Many people spend hours searching for the vacation of their dreams. Beach holidays watching the sun set on the horizon or city breaks filled with cultural highlights and glorious gastronomy. Booking a trip or holiday builds feelings of anticipation and some travellers may not necessarily consider the practicality of insurance policies.
However, selecting the right travel insurance plan as soon as possible after booking a trip helps you to stay organised and in control of the details, so that you can enjoy every last second of your time away.
With approximately 47% of European travellers favouring beach breaks in 2024 and around 25% planning a nature-focused holiday, vacationers are looking for diverse options which require effective travel insurance policies to safeguard their wellbeing.
In this article, we explore the facts about trip cancellation within travel insurance policies. We also delve into the important issue of travel insurance covering trip cancellation due to illness.
Contents
- What is travel insurance cancellation?
- Is there a difference between cancellation and curtailment?
- Does travel insurance cover trip cancellation due to illness?
- Enjoy the freedom of travel with GasanMamo travel insurance.
What is travel insurance cancellation?
When travellers are asked about their travel insurance priorities, many cite cancellation alongside the protection of personal possessions and medical emergency support as their main reasons for taking out travel insurance.
Nobody wants to contemplate their trip being affected, but unexpected events can appear out of nowhere at times. In these cases, you may have to cancel your vacation or trip away.
People may worry that, if they have to cancel their trip, they will lose all of the money they have already spent on this particular vacation or break. Having a cancellation section within your travel insurance policy should help with this eventuality.
Every travel insurance policy is likely to contain different aspects of cover, so it does make sense to read your plan thoroughly to ensure you understand the finer coverage details.
Generally, a travel insurance policy should offer some form of cancellation cover for certain incidents or events that occur, such as you or a travelling companion being called for jury service during the period of insurance.
Is there a difference between cancellation and curtailment?
Travel insurance policies often use the terms ‘cancellation’ and ‘curtailment’. It is helpful for policy holders to know the specific differences between these words so that they understand the particular elements of cover offered by their policy.
If you are not sure which term applies to your situation, here is a short definition of each one for clarity:
Cancellation: this is when you have to cancel or stop your trip before you leave due to unforeseen circumstances, such as a sudden illness, death or injury.
Curtailment: this term refers to having to cut a trip short and return home early due to unexpected events taking place, such as the death of a close family member.
You may notice that your travel insurance policy has a section that includes each term and gives specific information about what can be covered for either the cancellation or curtailment of a trip.
Does travel insurance cover trip cancellation due to illness?
Policy holders will generally be able to access travel insurance cover for trip cancellation due to illness as long as their policy documentation includes this specification.
Fortunately, travellers who have an active travel insurance policy with GasanMamo have access to cancellation cover in particular situations. For example, if it is necessary for you to cancel or curtail your journey or holiday due to the following happening after the date the policy is issued:
1. Accidental bodily injury, illness, quarantine or death of yourself or travelling companion or any person with whom you have arranged to stay.
2. Accidental bodily injury, serious illness or death of your close relative, fiancé(e) or close business associate.
Accidental illness can be defined as a sudden, unforeseen or unintended illness which does not result from a pre-existing medical condition. A typical illness that could ruin your trip at the last minute might be severe food poisoning or influenza, amongst many others.
Additionally, GasanMamo’s travel insurance policy provides cancellation cover (during the policy period) in the event of:
- You or your travelling companion being summoned for jury service or called as a witness in a court of law during the period of insurance.
- You or your spouse being made unemployed and certified unemployed by the government.
- Your home becoming uninhabitable following an earthquake, explosion, landslide, fire, flood, storm or tsunami.
- Your presence being required by the police following burglary at your home or workplace.
- You or anyone you are travelling with are a member of the Maltese armed forces, police, fire, nursing or ambulance services and authorised leave is cancelled due to an unexpected emergency.
- Weather which causes the complete cessation of services of your cruise liner for at least 48 consecutive hours.
- Avalanche, earthquake, explosion, fire, flood, landslide, storm or tsunami which renders the accommodation in which you are staying uninhabitable.
Enjoy the freedom of travel with GasanMamo travel insurance
If you fall ill just before you go on vacation, you may experience increased levels of stress about having to cancel your much-anticipated trip and the associated loss of funds.
GasanMamo is a highly-experienced travel insurance provider with deep insight into insurance provision for vacationers. Taking out a travel insurance policy with us gives you peace of mind and protects you if you suddenly fall ill before your holiday.
To help you find the travel insurance that suits your needs, take a look at our travel insurance cover, comprehensive benefits and optional extras on our travel insurance page.
Why not get in touch for a chat with our friendly team of experts and discover the travel insurance that will give you reassurance and protection.
GasanMamo Insurance is authorised under the Insurance Business Act and regulated by the MFSA.
