Travel Insurance for Hurricane Season: What You Need to Know

The summer and fall months are a popular time to travel, between school vacations and holiday weekends. However, this time of year coincides with hurricane season in the Atlantic, which starts in June and ends in November.

If you’re planning a trip during hurricane season, it’s important to be prepared for potential travel disruptions, like flight cancellations and evacuations at your destination, that could cause you to lose money. Fortunately, travel insurance for hurricanes can help you recoup your losses if your travel gets derailed.

Here’s what you should know about travel insurance for hurricanes, including what travel insurance will cover, how much it costs, and when to consider getting a policy.

Does Travel Insurance Cover Hurricanes and Tropical Storms?

Yes, most standard Trip Cancellation travel insurance policies cover hurricanes and tropical storms. You’re covered as long as the policy includes Hurricane & Weather coverage, and the plan was purchased before the storm was officially named.

However, it’s a good idea to review the coverages and read the fine print before you purchase a travel insurance policy. You should know exactly which events are covered (and which ones aren’t) to avoid surprises in case you have to file a claim.

What Does Travel Insurance Cover During Hurricane Season?

Hurricane travel insurance can cover your financial losses if your trip is cancelled due to severe weather. Specifically, travel insurance reimburses your prepaid and non-refundable travel expenses, like flights, cruises, hotel accommodations, and event tickets, among others.

Here are some specific situations that would allow you to file a claim and get reimbursed for your prepaid expenses:

• Your destination is uninhabitable due to a hurricane or damage from a storm
• Your destination is inaccessible due to a hurricane
• Your airline or cruise line has cancelled your trip because of a hurricane
• There’s a hurricane warning at your destination
• There’s a mandatory evacuation at your destination due to a storm
• Your home has been directly damaged by a hurricane

Most travel insurance policies reimburse up to 100% of your prepaid and non-refundable travel costs. However, you’ll need to provide proof of your prepaid expenses and proof of your trip cancellation or interruption when you file a claim to recoup your money.

What is Not Covered by Hurricane Travel Insurance?

Hurricane travel insurance doesn’t cover everything. Two main situations are excluded under this type of insurance policy:

• Your trip is canceled due to a hurricane, but you purchased travel insurance after the storm was named
• You can safely travel to the destination, but you will enjoy the trip less because a hurricane has disrupted your planned activities

Additionally, travel insurance won’t cover refundable expenses. For example, if you booked a refundable hotel at your destination, your insurance policy wouldn’t provide any reimbursement. In this case, you would have to contact the hotel and request a refund.

How Much Does Hurricane Travel Insurance Cost?

The average cost of hurricane travel insurance is between 4% and 10% of your total trip cost. In addition to trip cost, your age and the length of the trip also affect the premium. Typically, longer trips cost more to insure than shorter trips. Older travelers usually pay higher premiums than younger people.

To give you an idea of how much you might spend on hurricane travel insurance, here are some sample rate quotes from Squaremouth for a 10-day trip to the Bahamas, with a total trip cost of $3,500:

• Traveler Age: 35
  • Premium Range: $56 – $264
• Traveler Age: 45
  • Premium Range: $76 – $264
• Traveler Age: 55
  • Premium Range: $106 – $311
• Traveler Age: 65
  • Premium Range: $129 – $407
• Traveler Age: 75
  • Premium Range: $206 – $632

Why Should I Buy Travel Insurance for Hurricane Coverage?

If you’re booking a trip during hurricane season, travel insurance can be a good investment, especially if:

• You’re traveling to a hurricane-prone destination, like Florida, North Carolina, or the Caribbean
• You’re departing from a hurricane-prone destination and a hurricane at home could force you to cancel your trip
• You’re taking a cruise to an area where hurricanes and tropical storms hit, like the Caribbean

Top Travel Insurance Tips for Hurricane Season

Before you plan a trip during hurricane season, you should consider the benefits of travel insurance. If you have to cancel your trip unexpectedly and you don’t have insurance, you could lose money on prepaid expenses, like flights, hotel stays, and excursions.

Here are a few helpful tips for getting travel insurance for hurricane season:

• Buy a travel insurance policy early: Plan to purchase your travel insurance plan as early as possible after booking your trip. If you buy a plan after a storm is officially named, you won’t have any coverage if your travel is disrupted due to that storm.
• Purchase enough travel insurance coverage: You should purchase a travel insurance plan that covers the full investment you’ve made in the trip. That way, you can recoup the money you spent on prepaid travel expenses if a hurricane forces you to cancel your trip.
• Keep your receipts: It’s important to keep all your receipts and travel confirmation documents in case you have to file a travel insurance claim. To get reimbursed, you’ll need to submit proof of your non-refundable payment and proof of the cancellation, like a notification from your airline or cruise line, or an official hurricane warning notice from the local government where you’re traveling.
• Consider Cancel For Any Reason coverage for ultimate flexibility: Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage will reimburse your prepaid trip expenses if you have to cancel your trip for any reason, even ones that are excluded under your standard policy. You can add CFAR coverage to many travel insurance policies to get more flexibility for cancelling your trip if something comes up.

Hurricane Travel Insurance FAQs

What is the best travel insurance plan to have for hurricane season?

The best travel insurance plan to have during hurricane season is one that covers trip cancellation and trip interruption for hurricanes and weather. That way, you can get reimbursed for travel expenses if a hurricane cancels or delays your travel plans. If you don’t have travel insurance with hurricane coverage, you could lose the money you spent upfront if you have to cancel your trip.

Does travel insurance cover severe weather?

Many travel insurance plans cover severe weather, but not all plans do. Usually, travel insurance will cover trip interruptions and trip cancellations if there’s severe weather at your departure location or destination that prevents you from getting there safely. However, travel insurance doesn’t cover all travel impacts caused by severe weather. For example, it won’t cover loss of enjoyment if a hurricane closes beaches at your destination.

Does travel insurance cover my cruise if there is a hurricane?

Yes, travel insurance can cover your prepaid and non-refundable cruise expenses if there’s a hurricane. You can file a claim with your insurance company to recoup your costs if a hurricane or named storm forces your cruise line to cancel the trip. Your policy can also cover things like a hotel near the port and restaurant meals if your cruise departure was delayed because of a hurricane.

When is the Atlantic hurricane season?

The annual hurricane season in the Atlantic runs from June 1 to November 30. However, hurricanes are still possible outside of the normal season. If you’re planning a trip near the start of hurricane season or just after hurricane season ends, having travel insurance with hurricane coverage can still be beneficial.

When is the Pacific hurricane season?

Hurricane season in the Pacific Ocean begins on May 15 and ends on November 30. Similar to hurricane season in the Atlantic, however, hurricanes can occur before and after the official season, so travel insurance can still be worth getting if you’re traveling outside of the regular season.