Tropical Storm Dean is Named, Yet Squaremouth Cautions Travelers About Purchasing Last-Minute Travel Insurance
St. Pete Beach, FL (PRWEB) August 15, 2007 -- With the naming of Tropical Storm Dean, Squaremouth, a leading online travel insurance (http://www.squaremouth.com) comparison site, announced today that travelers who have not already purchased travel insurance should think carefully before buying a policy that may not cover what they are hoping to insure. According to Squaremouth.com's CEO Chris Harvey, "travelers cannot make a claim for losses related to Tropical Storm Dean or any storm if it was named before they purchased insurance."
A named event clause exists within most policies to protect the insurance companies by stopping people claiming if they purchased insurance knowing something bad may happen, Harvey explains. "As soon as a tropical depression becomes a tropical storm and gets a name, insurance companies will not provide coverage."
Most travelers assume they are covered in the event of a mandatory evacuation, he adds. "While this is true of some policies, you may be surprised to find that this coverage is not provided for most of the products on the market."
The term "mandatory evacuation" is not mentioned in most insurance certificates. Where it is listed, it relates to non-weather evacuation. Harvey advises instead to look for the following terms:
- Complete cessation of your Common Carrier services for 24 hours
- Complete cessation of your travel supplier services for 24 hours
- Accommodation at destination rendered uninhabitable
Harvey explains the differences between these three terms that are outlined on squaremouth.com. Complete cessation of your Common Carrier usually means the airport closing for a number of hours before a claim is valid. If your accommodation is under a mandatory evacuation order and the airport stays open you cannot make a claim. If you are driving, you may not be covered because you do not have a Common Carrier that has ceased services.
Complete cessation of travel supplier is the term to look for, Harvey states. This usually means the accommodation has to be unavailable for a number of hours in order to claim. In this instance, you would be able to claim for a mandatory evacuation because your travel suppler can no longer provide you with accommodation. However, this coverage is only available if the accommodation is provided by a company licensed to provide that service which most hotels or property managers would be.
Accommodations at a destination rendered uninhabitable means your hotel or condo for example, either experienced flooding or is damaged so much you cannot continue to stay there. "We assume you will have been evacuated long before this happens anyway so in most cases, you will be back to cessation terms," Harvey says.
Tropical Storm Dean is the fourth named storm of the season, which forecasters expect to be busier than average. Federal government forecasters last week revised predictions and reported that up to nine hurricanes and possibly 16 tropical storms are projected to form. The National Hurricane Center also describes August as the start of the busiest months for hurricane season, which started on June 1st and continues through November.
Harvey advises if a traveler has vacation plans to consider purchasing travel insurance, especially if traveling to hurricane prone areas. To learn which policies might fit their needs best at-a-glance, visit: squaremouth.com.
Detailed information on the hurricane benefits for all policies can be found at http://www.squaremouth.com/travel-insurance/information/travel-insurance-hurricane-weather-benefit.html
Full policy wording related to hurricane insurance (http://www.squaremouth.com) clauses can be found at http://www.squaremouth.com/travel-insurance/information/travel-insurance-hurricane-weather-benefit-information.html
Squaremouth.com is a Web site that specializes in comparing all the major travel insurance plans. The site has unique research capabilities as well as providing instant quotes, coverage and immediate purchase confirmation.
About Squaremouth:
Founded in 2001, Squaremouth.com helps travelers easily and instantly compare all the major travel insurance plans. To ensure customer satisfaction, all carriers are handpicked based on an internal rating system and also ratings from insurance industry watchdog AM Best. Only companies that meet Squaremouth's strict requirements make it into the system. Along with its unique research capabilities and zero complaint guarantee, the site provides instant quotes, immediate purchase and instant confirmation. Visit squaremouth.com for more information.
PR Contact
Jennifer Thomas, APR
On Behalf of Squaremouth
jennifer @ fsrventures.com (239) 573-0088
Company Contact
Chris Harvey
Squaremouth.com
Toll Free (800) 240-0369
Direct Line (727) 490-5802
http://www.squaremouth.com/visitors-insurance
# # #
Related Articles:
Travel Insurance With No Bull!
Commuters from the Bath and Bristol areas were in a bad moo'd recently - underly fed up with being forced to ride cattle class. Hundreds of them staged a protest by wearing cow masks as they rode the overcrowded trains provided by First Great Western. Their main gripe was being forced to stand on long journeys because insufficient seating was provided for the demand. The service was also said to be unreliable - with frequent delays. On top of all that, First Great Western fares are believed to be Europe's most expensive!
Squaremouth Identifies Six Tips for Summer Travelers to Consider When Purchasing Travel Insurance
Squaremouth, the USA's fastest growing travel insurance comparison site, today announced six tips for travelers to consider when considering purchasing travel insurance to protect their vacation investment this summer. Not withstanding economic conditions, travelers are set to face other hurdles including hurricane season, which is only 9 days away.
Affordable Medical Insurance - Health Insurance 101
If you don't know a deductible from a co-pay, or an HMO from HBO - you are not alone. But if you are among the growing number of Americans who are now using this marvelous tool known as the Internet to shop on their own for affordable medical coverage, these are terms you'll need to get comfortable with, or it can cost you.
Aging 'Boomers' May Prompt More In-Flight Health Crises, Says Travel Insurance Engine Squaremouth
Travel insurance comparison site offers new tips for healthy flying this summer. Most of us will fly our whole lives and never experience a medical emergency. In fact, airlines typically don't even collect data on the numbers of passengers who become ill while taking to the skies because life-threatening situations on planes are so rare.
Is it Wise to Purchase Travel Insurance?
The best way to determine if, for you, it is wise to purchase travel insurance, is to consider the various emergency situations that could arise during your trip, determine the best guess for the cost of each, and see whether you can afford to pay for the worst case scenarios out of your own pocket.If the answer is no, then it is indeed wise to purchase travel insurance.
Short-term Medical Insurance - Best Option For Young Adults
As you graduate from school and enter into adulthood, there are many decisions you need to start making for yourself. One of them involves taking care of and being responsible for your health, both physically and financially, and to try and provide adequate protection and coverage against any unforeseen circumstances as best you can. What are you to do if you are suddenly struck with a serious disease that calls for expensive treatments? Or what happens if some kind of disability befalls you as a result of a serious accident?
Ten Reasons For Taking Out Travel Insurance
When youve just booked a holiday, purchasing travel insurance may be the last thing on your mind. Its easy to assume that nothing will go wrong, but what if something does? Each year, 1 in 5 travellers go abroad without travel insurance, unaware of the potential risks and what it could cost them if the unthinkable happened.
Is Cheaper Always Better? When it Comes to Travel Insurance Plans, Not Necessarily
Purchasing travel insurance based solely or primarily on price can be a ticket to disaster. It's easy to be side-tracked and confused by other features found in travel insurance plans or on their price and to lose focus on your primary objective.
CSA Travel Protection Spotlights Travel Insurance, New Passport Rules, Ski Season and Wave Season
CSA Travel Protection encourages consumers to "travel well and travel wisely," and in that spirit, offers up its Consumer TraveList, a periodic roundup of important travel notes and seasonal happenings. Equally important, the Consumer TraveList identifies how travel insurance enhances and safeguards vacations.
New Travelinsure Website - Instant, Customised Travel Insurance
Consumers often rely on the travel insurance available as part of their credit card facility, medical aid cover or insurance policies, risking being stranded in a foreign country with inadequate cover. Now, travellers can obtain customised travel insurance, delivered to their e-mail instantly, from the innovative new Travelinsure website and ensure they are never left stranded in a foreign country without the funds to receive adequate assistance or medical treatment.