I simply can't stress enough how important travel protection is. But I wish I had a nickel for everyone who said to me, "I don't need that insurance. I am going on this trip." It's amazing that they can predict the future, huh? (Wonder why they aren't rich?)
Countless people have said to me that insurance of any kind is a necessary evil. Shoot, I have said it myself. We all hate paying premiums. But how awful would it be if we did not have it when we needed it? I don't even want to think about it.
I buy the travel protection insurance every time that I travel. I buy it from the same company that I use for my clients, which is AIG/Travel Guard International. I could write a full chapter in a book about people they have helped but this one comes from the heart because it happened to me.
I had a group cruise planned for my very own church and we had planned it for nine months. We were set to cruise on February 18th, 2008. On February 15, my beloved mother-in-law passed away. Needless to say, our friends were cruising without us.
Her funeral was the same day the cruise departed. We had been out of state with the family for three days prior to the funeral. On the day following the funeral we planned to drive back home. After the service was over and we had spent the day with so many people in his family, my dear, sweet husband came to me and said, "I want you to call the airlines and see how much it will cost to fly to Cozumel to catch up with the ship." I actually told him no. I thought that was crazy because it would be too expensive. Two one way tickets with no advance purchase? Good grief. He insisted I call. He said we were going home the next day anyway so we could either go home and be really sad or we could spend this sad time with 47 of our church friends who love us and had been praying with us for months.
Well, I did call and the airfare was only $300 per person and then I called AIG/Travel Guard and they said that was covered under the "Trip Delay" benefit due to the death in the family. So we are being reimbursed for the cost of the air, the incidental fees, such as parking and taxi fare and they are even reimbursing us for the two days of the cruise that we missed. How neat is that?
Lest you think we are hard-hearted for going on the cruise, please keep in mind that my husband's mother had been ill for some time and during the days previous to her death we felt pretty sure it was going to happen and we actually prayed that the Lord would take her and end her suffering. So we were prepared. Never ready, but prepared nonetheless. Every single member of my husband's family begged us to go ahead and go; to celebrate her life on earth and her eternal life in heaven. Because if there was ever anyone that I know is there, it is my dear, sweet mother-in-law!
I seriously doubt that we would have flown to Cozumel and met up with the cruise had it not been for AIG/Travel Guard. But when we boarded that ship and surprised our beloved church family and others as well, we knew we made the right decision. And it was lovely to know that we would be reimbursed because it was something that we had planned for such a long time.
Necessary evil? Nah!
For shell23 I tried to answer your email three times but it was returned to me each time. Please call my office or email me with a different email and I will try to help you.
Thank you
Diane
Posted by: Diane | March 09, 2008 at 09:35 PM