Travel Insurance For Wine Tour Trips – Forbes Advisor Leave a comment

Wine tours are fun getaways, but like any other type of travel, there’s always the risk of unforeseen circumstances uncorking that can sour your trip. Pairing your sojourn through wine country with a travel insurance plan can provide a sip of serenity if your plans go sideways.

“Since wine tours tend to be planned in celebration of big events, like bachelorette parties, anniversaries or family reunions, it’s not something you would want to risk missing,” says Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance. “Baggage loss, trip cancellations or delays, medical issues, short-term rental car damage or even just itinerary changes are all things that could impact your fun trip.”

To protect both your trip investment and your personal belongings, consider buying a comprehensive travel insurance plan as a financial safety net.

Here are some tips for what a travel insurance policy should include when you are planning wine tours.

Trip Cancellation Insurance: Cleansing Your Travel Palate

Whether you’re headed to Sonoma, California, or Texas Hill Country near San Antonio, wine regions offer unique opportunities to sample the goods from many wineries and pair wines with culinary experiences. Lots of these immersive experiences need to be pre-paid and are often non-refundable.

Trip cancellation insurance can reimburse you 100% for prepaid deposits and non-refundable expenses you lose if you need to cancel the trip due to an unforeseeable event, such as a death in the family. The reimbursement can include outlays for hotel rooms, private transportation or wine dinners.

In addition to a family emergency, trip cancellation benefits typically also compensate for cancellations due to illness or injury and severe weather, among other other unanticipated events. But there are limits to cancellation coverage—not all reasons will be covered by your insurance policy. For example, you would not be reimbursed if you found out your favorite winery in Napa is closed for renovations, and you’d rather not visit during that time.

“Cancel for any reason” coverage

Consider getting “cancel for any reason” coverage if you want the freedom to cancel your trip for circumstances beyond those listed in a standard insurance policy. Many travel insurance companies offer this as an upgrade to a standard policy.

”Cancel for any reason” (CFAR) insurance tacks on an average of 50% more to the cost of a travel insurance plan. But regardless of why you want to skip your trip, you can generally be reimbursed 50% or 75% of your nonrefundable, prepaid trip expenses if you make a “cancel for any reason” claim.

The percent of compensation depends on your insurance company, so read your policy for details. It’s also important to note that you have to cancel at least 48 hours prior to your departure date to make a claim under CFAR coverage.

Trip Delay Insurance Makes it Worth the Wait

Trip delay insurance can help you recoup prepaid, non-fundable losses if you’re late reaching your destination and miss out on events you planned. For example, you could make a travel delay claim if you’re traveling by train to Virginia to enjoy the many fine wine tours in the region and your train is canceled due mechanical failure. If you pre-paid for a catered lunch with wine pairings, or a spa treatment, and you can’t get a refund, you can file a travel delay insurance claim to receive reimbursement.

Travel delay insurance can also compensate you for meals, accommodations, transportation and personal necessities if, for instance, your flight is canceled due to a storm and you’re stranded in the airport overnight.

Trip delay insurance benefits don’t go into effect immediately. Instead, coverage generally starts after a specified length of time. For example, your plan might start providing benefits after a six-hour delay.

It’s also important to note that trip delay coverage will have a per day and a total maximum benefit limit per person.

Trip Interruption Insurance for Vintage Bummers

Having to return early from a vacation is as unsavory as drinking “Two Buck Chuck” wine out of a paper cup. Unfortunately, it may happen if you get bad news from home, such as a seriously ill family member.

Trip interruption insurance can cover the cost of buying a last-minute ticket home, plus other transportation costs. It can also reimburse you for unused, prepaid, non-refundable money you lose. For instance, you could file a claim if your early departure means you’ll miss out on a private tour of the Pacific coastline, through the redwood forest, on the way to Sonoma.

Covering a Fine Bouquet of Lost Baggage and Personal Items

No one wants to attend a wine tasting wearing the leggings or sweatpants and oversized jersey they wore on the plane. Baggage loss and delay insurance can help cover the cost of clothing and other replacement necessities you’ll need to buy for your trip.

Baggage delay reimbursements are typically in the $200 range per person per day. This daily allowance is for must-have items, and isn’t meant to fund full replacement of your belongings.

Your travel insurance plan can also reimburse you, up to your policy limits, for personal belongings lost or stolen during your trip. For example, if your camera gets stolen from a winery, you can file a claim with your insurance company.

It’s important to read the fine print of a travel insurance policy. There are limits on how much you’ll be reimbursed for each item, as well as an overall cap on the total benefit amount. Also, be aware that you’re generally reimbursed only for the depreciated value of your possessions.

Be sure to file a theft report with the local police. You will need this documentation when you file a claim.

Medical Expenses and Emergency Medical Evacuation

If you are traveling in the U.S., your health plan or Medicare should cover medical expenses. But if you’re on a wine tour outside the U.S., your health plan might provide little or no coverage. Check with your health insurance provider about any global medical benefits.

If you require medical attention abroad, your travel medical insurance can compensate you for doctor visits, medicine, diagnostic testing and even a hospital stay. This is why it’s smart to get generous travel medical coverage limits. For example, some policies provide up to $500,000 for medical expenses.

Emergency evacuation insurance can be used if you have a critical medical issue that requires transportation to an adequate treatment center. For example, if you’re exploring the Jura wine region in the mountains of France and have a stroke, medical evacuation benefits can pay for the medevac. And your travel insurer’s emergency assistance team can make the medevac arrangements.

Special Circumstances for Wine Tours

Overindulgence can happen during wine tasting and wine touring, so it’s important to understand the scope of your travel insurance policy. It’s common for travel insurance plans to reject claims for incidents that happen while you’re under the influence of alcohol (or recreational drugs).