These cold winter months certainly make us pine for warmer weather. You may already be planning for your next summer getaway. Travel is an exciting way to reset and relax, though it can cause stress if things don’t go quite according to plan. Luckily, with Travel Insurance, you can prepare for the worst and protect your vacation. Another way to get prepared for future travel is by updating your ID to the new Real ID format, which is going into effect May 2025. Read on to learn more about how to get ready for your summer travels!
How Does Travel Insurance Work?
Travel Insurance is a great way to safeguard your vacation in case something goes awry. Different policies can protect various aspects of your trip, from unexpected trip cancellations to medical bills while overseas. Depending on the policy you choose and the company you go with, you can opt to cover certain aspects of your trip. This can give you some flexibility and control over how you want to cover your vacations in the event of an emergency situation.
The root of Travel Insurance is protecting your financial investment. Vacations and travel plans often require a significant amount of preparation and upfront costs, like hotel bookings, airplane tickets, car rentals, and more. If you find that your trip is interrupted due to unforeseen circumstances, then you may have quite a bit of money on the line that could be nonrefundable. By carrying Travel Insurance, you can have a policy that will reimburse you for these expenses as long as you have a covered reason for missing the trip. These reasons vary from carrier to carrier, but primarily include things that are out of your control, like a family emergency or sudden illness. Make sure to check with your agent on the fine print for the policy to make sure you understand what is and is not covered when it comes to financial coverage for your vacation.
Another type of Travel Insurance policy is one specifically for medical expenses incurred outside of the U.S. If you have health insurance, it likely will not extend to care that happens in another country. This means if you fall ill or become injured while on your European vacation, you won’t be able to use your health insurance. Rather, you will have to come out of your own pocket for these expenses. Depending on the nature of the illness or injury, this could quickly add up to thousands of dollars and leave you in a financial bind. Certain Travel Insurance policies provide essential medical coverage for this exact scenario so that you can ensure you are covered even when you are traveling in foreign countries.
What is Real ID?
Real ID is a federal law that is going into effect on May 7, 2025 and designates the acceptable forms of identification that can be used for domestic flights. If you are planning to travel this summer, you will want to make sure you have the right form of ID so you don’t get hung up at the airport at the last minute. These will be the acceptable forms of identification:
– Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
– U.S. Military ID
– U.S. Passport
– U.S. Passport Card
– Foreign Passport
– U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment – Authorization Card (I-766)
– Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
– Enhanced Driver License (EDL)
– Enhanced Identification Card (EID)
While you have a couple years to get this updated, it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead and make sure you have the necessary documents to prepare for upcoming travel. The process of getting these updates to your ID or getting a passport can be lengthy, so it is encouraged to do this well in advance so you don’t get caught traveling past the deadline without the right forms of identification.
Travel Insurance with Your Credit Card
You may already have some travel insurance protection through your credit card company. Many credit card companies offer rewards for frequent travelers, including miles toward future trips and even some coverage for trip interruptions. This could be pretty significant coverage to protect your financial investments, as well as medical coverage, depending on the credit card you have and the company’s policy.
While this is a great perk and added benefit of having a credit card, it is important to still explore just exactly what this covers. A lot of time, the coverage thrown in as a bonus may have limited covered causes of loss or other exclusions or limitations. You certainly don’t want to assume you have all the coverage you need and discover you are missing something when the worst happens. By reviewing the coverage offered with your credit card company, you can compare this to separate Travel Insurance policies to make sure you are getting the right coverage for your trip.
Plan Ahead for Travel with Nicholson & Associates
Travel is a great way to expand your horizons or just get away from it all and reset. Before you jet off on your next getaway, make sure you have the right protection in place for anything that comes your way. Contact our office today to speak with a personal insurance agent and learn about Travel Insurance options to cover your upcoming trip!
