IT'S been an unsettling season for tourists, who have contended with a foiled London terror plot, the Lebanon-Israel conflict and hurricanes.
Troubled travelers who bought insurance have found help with rescheduling trips and recovering costs -- or they have found disappointment. Trip-cancellation policies typically exclude war; they may cover terrorist incidents but not conspiracies, hurricanes but not warnings. As with all insurance, there are exceptions.
But those who buy travel insurance today will find surprising new choices. In the last few months, insurers have added coverage for golfers, adventure travelers and pet owners. Eschewing traditional exclusions, some policies pay if your boss makes you work, and others will let you cancel for any reason.
"The industry has gotten away from one-size-fits all," said Dan McGinnity, spokesman for Travel Guard International, a large insurer based in Stevens Point, Wis.
Here's a look at some recent changes:
Cancel for any cause: Several years ago, cruise lines began selling waivers that allowed customers to cancel for any reason and get back at least part of their trip deposits. Some tour companies and vacation packagers began doing this too.
Now several independent insurers offer this option.
"The cancel-for-any-reason policy has been the most interesting turn of events in the last two years," said Tully Lehman, spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California, a private, nonprofit association based in Los Angeles and funded by the insurance industry.
Unlike waivers sold by cruise lines and other suppliers, cancel-for-any-reason insurance is typically regulated by state boards and may be part of a wide-ranging package that pays if your cruise line or airline goes out of business, you are injured or ill, weather delays your flight or in dozens of other circumstances, Lehman said.
The main disadvantage is the price. You may pay $200 or so, depending on trip cost and other factors, for a cruise waiver. An independent insurance policy with a cancel-for-any-reason clause may cost as much as 50% more than one without this clause.
Waivers may require you to apply your deposit to a future trip; insurance typically won't. But with either a waiver or insurance, you may not get all of your money back and you may need to cancel a day or two ahead -- or not. It depends on the policy.
