There’s a lot that goes into planning a trip south to the Sunshine State. One thing you might be wondering as you prepare to pack your bags is what travel insurance do I need for Florida. While most people don’t end up filing a travel insurance claim, it’s still recommended regardless of where you travel. When you’re taking a trip to an unfamiliar and possibly faraway place, many things can go wrong. Travel insurance covers you in case something happens.
What travel insurance do I need for Florida? Comprehensive travel insurance is recommended for most Florida vacations. Many comprehensive plans will cover everything from trip cancellation to medical emergencies, evacuation, and more. Travelers can opt for individual insurance plans instead or in some cases add on additional options.
To make an informed decision, it’s helpful to know detailed information about travel insurance. Our guide below provides you with what you need to know when it comes to purchasing travel insurance for your Florida vacation.
Why Should I Buy Travel Insurance?
Florida is a great state to visit. From attractions like Disney World and Universal Studios to beautiful Sanibel Island to the tip of Key West, there is so much to do and explore in the Sunshine State.
There’s a lot to consider when planning a trip to Florida. Flights, accommodations, dinner reservations, and other plans might be on your mind. Travel insurance is another important consideration and can make or break your trip. Before you determine what travel insurance you need, it’s important to think about why you might need travel insurance.
Is It Worth It to Get Travel Insurance?
Why should I buy travel insurance? The most basic reason is peace of mind. Your travel insurance will likely have your back in case something on your trip goes wrong: loss of baggage, cancellations, problems with accommodations, and even nasty weather.
One major reason many travelers opt for trip insurance is in case of cancellations. The protection offered by trip cancellation benefits protects your investment in your trip should you be unable to make it. Catch a cold and don’t want to travel? Have a family emergency and can’t make it? Cancellation insurance has you covered.
In many cases, there’s even more to travel insurance than just a cancellation policy. You’ll likely find coverage for trip interruption due to weather or other circumstances, travel delays, travel medical insurance, rental car damage, and much more. All of these benefits add up to peace of mind for your trip.
What Does My Travel Insurance Cover?
Travel insurance -also known as a trip or vacation insurance- can be confusing. This is especially true for individuals that don’t travel frequently and aren’t familiar with how travel insurance typically works. Misconceptions about time limits, claims, and more lead to many people making poor purchasing decisions.
One of the most important details to understand about travel insurance is what events and situations are covered. This is one of the biggest areas of misconception for many people. Below, we outline the typical coverages, qualifying events, and more.
It’s worth noting that the information provided below includes general examples and that actual insurance policies will vary and should be examined first before making purchasing.
What is the Benefit of Travel Insurance
There are several benefits to travel insurance including:
Medical Emergencies
If you’re travelling to Florida from outside the United States., travel insurance will cover many medical emergencies if they occur during your trip. This won’t be a factor if you’re within the U.S., but it’s vital if you’re travelling internationally. Most policies will cover everything from hospital expenses to medications and more. The amount that the policy will cover will vary, along with deductible amounts and claim requirements. When coupled with your health insurance, most medical conditions or emergency medical needs will be covered.
Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption
For many people, trip cancellation is the most valuable part of a travel insurance plan. For anyone that’s ever had to cancel a trip and didn’t have vacation insurance, this lesson likely hits close to home. This also happens to be one of the biggest points of misunderstanding.
Trip cancellation coverage will reimburse up to 100% of travel-related expenses for a qualifying event or reason. Trip interruption coverage is similar, but only kicks in once your trip has already begun. In this situation, if you need to cancel your trip early for a qualifying reason, trip interruption will cover some or all of the remaining trip expenses.
Why You Need Travel Insurance for Your Next Trip
Many people wrongly believe that trip cancellation and interruption can be used for any reason. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Qualified reasons typically include hospitalization, death of a family member, severe weather event, and more. Companies will have different requirements when it comes to claim requirements and more.
One way around this is to purchase Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. As the name implies, this allows the policyholder to cancel their trip for any reason not covered under trip cancellation or interruption. The one caveat to this is that the reimbursement amount is typically between 50 and 75% of the trip cost. The additional premium cost for this add-on can also be very pricey, generally increasing the total of the policy between 30 and 50%.
Lost or Damaged Luggage
Unfortunately, luggage being lost or damaged is a possible reality when travelling. While this won’t cancel your entire trip, it serves as a major inconvenience. This coverage will cover the costs to replace your damaged or lost goods in a quick and efficient manner to get your vacation back on track. There are limits to how much insurance companies will reimburse under this policy.
Are Hurricanes Covered by Travel Insurance?
While it’s unlikely that a hurricane will impact your Florida vacation, it is a possibility. Hurricane season in Florida occurs between June and November with higher chances for storms to be found from late August to October. When planning your Florida vacation during this time, it’s important to understand how vacation insurance treats hurricanes and tropical storms.
Many insurance policies specify that trip cancellation or interruption will apply when a named storm will impact or has impacted your travel arrangements. It’s important to note that a storm must be officially named by the National Weather Service or National Hurricane Center. Some plans might note that an evacuation notice must be in place in order for coverage to kick in.
Don’t let a little wet weather impact your vacation. There are many things to do on Sanibel Island in the rain!
Where Can I Buy Travel Insurance for a Vacation Rental?
There are many different options available to you when selecting where to purchase your travel insurance for your Florida vacation.
What’s the Best Travel Insurance to Buy
Some of the places that you can buy your travel insurance coverage include:
- Directly from Royal Shell
- Travel agent
- Airline
- Online insurers
- Insurance brokers
- Direct from an insurance company
Many travel companies, including Royal Shell, include the option to add travel insurance onto your vacation package. This is one of the convenient and often affordable ways to purchase travel insurance. Purchasing vacation insurance through a company that you’re already working with allows you to communicate through one point of contact through most of the process. It’s also likely that you’ll have access to discounted rates as a result of a partnership between the companies involved.
Wherever you decide to purchase your travel insurance policy from, you need to make sure that you fully understand what the travel insurance covers so that your trip is protected.
Florida Travel Insurance and Flexcation Options From Royal Shell
Buy your travel insurance where you book your trip! Royal Shell offers Florida travel insurance, along with Flexcation options, for your Sanibel Island vacation.
Royal Shell’s Flexcation Options include a Flex cancellation policy. With this policy, you are able to choose between options like changing your reservation or a partial refund in case of cancellation. Flex, Semi-Flex and Standard cancellation policies are available. These options let you book a vacation through Royal Shell without worrying about the stressors that might come with cancellation.
You can couple the benefits of Royal Shell’s Flexcation options with travel insurance. When you open to combine policies, you’ll find you are ultimately protected from loss when your vacation doesn’t go as planned.
Royal Shell offers travel insurance through CSA Travel Protection. We also wrote a blog you should check out about what kind of insurance you should pick for your vacation. These insurance plans can help make sure you’re protected from loss before your trip, during your vacation, and even when you get home. Coverages can include trip cancellation, trip interruption, travel delays, baggage claims and more.
You’re protected when you book your Sanibel Island vacation through Royal Shell.
Plan Your Florida Vacation with Royal Shell
To make the most of your Florida vacation, you need to make sure that your accommodation perfectly matches your needs. This is where we can help. At Royal Shell, we have an incredible range of world-class properties in Southwest Florida, including beautiful vacation rentals on Sanibel Island. Our vacation rental specialists have been providing the best properties in the area for over 25 years. Since we live and work here, we know exactly which area and what properties will best meet your needs and desires.
Check our availability today or give us a call at (855) 842-8316 to speak to one of our vacation rental experts.
