There is always fine print!

Travel Insurance Exclusions

Travel insurance plans don't cover everything.  There are limitations and exclusions that affect coverage.  When reading a travel insurance policy you should always read and understand:

1. insuring clauses - those clauses that say what must happen in order for a loss to be covered.  With trip cancellation, trip interruption, missed connection, and travel delay coverage these are the "covered reasons" otherwise known as the perils and hazards of coverage.
2. benefits - what are the financial losses covered by the insurance plan.
3. exclusions - what are the plan exclusions also known as "the fine print".  Exclusions are conditions or situations that the insurance plan will not cover so they are "excluded" or removed from coverage.  Read these carefully because they have a huge effect on coverage.

The single greatest exclusion that you have control over is for "pre-existing medical conditions".  It's estimated that over 25% of all travel insurance claims can be traced to a pre-existing medical condition, but it's the one exclusion that you can control by finding a plan that will "waive" the exclusion in exchange for you meeting some coverage requirements.