Travel Insurance For A Mexico Vacation – Forbes Advisor – Forbes
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Updated: Nov 8, 2021, 4:19am
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Planning a Mexico vacation is relatively simple. There are ample direct flights to most Mexico cities, and lodging options run the gamut from budget hotels to luxury all-inclusive beachfront resorts.
With the vaccine rollout, now could be an ideal time to plan a getaway to Mexico. Before you board your flight to sun and sand, be sure to purchase travel insurance.
Make sure your trip to Mexico is stocked with coverage for trip cancellation, trip delay, trip interruption, medical expenses, medical evacuation and baggage.
It’s widely known that Mexico is a place for joyous festivities, but like any other destination, common sense will play a role in remaining safe.
“Although Mexico is rich and diverse in so many ways, certain areas have a reputation for crime. Robberies, pickpocketing and car-jackings can happen, even with a police presence around,” says Lisa Cheng, a spokesperson for World Nomads, a travel insurance provider. “When you’re out late at night, whether it is a bar, club or nocturnal festival, it’s important to use common sense and take safety precautions.”
Cheng also warns that alcohol poisoning and drink-spiking can occur, which is why it’s important to be extra careful when out and about.
Although Mexico is a popular draw for all-inclusive resorts and cruises, there is no shortage of ways to explore Mexico independently.
“You can ride the waves in the sleepy surf towns of Northern Baja or go scuba diving in the Yucatan’s cenotes (limestone sinkholes). For whatever you choose to do and however you choose to do it, you’ll want to make sure that your travel insurance plan covers adventure sports and activities,” says Cheng.
Be aware that not all travel insurance plans automatically cover adventure and extreme sports. You may have to purchase an upgrade or look for a policy that covers the adventures activities you have planned.
Mexico, like other regions, is prone to hurricanes and tropical storms so it’s smart to buy coverage for trip cancellation and trip delay.
Trip cancellation insurance: If you’ve paid for excursions, hotel rooms or other non-refundable expenses, trip cancellation insurance will work in your favor. For example, if a storm hits your Mexico destination and forces you to cancel the trip, a travel insurance plan can cover 100% of the non-refundable trip expenses that you prepaid.
If you want to cancel a trip due to fear of a current storm (that may be in the vicinity but not projected to hit your destination), that cancellation likely would not be covered under a travel insurance plan, says Scott Adamski, spokesperson with AIG Travel.
In such a case, having optional “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage might be beneficial. This upgrade costs about 40% more than a typical policy and will allow you to make a trip cancellation claim for any reason not listed in the base policy. Reimbursement is usually 50% or 75% under a CFAR claim.
Trip delay insurance: If your flights are delayed because an incoming flight is canceled, for example, trip delay insurance can reimburse you for the costs of meals, personal care items, and transportation and hotel accommodations during an unexpected delay. Inclement weather is usually covered for a travel delay claim.
It’s important to know that a travel insurance policy has a specific time frame of delay before you’re eligible to make a travel delay claim, which is typically three to 12 hours.
Trip interruption coverage. Most travel insurance plans include coverage for trip interruption if you need to cut your trip short and return home. These benefits apply if you or a traveling companion become ill or injured during a trip, for example.
In addition, you can be covered if a family emergency requires you to return home. For example, if you are in Cancun and your two children are staying with your in-laws, and one of the kids becomes extremely ill, that would be covered under trip interruption benefits. The benefits would not only reimburse you for the cost of changing your flights or booking a new flight, but also reimburse you for any pre-paid and non-refundable costs for parts of the trip you didn’t use.
Your U.S. health plan may provide zero or every little coverage outside the country. This is why travel medical insurance is so vital for emergency medical expenses.
In Mexico you could encounter mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue fever and malaria, or traveler’s diarrhea (also known as Montezuma’s Revenge), says Cheng of World Nomads.
Whether you need an overnight hospital stay or simply a visit to the local clinic, you can use emergency medical coverage. A travel insurance plan will also offer a 24/7 emergency travel assistance provider, says Cheng. This emergency assistance team can help out with the logistics of finding and getting you to a medical facility and, once you’re there, monitoring your care.
You can find plans with $500,000 in travel medical coverage, although you might decide that $50,000 is sufficient.
Depending on the specific region of Mexico that you’re visiting, the distance to the nearest medical facility that’s well-equipped to treat severe illnesses or injuries could vary, says Adamski with AIG Travel.
For this reason, people with underlying medical conditions might want to consider a good level of coverage for emergency medical evacuation.
It pays to get you to the nearest adequate medical facility. If your condition warrants it, the coverage could pay for you to return to the U.S.
Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider, recommends at least $100,000 in medical evacuation coverage in case you require a medical transport back to the United States.
If you are taking in the city at a bazaar, or dining in an authentic street-side eatery, be sure to keep track of your personal belongings. If you do have your camera stolen, for example, this is where travel insurance can help.
Be sure to report the theft to local law enforcement and contact your travel insurance company to submit a claim. (Some plans require that home insurance pays out first.) This would fall under coverage for baggage and personal effects.
If your wallet or purse is swiped, you can also call your travel insurance company’s 24/7 emergency assistance hotline for help with replacing your ID and getting credit cards replaced.
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Erica Lamberg is a personal finance and travel writer based in suburban Philadelphia. She is a regular contributor to USA Today and her writing credits include NBC News, U.S. News & World Report, Business Insider, Oprah Magazine and Creditcards.com. Erica is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park.
Jason Metz is a writer who has worked in the insurance industry since 2007. As a former claims handler and fraud investigator, he’s seen a lot, and enjoys helping others navigate the complexities and opaqueness of insurance. He has a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Kutztown University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of California Riverside, Palm Desert.
