Keep your wheels and yourself covered

Welcome, fellow travelers. When last we met we talked about travel in the virtual world. Now I bet you are anxious to take a trip in the real world. Before we do that, however, there are some details we have to discuss. The first of these is travel insurance.

Whenever you are thinking of traveling it’s a good idea to take into consideration the possibility that the trip might not happen as you expect it to. For able-bodied travelers a wide range of problems can occur that can make travel impossible. When you add disability into the mix, the possibility that travel plans might need alteration or cancellation increases. This is why it’s especially important to purchase travel insurance if you’re disabled.

Travel insurance usually covers things like illness that occurs while traveling, delayed flights, or lost luggage. For most people these coverages are sufficient, but some travelers with disabilities require more.

Travel-related policies from all insurance companies cover illness that arises while traveling. However, they do not cover claims arising from pre-existing medical conditions. People with disabilities almost always have pre-existing conditions. They need that extra coverage and it is important to look for a policy that doesn’t exclude them.

Protection from loss or damage to adaptive mobility equipment is another component not typically covered by standard travel policies. This is why, when looking to see how to protect your equipment, one area of investigation should be your homeowner’s policy. Under some conditions, items such as wheelchairs are covered even when those items are taken abroad.

Able-bodied people don’t need to worry about whether the form of transportation they plan to take is physically capable of carrying them. But, for the disabled traveler, accessible accommodations are a very real concern. Standard insurance policies do not cover you if an airline decides to use a plane type that is not accessible.

Finally, though not many insurance companies offer policies that cover the needs of disabled travelers, here are some that do: AllClear Insurance; Free Spirit Insurance; HTH Worldwide; Travel X.

Next time I’ll talk to you about travel agents. Some can meet your needs; while others don’t have the experience dealing with clients with disabilities. I’ll give you tips on the important things to look for in a travel agency.