Travel Insurance

For me and my husband, it was a belated honeymoon trip to Florence, Venice, Rome and Greece. For my husband's 78-year-old mother, whom everyone calls Nonna, it was her first trip home to Celico, Italy, in 20 years. Luckily for all of us, we took our travel agent's advice and bought travel insurance along with the plane and train tickets, hotel packages, and passage on a cruise ship. Nonna was happy and in good health when we reached Calabria, where we were greeted by her family, food and vino.

If you plan to book a trip through a travel agent in the new year, don't be surprised if you get a firmer push toward travel insurance than in the past. Many agencies routinely recommend trip-cancellation and other kinds of travel coverage as a wise precaution in these days of high costs and rapidly changing travel plans. Indeed, insurance makes sense for many kinds of trips, especially when you are spending large amounts of money or you or a traveling companion are at risk for health problems.

Question: I recently booked a trip to Colorado Springs on American Airlines. I paid for the tickets with a credit I'd received after canceling a previous flight, plus $350 in fees. I bought travel insurance from Access America, which is offered through the American Airlines website. I had a bicycling accident, and we could not travel to Colorado. I sent a claim to Access America with complete documentation, including receipts from American Airlines. The receipt shows a payment of $601 plus $350 in fees.

Question: A friend and I purchased a tour from Friendly Planet to Ecuador last July. We booked a round-trip flight on American Airlines from Dallas to Miami to arrive in time to connect to the LAN flight to Quito, Ecuador. We purchased flight insurance with Access America Insurance for the super-saver flights from Dallas to Miami. In February I received an e-mail from Friendly Planet saying that the tour had been canceled due to too few participants. I was given the choice to receive a refund or to schedule another tour later in the year.

Real estate investor Gail Gass had high hopes for a recent business trip to Bali, but her journey turned into a nightmare when she suffered severe head injuries in a car crash there. "I had hired a driver one day and was just beginning to relax . . . and the last thing I remember after that was waking up in a hospital," recalled the 38-year-old Santa Fe, Calif., woman, still recuperating from surgery. Gass, who'd hoped to start a business on the exotic Indonesian island, says her life was saved by a $49 travel insurance policy she bought on a whim a couple of days before her trip.

The Persian Gulf war has pumped up business for several companies that offer various types of insurance or other assistance for travelers who may find themselves in risky situations. Travel Guard International, a major issuer of travel-insurance policies, says it has received 500 to 600 inquiries a day about its special war-risk insurance package, which hit the market in early February. Business also has been brisker than normal for companies such as Philadelphia-based International SOS Assistance, which specializes in offering medical aid for travelers overseas - including quick evacuation home in case of a major health emergency.

Question: I recently booked a flight through Orbitz, and a few weeks later was surprised to see a $24 charge on my credit card for travel insurance. I called the 800 number listed next to the charge on my statement and was told that the charge was through a company that works with Orbitz to provide travel insurance. I checked the Orbitz site and discovered that they sneakily default a checkbox on your online reservation to include travel insurance - in other words, you need to actively uncheck this or else you will buy the insurance.

Question: My partner and I were recently booked on a cruise to the Caribbean through Carnival Cruise Lines. It was to be our first cruise, and we were so excited. Unfortunately, we had some extremely bad luck. We flew to Miami two days early to spend some time there before the cruise. That first evening, I slipped and fell on some wet plywood that had been placed in a public park. I broke my tibial plateau into several pieces - an injury that required immediate surgery. So we had to cancel the cruise and fly home.

Question: We need your help with a Carnival cruise that went nowhere. Earlier this year, we booked a western Caribbean cruise directly through Carnival, including airfare and shore excursions. On the day we were supposed to travel, our nightmare began. Our plane was delayed because of mechanical problems. So was the next flight. We missed the boat in Miami. We wanted to reschedule the cruise, but Carnival suggested that we catch up with the ship in the Cayman Islands. We had to pay for new tickets to the Caymans.

Question: A friend and I purchased a tour from Friendly Planet to Ecuador last July. We booked a round-trip flight on American Airlines from Dallas to Miami to arrive in time to connect to the LAN flight to Quito, Ecuador. We purchased flight insurance with Access America Insurance for the super-saver flights from Dallas to Miami. In February I received an e-mail from Friendly Planet saying that the tour had been canceled due to too few participants. I was given the choice to receive a refund or to schedule another tour later in the year.

Question: We need your help with a Carnival cruise that went nowhere. Earlier this year, we booked a western Caribbean cruise directly through Carnival, including airfare and shore excursions. On the day we were supposed to travel, our nightmare began. Our plane was delayed because of mechanical problems. So was the next flight. We missed the boat in Miami. We wanted to reschedule the cruise, but Carnival suggested that we catch up with the ship in the Cayman Islands. We had to pay for new tickets to the Caymans.

Question: I recently booked a trip to Colorado Springs on American Airlines. I paid for the tickets with a credit I'd received after canceling a previous flight, plus $350 in fees. I bought travel insurance from Access America, which is offered through the American Airlines website. I had a bicycling accident, and we could not travel to Colorado. I sent a claim to Access America with complete documentation, including receipts from American Airlines. The receipt shows a payment of $601 plus $350 in fees.

Question: My wife and I booked a long weekend at the Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Ariz. We have always enjoyed the service we receive at Marriott properties, so we used the Marriott website to make our lodging arrangements. A link on the Marriott site took us to Marriott Vacations, where we booked a prepaid, three-night stay for $1,041, which we charged to our Visa credit card. The morning of our departure, our son, who has Down syndrome, woke up with the flu. We can't leave our son with caregivers when he is sick, so we immediately called the airline and the hotel to cancel our reservations.

Question: My wife and I recently booked a honeymoon in Costa Rica through Apple Vacations. On the morning we were supposed to leave, our flights on Delta Air Lines were canceled, and they didn't have any other flights until two days later. I called Apple, and they simply told me to call the airline. They refused to help. Delta's customer service was only a little more helpful. They ended up getting us to Costa Rica a day later on a different airline. Because of this, we missed one day at an all-inclusive resort and decided to stay an extra day. I again called Apple and asked them to refund our missed day and wanted to book an extra day on the end of our honeymoon.

Question: My partner and I were recently booked on a cruise to the Caribbean through Carnival Cruise Lines. It was to be our first cruise, and we were so excited. Unfortunately, we had some extremely bad luck. We flew to Miami two days early to spend some time there before the cruise. That first evening, I slipped and fell on some wet plywood that had been placed in a public park. I broke my tibial plateau into several pieces - an injury that required immediate surgery. So we had to cancel the cruise and fly home.

Question: I recently booked a flight through Orbitz, and a few weeks later was surprised to see a $24 charge on my credit card for travel insurance. I called the 800 number listed next to the charge on my statement and was told that the charge was through a company that works with Orbitz to provide travel insurance. I checked the Orbitz site and discovered that they sneakily default a checkbox on your online reservation to include travel insurance - in other words, you need to actively uncheck this or else you will buy the insurance.

The 76ers' experience in nail-biting finishes is beginning to pay off. The Sixers saw a 21-point second-quarter lead evaporate to three points in the fourth quarter last night before they scored on a succession of dunks to defeat the Miami Heat, 96-85, at the Wachovia Center. The second-largest home crowd of the season, 18,431, saw the Sixers put the game away with a 9-0 run just after Dwyane Wade's 22-foot jumper had cut their lead to 84-81 with 5 minutes, 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

For me and my husband, it was a belated honeymoon trip to Florence, Venice, Rome and Greece. For my husband's 78-year-old mother, whom everyone calls Nonna, it was her first trip home to Celico, Italy, in 20 years. Luckily for all of us, we took our travel agent's advice and bought travel insurance along with the plane and train tickets, hotel packages, and passage on a cruise ship. Nonna was happy and in good health when we reached Calabria, where we were greeted by her family, food and vino.