amount is usually helpful to ensure immediate access to care because otherwise in some circumstances you could be temporarily out of pocket a good chunk of change until a reimbursement check comes (or permanently out of pocket if you have a high deductible on your primary insurance), but excessive amounts usually aren't necessary. Usually I'd say prioritize medevac and repatriation coverage, but for a trip to Ireland I'm not sure I'd be too fussed about those either.

Thank you so much for this, its really helpful

 

[Akck]

Have them check out Allianz Travel Insurance. I was watching a DCL Fan video and that’s what one agent utilized. I went for the annual coverage since we travel a lot to see family with air travel and car rentals, in addition to the cruises we’re taking this year.

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/

 

[lanejudy]

Have your friend Google for trip insurance comparison websites. The one starred out above is likely to pop as well as another one or two that are also very good. She can put in the parameters of her travel plans and get various quotes. If she has specific needs or specific questions, she should call to ask - they are very good about answering questions. It's important to truly understand what she is purchasing and not just think she understands what is covered.

 

[luvincruising]

---.insure.my.trip. and .squaremouth. are two good comparison sites. Look for primary coverage [the travel insurance will pay first whether you have other insurance or not], $100,000+ medical coverage, and medical evacuation coverage [a medical helicopter ride in the middle of the ocean can be a painfully expensive adventure].

 

[brentm77]

Coverage costs have gone up significantly too, understandably. We just paid nearly double to insure the same length cruise as we did pre-pandemic.