Trip cancellation insurance recommendations for Bali/Wakatobi?

[WetInPortland]

I'll be spending the month of June in Indonesia, flying into Bali. Part of the time will be at Wakatobi.

I've browsed through the thread on the 2017 Agung eruption, and while there are several mentions of insurance, there wasn't a lot of detail of what was covered and what was actually paid out. I feel pretty good about medical and evacuation coverage through my DAN insurance, but I'm concerned about earthquakes and volcanic eruptions possibly affecting the trip.

The prices I'm seeing are $500 - $700 USD (based on a $10,000 USD trip cost) for the 31 day trip. Does anyone have recommendations (good or bad) regarding companies providing trip cancellation insurance?

 

[Steelyeyes]

I think we used Travel Guard when we went to Wakatobi. If I remember right we only insured the resort and costs for the Pelagian with them and insured our airfare at the time of purchase. I've never had to use the insurance so I can't say how that experience might be.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Do I recall correctly from a previous discussion about trip insurance that insurers generally require you to state the FULL cost of a trip? I vaguely recall someone saying insurers don't let you pick and choose "parts" of the trip to insure, and if there is a claim they will ask for you for proof of the total cost. I have no idea how that could work in all instances, but I could swear I recall this being discussed.

 

[Steelyeyes]

Ours didn't require proof to get the insurance. I'd imagine if we made a claim we'd have had to show receipts.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Ours didn't require proof to get the insurance. I'd imagine if we made a claim we'd have had to show receipts.

Right. My question is whether there is any problem with insuring only a resort/liveaboard and ignoring the airfare. I realize that wasn't Wet's question, but your statement that you insured airfare separately at time of purchase caught my attention. If Wet thinks this is an off-topic tangent, I'll go away. I sure can't afford Wakatobi--I envy you people!

 

[Steelyeyes]

Right. My question is whether there is any problem with insuring only a resort/liveaboard and ignoring the airfare. I realize that wasn't Wet's question, but your statement that you insured airfare separately at time of purchase caught my attention. If Wet thinks this is an off-topic tangent, I'll go away. I sure can't afford Wakatobi--I envy you people!

We didn't have a problem. That trip included a week in Hawaii on the way back. Since airfare was insured and the house rental was through VRBO and had it's own cancellation insurance it worked out. We did bundle standard trip insurance with overseas health insurance for the Indonesia portion
and maybe that made a difference.

We always have DAN insurance but for trips over a week in other countries we generally at least pick up the medical coverage.

 

[Altamira]

The insurance company wants to know their cost exposure so they can determine the premium based on the trip expenses they would be liable for in the event of cancellation. If airfare is not something they will have to cover, they do not care about air fare costs unless you include that in the insurance amount. In addition, insurance companies do not all treat airfare expenses in the same way. For example, if you use credit card points to pay/defray the airfare costs, those points may, or may not, be reimbursable, or have a limited reimbursement according to their terms of service. Some insurance companies treat airline miles completely different from credit card points, and it is wise to read and understand the terms of service in the contract to avoid paying an insurance premium on "airfare" that might not be reimbursable. I found this out the hard way.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Check and see what your credit card covers. I think most of mine include some form of travel insurance. No clue on details, though.

Shop around on price. IIRC Travelocity air insurance was far cheaper than if purchased through the airline.

 

[Lorenzoid]

The insurance company wants to know their cost exposure so they can determine the premium based on the trip expenses they would be liable for in the event of cancellation.

One would THINK it works that way. I just wanted to make sure. I would definitely consider insuring only a portion of the cost of an expensive trip, to keep the premium down.

 

[davehicks]

The higher end Credit Cards like Chase Reserve or Amex include trip insurance as an included benefit. Might not help with this trip if you don't have a card, but I consider this to be an indespensable benefit. Chase Reserve costs $500 a year but includes a $300 yearly rebate on travel expenses and includes trip insurance. If you consider that trip insurance to Wakatobi is going to run > $500 you are losing money without a good travel card.