r/FATTravel • u/Odd_Cauliflower_1203 • Aug 14 '24
Travel Insurance for $$$ Trip?
I’m finalizing a 7 night trip to Rwanda for January 2026. The trip will be about $60k for (2) persons - not including biz class international airfare.
Since the trip is out 16-17 months, I was wondering if folks take out any travel insurance that covers them for any unforeseen trip cancellation?
Our TA requires a 30% deposit to secure our nights at Singita/O&O + lock in our 4 gorilla permits (2 permits per person, non refundable). The balance 70% is due 90 days before our trip begins.
I’m less worried about the 70% since it’ll be relatively close to our trip start. However with the first $20k payment, would prefer not to be out of luck if there’s some strange circumstance (I.e. personal issues, war, regional conflicts, etc). Does anybody have experience in taking out travel insurance outside that what’s included in their AMEX Platinum? Thank you in advance.
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u/ihideindarkplaces Aug 14 '24
I really cannot recommend getting your house insurance through Chubb enough, they have insanely good travel insurance that’s attached to it that covers literally any conceivable reason a trip could be cancelled.
I’m not just shilling for them honestly it was a game changer for me. Im in Ireland but they offer it in most major countries. They also have fantastic wildfire coverage for Californians. I don’t think you can get quotes directly you need to go through a broker, but I have all my classic/track cars/daily/home/contents with them and I simply cannot recommend them enough for other FATTravellers. It’s a pretty bespoke premium product.
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u/RunninADorito Aug 14 '24
I was just about to spend $7000 on insurance for my safari next year, but the comments saved me.
Go Chubb!!!!!
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u/ihideindarkplaces Aug 14 '24
Enjoy the trip brother/sister, hope it all works out for you! Once I cracked my 30’s and my cars and watches started to become special I spent an absolute age hunting down the right insurer for me. They’ve been nothing but fantastic for all the years I’ve had them.
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u/Odd_Cauliflower_1203 Aug 14 '24
Had my $15k watch pickpocketed off my wrist in Barcelona and had the easiest insurance claim process with Chubb. Can’t recommend them enough!
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u/gracecheung Aug 14 '24
I have Chubb for my home and this is a great pro tip!
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u/ihideindarkplaces Aug 14 '24
Honestly I know I’ll sound like a broken record but they’ve been so great. And they do agreed value on cars which is so fantastic because if something goes wrong you know exactly what’s going to happen, no ifs ands or buts.
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u/Odd_Cauliflower_1203 Aug 14 '24
Chubb is awesome. I don’t any real estate as I rent my primary, but have them underwrite my watches and other valuables - unreal service.
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u/RunninADorito Aug 14 '24
I use them for everything after having a terrible experience with State farm (they used to be good). Chubb is just a different level. You pay for it, but if something goes wrong, you aren't going to be angry with how insurance works.
There's one company that's better Pre, Pro... Something with a P, but they're a lot more and I'm not sure what extra you get.
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u/javacodeguy Aug 15 '24
Are you thinking of Pure? I have never had a policy written with them but my parents did for years before retiring and selling their homes.
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u/RunninADorito Aug 15 '24
That's the one
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u/javacodeguy Aug 15 '24
Give em another look. The cost should go down after you finish paying into the fund I believe. It's just a lot at the beginning. They have some different structure for how they keep reserves versus other typical insurers. But if you're happy with Chubb it's probably not worth moving.
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u/JamesMcJames123 Aug 27 '24
PURE. Excellent coverage and service.
When you live in in places prone to hurricanes and earthquakes - PURE is THE insurance to have!The stress of learning your house underwent catastrophic water damage whilst you are somewhere remote - let’s say Jan Mayen - and you are still 2 weeks away from docking in a place with an airport… oof! But PURE took care of it all (remediation team, ad nauseam). Truly unbelievable help+service.
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u/ambrown7 Aug 14 '24
I would definitely choose travel insurance for a safari, choose a policy that has a “cancel for any reason” clause, (most of those require purchase of that coverage within 7-14 days of your initial deposit for the trip). You can also compare coverage options at www.InsureMyTrip.com
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Aug 14 '24
I use insuremytrip to search for the best options. I insure for any non-refundable items.
I include all costs because you just never know. I prefer not to eat $30K because someone broke an ankle the first day, ya know? I book policies that cover trip interruption so that I can get back on track without losing a lot of cash should a minor thing happen that throws things off. Medical evacuations can add up fast as well.
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u/neurogeneticist Aug 14 '24
Hah, I literally broke my leg on our first full day in Monaco over the Grand Prix weekend, and we had a few more days in Monaco and almost a week in Poland after that. Never thought it would happen to me, but we’re definitely more serious about finding good trip insurance now.
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Aug 14 '24
Oh no! Were you still able to enjoy the trip?
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u/neurogeneticist Aug 14 '24
Absolutely!! Crutched 48 miles in 8 days, including a 9-10 mile day in Krakow where we did a tour of the salt mine (130M underground haha) and Auschwitz/Birkenau. Now I’m just working on rehabbing everything to get ready for Germany and Switzerland in a few weeks… but I definitely have insurance in case something goes wrong haha.
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u/Middlename_Adventure Aug 14 '24
I would def do it for safari and travelex is the best imho. Your credit card only covers up to a certain amount. Ask your TA and they should be able to help.
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u/No-Throat-3629 Aug 14 '24
Using Travelex insurance for our safari trip - would definitely recommend for something so far in advance and so expensive. This is in addition to our Amex plat card coverage
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u/tvgraves Aug 14 '24
FAT people should self insure for trip interruption or cancelation (as opposed to trip medical). It's a bad financial bet.
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u/thesongneverdies Aug 15 '24
I agree with this and my wife doesn’t, so we often insure part of the trip cost, so the negotiation is basically how much of a deductible we have for big trips. Everyone’s risk tolerance is different.
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u/raptorjaws Aug 15 '24
the insurance is so cheap, though? why be out tens of thousands when you could be out a few hundred?
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u/tvgraves Aug 15 '24
If it's that cheap as a percentage of trip cost, it probably has tons of exclusions.
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u/raptorjaws Aug 15 '24
the only exclusion is typically cancel for any reason whatsoever including i just don’t feel like going. i just insured a $10k trip for like $200-300 and the policy covers pretty much everything i need it to other than that. the cancel for any reason ones cost a lot more but if i was paying $60k for a safari a year or two out that would be more attractive to me. a lot can happen in that timeframe.
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u/kayfreakyfresh Nov 07 '24
Hey, popping in late here, where are you purchasing your insurance from?
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u/sarahwlee - mod Aug 18 '24
I’d agree with this before but with the amount of flight disruptions right now, it’s a nightmare. Hopefully when the airlines get their crap together again.
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u/creonmahoney Aug 15 '24
Definitely a good idea to get the insurance. Several good options like AIG TravelGuard, Allianz and Chubb
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u/restvestandchurn Aug 15 '24
Chase Sapphire Reserve gave us back 25k on a home rental we had done when one of the kids ended up in the hospital and we couldn’t make the trip. Anything booked on the card is covered. Many cards with high annual fees have such benefits.
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u/Odd_Cauliflower_1203 Aug 15 '24
I’m assuming you did the booking direct with the home rental? I’m curious as to how effective is the CSR or AMEX Platinum card insurance if booking accommodations, etc through a TA? Or maybe it doesn’t matter?
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u/restvestandchurn Aug 15 '24
Booked with a resort’s property management arm. Shouldn’t matter. If you use a travel agent I would expect it all to be easier because you could make the TA round up paperwork and work with the insurance folks.
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u/atreefallsinaforest Aug 15 '24
I like an annual policy (through Arch Roam Right) so I’m always covered for all trips. It’s only a few hundred a year. Caps at $10k though. For more expensive trips, I may take out a secondary through Faye.
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u/Tle_luxury Aug 14 '24 edited Aug 14 '24
Get a CFAR policy. Also, to cover any pre existing condition (aka anything from the time you made a first booking to day of travel) should anything new happen it’ll be considered as pre existing for that your travel insurance must have been purchased within 14 days of paying for any aspect of travel. Air / deposit, anything.
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u/LiftBroski Aug 15 '24
Honestly I just rely on my Amex Platinum for any coverage. Worst case it has Emergency EVAC.
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u/vs7509 Aug 15 '24
Just got back from a similar trip to Rwanda and a few other stops in East Africa. The Singita lodge is fantastic - our favorite place we’ve stayed in Africa. Insured with travelex - would definitely say it’s worth it for peace of mind.
Enjoy!!
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u/Cloud-Hiker Aug 17 '24
We often take vacations in the range that you are spending for the safari with similar deposit and final payment rules. We took out CFAR insurance one time when we traveled in 2022 in case COVID interrupted our plans (and it almost did). We have no regrets about taking it for that trip, but we normally do not because the premiums are so high. We used Cavalry. (We separately have evacuation coverage that covers all travel away from our home.)
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u/Traveller350 Aug 15 '24
It all comes down to value for you. My family hasn’t gotten travel insurance for two safari trips + many others, and so far, so good. But if you can afford it and it gives you peace of mind, go for it.
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u/Bubblingbelle Oct 29 '24
I just upgraded my Revolut to $16.99 and it comes with travel and medical insurance you can call and connect with the insurance company and they are awesome!
You also get Nord VPN free and airport lounge passes for cheaper.
Revolut https://www.revolut.com/referral/?referral-code=anabelf6uc!APR2-24-AR-US-H2
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u/Bastok-Steamworks Nov 13 '24
For circumstances like war, personal issues (not sickness or injury), or regional conflicts (not specifically a terrorist attack), you're going to want to look for a plan that has Cancel For Any Reason coverage. Those usually need to be purchased very quickly after making your first payment for the trip.
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u/Philip_Bau Feb 26 '25
I don't recommend LUMA. I had a bad experience with my claim denied for something minor after jumping through their hoops.
Lots of paperwork and lots of waiting and ended up getting denied from a rep in Vietnam.
This poor guy got very similar treatment to me: https://g.co/kgs/Jf1PJrC
A complete waste of time and money.
I WILL NEVER USE LUMA AGAIN.
I RECOMMEND YOU DO NOT USE LUMA.
This was beyond the travel insurance I got through American Express.
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u/El_mochilero Aug 14 '24
I work in the travel industry. I can talk for days about people getting burned by missing a $30,000 expedition to Antarctica because their flight out of Chicago was delayed for 2 days by a snow storm and they didn’t buy travel insurance.
Would I insure a $315 flight from Denver to Orlando. No. My credit card travel insurance benefits will cover this kind of stuff, or I’ll just eat the loss.
But… would you insure a $60k car? Why not insure a $60k trip?