Why American Consumers Are Spending More on Travel Insurance

Travel insurance protects against travel cancellations or interruptions due to unforeseen events, and also covers other issues such as medical emergencies and lost/delayed baggage. With Americans spending almost $2.8 billion on travel insurance in 2016, which was an increase of over 19% from the last time the spend was analyzed by the U.S. Travel Insurance Association two years ago, it has left many people wondering what the cause is for the increase. These huge numbers are quite astounding, however, there seems to be a good reason behind all of the money spent on insurance.

Over the past several years, people have been spending increasingly more on their traveling and vacations. The cost of the average trip for Americans has risen significantly, causing more and more people to want to protect themselves against the unexpected. Trips abroad are becoming more popular, contributing to the increase in spending. With almost every factor of a trip becoming more expensive, especially in the summer months, people are cautious when planning a vacation. Plane tickets, hotel stays, the price of gas, rental cars and many other aspects of traveling are rising in price. Without travel protection, Americans take a huge risk if the unexpected should happen, forcing them to cancel their trip or cut it short.

In the summer of 2017, it was estimated that Americans spent approximately $100 billion dollars on vacations and travel. This is more than ever before. With that huge amount of money spent, it only makes sense to purchase travel insurance to protect against interruptions or cancellation that can arise.

With travelers never knowing when an emergency or something unknown can arise, U.S. residents do not want to lose money spent on a trip if they have to cancel or come home early for a covered reason. In the past few years, with the economy strengthening, people are more willing to spend money on vacations, an indulgence that they weren’t enjoying in previous years. It is a wise choice for them to purchase protection in the event that they fall ill, have an unexpected family death, or need to come home for any number of reasons beyond their control.

While keeping in mind that travel protection does not cover events that were known to the traveler on or before the date the insurance was purchased, it does cover losses occurring from a wide variety of sudden and unforeseen events. Always carefully read the description of coverage to determine what the travel insurance will cover. If something is not listed or is specifically excluded, it typically will not be covered.

With a growing number of employers not offering paid time off, American travelers are being extremely cautious when spending upwards of $2,500.00 for trips. Vacations are a large investment, and any number of perils can occur. Americans want the peace of mind in knowing that they are covered.