Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance

Title: THIA Urges Insurance Cover for Hurricane Season


TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 6, 2011) - With the 2011 hurricane
season heating up, the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada
(THIA) urges all vacationers heading to the southern and eastern United
States, or into the Caribbean region, to obtain trip-cancellation/interruption
insurance to protect against the possibility of storms wiping out their
travel investments.

David Hartman, president of THIA, says that trip cancellation/interruption
policies helped many thousands of travellers affected by volcanic ash
disruptions in Europe last year and more recently in Australia and
New Zealand. \"Since then, trip cancellation insurance has become an
essential component of insurance coverage for experienced travellers
and could be just as effective for vacationers impacted by tropical
storms over the next several months,\" he adds.

Traditionally, hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with
the peak occurring during August and September, although major storms
have also caused considerable personal and property damage in July
and October in recent years.

Mr. Hartman emphasizes that trip cancellation/interruption policies
are specifically designed to reimburse travellers for monetary losses
due to trips, tours or services cancelled, delayed or interrupted because
of unforeseen natural events such as bad weather, volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes, wild fires, even man-made civil disturbances such as those
that occurred in Egypt earlier this year.

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance normally covers:
* The prepaid, non-refundable portions of airfares, tours, hotel or
resort fees, or other cancelled or interrupted trip events or services,
up to limits specified in each policy.


* Accommodation, meal, telephone, ground transportation and other out-of-pocket
costs for travellers stranded or delayed by missed flights or rerouting
of cruise ships due to weather or other unexpected contingencies.


* 24/7 emergency assistance to help insured travellers disrupted by
natural or man-made events get home safely and as quickly as possible.


* Baggage and other personal items lost to storms or other unforeseeable
disruptions.

Most travel insurers in Canada offer either stand-alone trip cancellation
policies or include such benefits in comprehensive travel health insurance
plans, says Mr. Hartman. But he cautions that plans differ, they have
limits on the amounts and the events they will cover, and travellers
need to understand their policies and discuss them with their travel
insurance advisors.

He also notes that trip cancellation/interruption plans need to be
bought concurrently with trip purchases or very shortly thereafter.
Once hurricane warnings are posted by the U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or by Canada's Department of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), new trip cancellation policies
will not cover losses in the affected areas.

About THIA. THIA is the national organization representing travel insurers,
brokers, underwriters, re-insurers, emergency assistance companies,
air ambulance companies and allied services in the travel insurance
field. Its website is http://www.thiaonline.com/

Seven Ways to Offer the Best Deal on Travel Insurance(Can-Am)

Seven Ways to Offer the Best Deal on Travel Insurance (Can-Am)

Everyone loves getting the best price on their hotel, car rental and airfare when they take a trip. But what about travel insurance? Here are seven easy ways we can help our clients save money on Manulife Travel Insurance when they are preparing for a trip – they’ll love having more left in their pocket to enjoy at their destination!

Save 50% with Travel Canada Savings
Heading to St. John’s or Saskatoon? Any Single-Trip Emergency Medical plan is half the standard out-of-country rate when all the travel is within Canada.

Save 5% with Travel Companion Savings for Any Emergency Medical Plan
Now that’s a good reason not to travel alone.

Family Coverage for Any Emergency Medical Plan
No matter how many dependent kids under the age of 21 (26 if they are full-time students) are travelling with our client, the premium cost for the entire family will equal just twice the premium of the oldest traveller under the age of 55. Isn’t it better to spend those dollars saved on building cherished family memories?

Savings Combinations, Too!
If our client is going on a great Canadian adventure with a friend, combine the Travel Companion Savings with the Travel Canada rates for even bigger savings. You can combine Family Coverage savings with Travel Canada savings, too!

Deductible Savings Options
As with car insurance, you can increase the deductible on single-trip and multi-trip emergency medical coverage for trips outside of Canada – the higher the deductible, the greater the savings. All Manulife Out-of-Province Travel Insurance plans include a $0 deductible – with all eligible expenses paid from dollar one. Can our client afford to pay $500 out of pocket? It would save them 15%. A $1,000 deductible? That’s a 20% savings.

Travel Often?
Offering economical Multi-Trip Coverage can save our client time and money, plus provide the convenience, value and flexibility that comes with knowing any trip they plan over the year is already taken care of. And a Multi-Trip Plan allows unlimited travel within Canada to other provinces or territories!

And don’t forget Top-Up!
Our client may already have coverage under their group insurance plan or their credit card. Find out how long they are covered, and use the Top-Up option to extend coverage for as long as they need it – with no money wasted on ‘double coverage.’¹

¹ It is the client’s responsibility to confirm that a Top-Up is permitted on the existing plan with no loss of coverage.

Conditions, Exclusions and Limitations may apply.

Quoted by the website of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife Financial).