Trip
Cancellation Coverage
As
we discussed at the Partnership meeting, Adams & Associates
International can arrange Trip Cancellation coverage in conjunction
with our Volunteer Travel program. This is available through
the Mission Travel Cancellation program. The link below will
provide you with information about this coverage, and will
allow you to purchase coverage if you would like to do so.
http://www.aaintl.com/iTravelInsured.cfm
Under
this program, Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption are
covered for up to $10,000. There is a $500 Travel Delay benefit
and a $100 Baggage Delay benefit. The program also includes
an Emergency Medical/Dental Expenses benefit of $10,000 that
is secondary to any other valid insurance that you may have.
The
cost is $5.45 per person, per travel day. If you complete
a paper application and submit it to us by mail or fax, please
include both the Departure Date and Return Date of your trip
when calculating your number of travel days. Coverage begins
at 12:01am on the day after Adams & Associates International
receives your application.
Trip
Cancellation coverage can be a very useful protection when
you are committing large sums of money to a trip; however,
there are times when the cost of coverage does not justify
the possible benefit. We always ask people to think about
their true “out-of-pocket” expenses if they had
to cancel their trip for any reason.
We
frequently see a waiting list for persons to be added to trips,
in which case there is usually minimal financial loss for
the person not going. In addition, most mission trips are
to local, non-tourist areas in places that normally do not
expect deposits upfront. We see very little cruise line, big
city hotel, or resort/spa mission travel. Normally airlines
only charge a change fee to re-issue the ticket for a later
date (generally within one year).
Airlines
and hotels do not normally care about the reason for a cancellation,
whereas the insurance is specific as to the reasons for cancellation
for the coverage to respond. Trip cancellation coverage is
somewhat restrictive in how one can cancel a trip. War or
hostile situations, as we have recently seen, would not necessarily
trigger coverage. In addition, if the sending organization
cancels a trip for fear of its volunteers’ safety, coverage
may not apply.
Trip
Cancellation coverage can be a very useful protection when
you are committing large sums of money to a future Overseas
trip. However, we feel that there are times when the coverage
may not be necessary. While non-refundable tickets are usually
purchased when traveling, in many cases, there is a credit
that can be used at a later date. This means that in some
cases, the possible "loss" one may suffer is only
the airline change fee if one were to apply. Also, the Airlines
do not normally care about the reason for a cancellation,
where as the insurance is specific as to the reasons for cancellation
for the coverage to respond.
Most
short-term Mission travel does not require that one put down
a non-refundable deposit for services that normally require
an upfront deposit. Most Mission trips are to local, non-tourist
areas in places that normally do not expect deposits upfront.
We see very little cruise line, big city hotel, or resort/spa
travel Mission travel. Normally airlines only charge a nominal
change fee, or one can hold their ticket, for up to one year.
Also,
in many cases, we see a waiting list for persons to be added
to trips, therefore, there is usually minimal financial loss
for the person not going.
Normal
trip cancellation coverage is somewhat restrictive in how
one can back out of a trip. Death of the person or immediate
family member is covered. WAR (or WEATHER) situations, like
those we have recently seen, would not necessarily provide
coverage just because someone does not want to go on a trip.
If the Sending Organization cancels a trip, coverage does
not normally apply.
While
Trip Cancellation insurance can serve a purpose, the cost
for this coverage is normally a percentage of the total cost
of a trip. If the percentage is applied in this way, and if
there is a chance of losing a $ 100.00 +/- airline change
fee, we feel this is an expensive coverage that would result
in very few claims that would actually be paid. Also, Airlines
can in many cases issue CREDITS for future travel if a ticket
is not used or changed.
Please
feel free to call Tommy Boggs or me with any questions you
may have.
Daniel
Dunne, Adams & Associates International, phone (803) 758-1400
or e-mail ddunne@aaintl.com.
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