I’m helping someone with their claim. In order for the travel insurance company to know someone took the trip they insured, they need a copy of the trip itinerary. Makes sense, right? Thanks to this person’s email to me, it just dawned on me that many people probably don’t know what a trip itinerary is:
I don’t know what is a trip itinerary. Travel agents just make them up. We went to New Orleans for a week to just hang out. Stayed at a friends apartment there. So what are they looking for?
A Trip Itinerary is your travel plan — where you will go or went and when you will be or were there. It could be a confirmation letter or email from an airline, cruise line or tour company. It could also be provided from your travel agent.
Why is the Trip Itinerary important?
The reason the Trip Itinerary is important is because an insurance department needs to verify you were where you said you were if you have a claim. If you bought trip insurance for a Danube River cruise and submitted a medical claim that was for medical treatment in Argentina during the same dates you were supposed to be on the Danube River cruise, you will need to do some explaining.
What can you do when you don’t have a copy of your Trip Itinerary?
All’s not lost. It’s certain your claim will be delayed, but you can get a copy at least one of these ways:
- Scour your emails for a copy of your itinerary or confirmation
- Sending copies of your passport pages showing your name(s), the entry and departure stamps from both US & the other country’s Immigration. The entry and departure stamps will include your dates of travel.
- Ask the cruise line or tour company for a copy of your itinerary
- Go to the airline and request a copy of your travel dates
- Ask your travel agent
Don’t forget this:
While I’m on this subject, it’s important that your trip insurance policy dates match up with your actual travel dates. If you are returning home on a certain date and a month before your trip the airline tells you your return flight was changed to the following day, you need to change your policy’s Return Date to match. If not, you’ll lose your baggage coverage for that new flight because your policy will end the day before.
On the other hand, if your return flight home is delayed for a covered reason while you are on your trip (ie – you’re still in the hospital after getting hit by a cement truck incident or an unexpected ash cloud from a volcano cancels your flight) your policy continues in force until you return home a few days later.
I hope this makes sense. If you want the right travel insurance advice, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we'll help you figure it all out.
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