Need To Know: Travel Insurance for Hurricanes

Last Updated: October 10, 2022

The National Hurricane Center is tracking two new tropical disturbances in the Atlantic. With nearly two months of hurricane season remaining, travel insurtech company Squaremouth.com, explains the most important thing travelers should know about insurance coverage for hurricanes.

Once A Storm is Named, It’s Too Late To Buy Travel Insurance

Travelers visiting hurricane-prone destinations in the coming months may be extra cautious on the heels of Hurricane Ian.

According to Squaremouth, if travelers are concerned about a hurricane or storm impacting their trip, it’s best to buy a policy as soon as possible. Travel insurance, just like any other type, is only designed to cover the unforeseen. Once a storm is named, coverage can no longer be applied.

Tropical storms receive a name once their wind speeds reach 39 miles per hour. Insurance providers use that date to determine when they have a “foreseeable” impact on travel, thus excluding them from coverage on future plans.

How To Save Money on Travel Insurance For a Hurricane

The Florida-based company understands that it can be difficult to plan around the unpredictability of storm trajectories. While Squaremouth advises buying a policy early for storm coverage, they offer advice on finding an affordable policy.

The biggest factor that impacts the premium of a travel insurance policy is the insured trip cost. When buying a policy, travelers can choose to insure all or just some of their expenses.

For example, many accommodations are refundable up until a certain point right before the trip. Travelers can choose to insure just a portion of their expenses upfront, and add additional costs later on or as they become nonrefundable. At that point, if the storm is no longer a threat, they can decide whether or not to insure additional expenses.

Squaremouth’s Hurricane Travel Insurance Resource is updated with advice for travelers answers to the most common questions about coverage for storms.