People are traveling more these days than in the days before the pandemic, and while travel bookings are up, a AAA survey has found that because of COVID, there’s also a growing interest in travel insurance.
AAA travel bookings have jumped 11% compared to bookings in 2019.
“While most Americans are still planning to travel between now and the end of next year, what we’re seeing that’s a little bit different, according to our survey, was that many of those that are planning to travel are now insuring those trips — specifically because of the pandemic,” said Ragina Ali, public and government affairs manager with AAA-Mid Atlantic.
The survey results show that 55% of American adults are planning a vacation of at least one overnight stay before the end of next year, and 31% say they are more likely to purchase travel insurance for the trip because of COVID.
Travelers most appreciate the travel insurance benefit of obtaining a refund when a trip is canceled.
But some international destinations may require visitors to carry travel insurance, which can cover unexpected medical costs.
“There’s certainly a variety of travel insurance policies out there … it’s really important to work with a travel adviser when you’re determining which type of travel insurance you’re selecting,” said Ali.
Historically, travel insurance policies have not covered pandemics, but that also has been changing because of the COVID pandemic.
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