The old joke is if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.
I have to offer my clients travel insurance. I’m bound by TICO, and more importantly, my own desire to ensure my clients are protected if sh#% happens after they book a vacay.
And we all know, sh#% happens.
You can’t plan for the sh#%. Sh#% will often happen at the least convenient time. And sh#% will often wreak havoc.
Sh#% sometimes happens before you go on vacay, and might cause you to cancel your trip. Sh#% sometimes happens to someone at home while you’re on vacay, and might interrupt your trip. Sh#% sometimes happens to someone on vacay with you, and might cause you to seek emergency medical treatment.
No one likes to step in sh#%. So, if you can watch where you’re walking, you can protect yourself some. But think of vacation or travel insurance as a rubber covering for your shoe. No matter how careful you are, if you do end up walking in sh#%, at least the sh#% won’t get on you!
I don’t really care how you protect yourself, or how you get travel insurance. Sure, I work with preferred suppliers. We have a terrific relationship with them. We know and trust their systems and procedures. I’d recommend them. But, if you have coverage through work, your credit card, your Aunt Nellie, that’s fine too. I just want to make sure that if you do end up stepping in sh#%, it won’t get on you!
(If you have existing coverage, do ask whether your kids are covered too, whether the coverage is good if you’re cruising in international waters, and whether you have to pay upfront or they do.)
I’ve not had a lot of my clients step in sh#%…but there have been some…
One time when I couldn’t get a client to buy travel insurance stands out. I helped him plan some well-deserved pampering for his wife after the birth of their third child. We booked the best hotels, had great air transportation, and a terrific week in London planned around the Michael Jackson concert at O2 arena. He wouldn’t buy insurance. In fact, his fateful words to me were : “the only way in hell we won’t go to this concert is if someone dies.”
Sh#% happens.