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Travel Insurance For Caribbean Trips

Fact Checked

Fact Checked

Updated: Feb 13, 2024, 7:06am

A Caribbean vacation is an opportunity to enjoy life at a slower pace. If you’re planning a Caribbean island escape to relax in the surf, sand and sun, you’ll want to keep travel stress to a minimum. Travel insurance can provide some peace of mind and protect you financially if your Caribbean trip doesn’t go to plan.

When shopping for travel insurance for Caribbean trips, you should look for plans with adequate coverage for these travel woes:

Here’s how the best travel insurance for trips to the Caribbean can protect your trip investment, your well-being and your personal belongings.

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Trip Cancellation Travel Insurance for the Caribbean

Sometimes, last-minute emergencies impact your ability to travel. Your trip cancellation travel insurance benefits can reimburse 100% of your pre-paid, non-refundable trip expenses if you need to cancel your Caribbean trip due to a reason listed in your travel insurance policy.

Commonly accepted reasons for trip cancellation benefits include:

Not all reasons will be covered under trip cancellation coverage. For example, if the forecast in Jamaica looks rainy for the duration of your trip, you won’t be eligible to file a trip cancellation claim.

Consider adding “cancel for any reason” travel insurance (CFAR) to your standard policy if you want more flexibility with your travel plans. This top-tier upgrade will increase your policy price by an average of 50% but gives you the liberty to cancel for any reason. You must cancel at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure for benefits to apply.

CFAR travel insurance generally reimburses 75% of your trip costs.

Hurricane Considerations for Caribbean Dream Vacations

Hurricane season is June through November in the Caribbean, and purchasing travel insurance for this timeframe should be carefully considered.

“Our travel insurance recommendations are fairly consistent among all Caribbean countries. Depending on when a traveler is visiting one of these tropical destinations, having a trip cancellation policy that includes “hurricane and weather coverage” may be important,” says Megan Moncrief, spokesperson for Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider.

While travel insurance benefits are valuable, there are exclusions you need to know about so be sure to read your policy carefully when severe weather happens.

“Travel insurance policies can only cover storms that are considered ‘unforeseen’ and are not expected to impact a destination,” says Moncrief.

“Once a storm is named, no travel insurance benefits can be applied to the storm,” she adds.

“For that reason, if you’re traveling during hurricane season, and/or, to a hurricane-prone destination, we recommend purchasing a policy as soon as possible, to ensure you would have adequate coverage should a storm develop and impact your trip,” Moncrief says.

Related: Travel insurance for hurricane-prone vacation spots

Travel Delay Travel Insurance for Idling Before Island Hopping

Travel delay insurance compensates you—up to your policy limits—for hotels, food and other expenses you incur due to covered delays while traveling.

If severe weather occurs and your connecting flight to Aruba is canceled because the airport there shuts down, for example, your trip delay benefits can offer some financial relief.

Be sure to read your policy as there are waiting periods before your benefits start, such as six or 12 hours. So if your flight is only delayed for three hours, you may not have coverage for the dinner you buy while waiting at the airport.

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Cruise Considerations When Visiting the Caribbean

If you’re taking a Caribbean cruise, look for a plan with a “missed tour or cruise connection” benefit.

“This covers transportation costs to join your cruise or tour and accommodations, meals and local transportation if you miss your cruise because you’re delayed the minimum required hours due to a covered reason,” says Angela Borden, a spokesperson for Seven Corners, a travel insurance company.

She says acceptable reasons for “missed tour or cruise connections” benefits typically include common carrier delays, cancellations, mechanical breakdowns and inclement weather. You’ll find a detailed list of qualifying reasons and the required minimum delay time in your policy.

For example, the RoundTrip Choice policy from Seven Corners provides “missed tour or cruise connection” benefits of up to $250 per day with a maximum of $1,500 after a three-hour delay, for a reason listed in your policy.

Another worthy option: Classic plan by TravelSafe has excellent “missed tour or cruise connection” coverage of $2,500 per person after a three-hour delay.

Trip Interruption Travel Insurance for Going Home Early

If you’re visiting Grand Cayman and you get a call notifying you that your mother needs life-saving surgery after an accident, you may want to get home as quickly as you can.

Your trip interruption travel insurance can cover the cost of a last-minute flight home. It can also reimburse you for the non-refundable, unused and pre-paid trip expenses you forfeit due to your early departure.

Not all reasons will be covered if you want to cut your trip short—it is intended for unforeseen emergencies.

“Interruption for any reason” travel insurance (IFAR) is another optional add-on benefit that allows you to interrupt your trip for any reason you wish.

“IFAR could provide reimbursement for non-refundable, unused trip costs if you decide to interrupt your trip and return home early due to concern (or fear) about hurricanes, even if a hurricane warning or watch has not been issued by NOAA,” says Borden.

Travel Medical Insurance for Island Injuries and Illness

Travel medical insurance is also important to consider. It allows you to recoup costs for medicine, X-rays, lab work and hospital and doctor bills if you’re hurt or injured during your trip.

Your health insurance plan may not apply when outside the U.S., or coverage may be limited, so it’s wise to buy travel medical insurance when going to a foreign country. Note that Medicare isn’t accepted abroad.

“We recommend at least $50,000 in emergency medical coverage and $100,000 in medical evacuation coverage,” says Moncrief.

Adventure sports coverage

If you plan to go scuba diving, water skiing, cliff diving or participate in any other type of adventurous fun, make sure your travel insurance policy covers these types of activities. Some travel insurance companies consider certain water sports and air sports, such as skydiving, to be risky, and exclude them from travel medical coverage.

Look for travel insurance companies that offer adventure sports add-on coverage if your leisurely pursuits include more than reclining on the beach. You can also check out companies that cater to thrill-seeking travelers, such as World Nomads.

Emergency Medical Evacuations in the Caribbean Islands

Medical evacuation travel insurance comes into play if during your trip you need emergency transportation to get medical care that isn’t available locally.

For instance, if you wipe out on a mountain bike tour and suffer a head injury, your emergency medical evacuation travel insurance benefits can help pay for an air ambulance to get you to the nearest adequate trauma treatment center.

Emergency medical evacuation insurance is usually included in comprehensive travel insurance plans. The most generous plans provide $1 million in coverage per person. That’s because medevac costs can be very expensive, depending on where the injury happens and the condition of the person being airlifted.

Baggage Insurance for Beachy Keen Vacations

If your bags are lost or stolen, you will likely need to buy some clothes, a bathing suit and toiletries to keep you outfitted for your island getaway.

Baggage insurance can repay you the depreciated value of your missing items, up to the limits in your policy. Though the reimbursement amount may not equal the amount to replace your items with brand-new ones, it can help defray the cost of replacements.

Your travel insurance policy will outline how depreciation affects your reimbursement as well as per-limit caps and exclusions.

Baggage delay insurance kicks in after a specified time listed in your policy, such as 12 hours. You can file a claim to recoup expenses for necessities you buy to tide you over until your gear arrives.

Beyond your luggage, baggage coverage also protects your belongings during your vacation. For instance, if your camera gets stolen from your beach chair, you can file a claim.

Remember to report the crime to your hotel manager, tour leader or local authorities. You will be asked to provide documentation of the loss to your travel insurance company.

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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.