Travel Insurance

With some of Japan’s nuclear reactors emitting radiation after damage from last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami, travelers may wonder: Will their travel insurance policy cover them if they cancel trips because of radiation contamination in the region? Insurers are already grappling with this question, with different outcomes. But several I contacted this week agreed on one point: Unless you had added a so-called cancel-for-any-reason rider to your policy, you won’t be reimbursed for your trip deposits and other costs if you cancel your Japan trip solely because you worry that you might encounter radiation—or any other problem, for that matter.

Question: If I'm holding airline tickets for an upcoming Costa trip - the Concordia, which collided with rocks and ran aground on Jan. 13, was scheduled to sail again from Rome (Civitavecchia) on Jan. 20 - will Costa give me back my money? Answer: It should, but whether it will remains unclear. The issue for passengers on upcoming cruises is this: If they bought an air-sea package - that is, their cruise fare and airfare together - from Costa, they might have some recourse.

If you're planning an expensive trip, travel insurance might spare you some sleepless nights. Just make sure you know what you're buying. Some tips: --Expect to pay 4% to 8% of your trip cost for premiums on standard "bundled" policies. These cover trip delays, cancellations and interruptions due to illness, weather and other unexpected events. -- Compare different policies on websites such as InsureMyTrip.com, QuoteWright.com and Squaremouth.com. --Read the entire certificate of insurance, not just the summary.

Question: I'm planning to be in Seoul next year. The Plaza Hotel was recommended to me, and when I went online, I saw that Agoda.com would act as intermediary in booking, with modest discounts. It looks to me as if Agoda is legitimate. I expected to give them my credit card info to secure a room, but I did not expect to have to pay until I checked out of the hotel. I notice that the full price has posted to my credit card. Is this usual? It seems unorthodox to me, and I'm not happy about it. What should I do?

This is a troubling time for Europe-bound travelers. The U.S. State Department on Oct. 3 issued a travel alert that cited "the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe" but stopped short of warning travelers against going there. Sporadic labor actions in France, Greece and elsewhere have interrupted thousands of flights, trains and other transportation. Neither terrorism worries nor transit strikes should keep you from going to Britain or the Continent. But this is a good time to weigh your options, especially on insurance.

On a trip to a familiar domestic destination, you probably don't need travel insurance. But it may be worth considering if you're buying a cruise or tour package with hefty prepayments and heavy penalties for late cancellations. Trip cancellation/interruption insurance typically covers your losses if a family medical crisis or certain other emergencies force you to cancel, postpone or abbreviate a trip. Emergency medical policies cover emergency transport or medical care or both.

Want to cancel your vacation abroad because the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert after U.S. forces killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden ?  Go ahead, but don’t expect to get your money back through travel insurance -- unless you bought a very special policy. That's because most travel or trip insurance is designed to cover events, not states of mind, insurers say. So if a terrorist attack occurs in a city that you plan to visit on your insured trip -- or while you’re there — you can probably cancel or interrupt your journey and get your nonrefundable deposits back.

You can't take all the risk out of travel in these uncertain times, but you can reduce the financial risk by buying insurance. Not everyone needs travel insurance. If you're in good health and plan a moderately priced trip within the U.S., you're probably in this category. Definitions of "moderately priced" vary, of course. To determine your comfort level, ask yourself how much you can afford to lose without causing significant financial pain.

Even travelers who book a trip well in advance tend to put off one detail: buying travel insurance for health problems and other trip-related emergencies. Up to 30% of travelers wait until two weeks or less before their departure date to inquire about the coverage, industry experts say. So it's no surprise that the latest travel insurance trend is selling the product online.

After two days at sea, the Olsons were in high spirits as they left their cruise ship to explore the Caribbean island of St. Martin. Then 2-year-old Haley was hit by a truck. "I was right there," said Doug Olson of Racine, Wis., still incredulous a year later. "One second was all it took." One second and the entire group--14 members of the extended family were traveling together--was plunged into a vacation nightmare, made worse because they were in a foreign country.

Today we skip the standard Q&A format and ask you - no, beg you - to consider some things you can do before you get on that plane that takes you home for the holidays. Flying isn't like riding a bike; what was true last year may not be true this year. Last year, for instance, your 10-year-old had to remove his shoes at airport security. This year, he doesn't. But you do, if you're older than 12. Here are other reminders, with help from experts, that may smooth your trip: 1. If you are delayed by bad weather on a domestic flight, it's not the airline's responsibility to feed or shelter you. You'll want to know that before you're stuck in Chicago's O'Hare or Dallas-Fort Worth so you can make adequate preparations, which generally means having a credit card and some cash, and if it's a long delay, some idea of the hotels near the airport.

Airfares to Europe remained high most of this summer, which is why I love the price of this Thanksgiving trip to Paris , but you must hurry. Go-Today.com offers round-trip airfare plus six nights at a hotel for $1,150 per person until Monday. One catch: No turkey comes with this deal. The deal: SmarterTravel.com tipped me to this Thanksgiving in Paris trip that's on sale for a limited time. The cheapest rate includes L.A.-Paris round-trip airfare and six nights at the budget Comfort Hotel Davout Nation (in the Comfort Inn chain at 110 Rue des Orteaux)

Traveling to the East Coast soon? With the uncertainty of Hurricane Irene -- namely how and where this storm will hit -- it's best to be prepared with what I like to call an "I-could-be-stranded strategy. " "These types of events are pretty normal; it happened a lot during the holiday storms" last year, says Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel . "It's always the same situation, but for a lot of people, it might be the first time it happens to them. " Banas advises travelers to be hyper-vigilant about monitoring all parts of their travel plan (transportation, lodgings, etc.)

The nation's first frequent flier program launched 30 years ago this month and, by most accounts, the programs have only gotten more complicated with age. When American Airlines introduced its frequent flier program in 1981, the concept was simple: Passengers received free tickets or upgrades based on how many miles they had flown. Today the programs are more complicated, with some airline passengers getting reward points for flying, staying at hotels, renting cars and using certain credit cards.

After reading Catharine Hamm's On the Spot column ["Savings Calling," May 1], I thought I needed to contribute my experience in London last March. We stayed in a Premier Inn (Olympia) near Earl's Court. It was supposed to be two singles, but they made a bed out of the "sofa" while my friend had a double bed. The room was large but had no useful furniture. I had to unscrew the desk lamp and perch it on my suitcase in order to read in bed. The bathroom was new but poorly designed, with the toilet right under the very small counter.

Want to cancel your vacation abroad because the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert after U.S. forces killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden ?  Go ahead, but don’t expect to get your money back through travel insurance -- unless you bought a very special policy. That's because most travel or trip insurance is designed to cover events, not states of mind, insurers say. So if a terrorist attack occurs in a city that you plan to visit on your insured trip -- or while you’re there — you can probably cancel or interrupt your journey and get your nonrefundable deposits back.

Whether to buy travel insurance is becoming less of a question than it once was. The reason is relatively simple. A rash of bankruptcies in recent years, encompassing airlines as well as tour operators and cruise lines, has taught an increasingly aware public to be wary. Travelers are concerned over such subjects as the financial status of suppliers, incidents of terrorism and nonrefundable air fares. Some travelers even want to protect themselves from inclement weather.

As a 71-year resident of the Valley, I thought I would mention two of my favorite eating places that Chris Reynolds' article, "Valley Visions" [April 24], did not include: Art's Deli in Studio City and Brent's Deli in Northridge. Hilda Fogelson Studio City A critique of travel insurance The Travel section published a letter on April 10 from Richard Snyder praising the value of travel insurance, and a similar letter from Harriet Ottaviano appeared in the April 24 paper.