Travel Insurance Plans for Extreme Weather: Storms, Hurricanes and Winter Conditions

Winter travel comes with its own set of risks, from icy roads and snowed-in airports to unexpected blizzards that can derail even the most carefully planned trips.

Coverage for inclement weather conditions essentially provides coverage for certain trip cancellations or interruptions caused by severe weather, as well as covered delays that leave you stranded at the airport or stuck overnight.

If winter weather delays your flight and you miss a connection, or if your baggage, especially essential cold-weather gear, gets lost or delayed, your travel insurance plan may help reimburse you for covered additional expenses.

When you’re traveling during winter months or through storm-prone regions, the right travel insurance plan can help protect your trip investment in the event of the unexpected. Not all travel insurance plans offer the same level of weather-related protection, which is why it’s important to know what to look for.

The simple answer: because weather is unpredictable!

When you’re planning a vacation several weeks, or even months in advance, you’re not able to tell what the weather will be doing. Flights can get grounded, roads can close and plans can change at the last minute, usually with very little warning.  If you’re booking a trip during hurricane or winter storm season, a travel insurance plan with coverage for certain weather-related events should be a no-brainer. 

To ensure you have coverage for certain storms and winter-related disruptions, it’s best to buy your plan before a weather event is named or forecasted. Planning ahead can make all the difference!

With a Travel Guard travel insurance plan, coverage may apply when certain severe weather directly impacts your trip. This can include events like hurricanes, snowstorms or blizzards that cause flight cancellations, delays or make your destination uninhabitable.

If a weather-related event means your trip is delayed beyond a certain number of hours, or if you can no longer stay in your accommodation due to weather damage or not being able to access it, you may be eligible for reimbursement of certain prepaid, non-refundable expenses.

While we do offer coverage for most major weather disruptions, not every weather-related inconvenience is covered. 

For example, if there is snow but your flights still go on time, it’s unlikely to qualify for reimbursement. Additionally, travel insurance plans generally do not cover known or foreseeable events. If a storm is named or forecasted before you buy your travel insurance plan, coverage for that specific event may be excluded. 

You can find out more about this on our hurricanes and travel insurance coverage page. 

It's important to review your plan details carefully. Travel Guard offers several benefit levels, and understanding the timing of your purchase and the definitions of “covered reasons” is key to ensuring your policy provides the protection you need.

If you're planning a trip to a destination known for hurricanes, blizzards or unpredictable seasonal weather (such as the Caribbean during hurricane season or blizzard-prone ski resorts), Travel Guard offers travel insurance plans with coverage designed to help protect your travel investment from weather-related risks.

Our Preferred Plan and Deluxe Plan may provide Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption coverage if a natural disaster makes your destination uninhabitable, causes significant delays or forces you to evacuate. 

So, if a hurricane warning is issued for your vacation spot and evacuation orders are issued, your covered non-refundable expenses may be reimbursed. These plans also provide coverage for trip delays if certain weather prevents you from reaching your destination, and they can help with additional costs like meals and accommodations during a delay.

For high-risk areas, purchasing your travel insurance plan early is essential to make sure you’re appropriately covered, and your wallet isn’t left with any nasty surprises. 

*And remember, among other limitations, coverage for weather-related issues only applies to unforeseen events, meaning you must buy your Travel Guard travel insurance plan before a storm is named in the case of a massive blizzard or hurricane.

In short, yes!

Especially if you’re traveling during peak storm seasons, visiting regions known for unpredictable weather, or taking a winter trip where snow and ice could impact your plans. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially when last-minute delays or cancellations to your travel plans can quickly become expensive.

Travel Guard travel insurance plans provide coverage for certain situations where your trip is impacted by inclement weather, which means severe weather conditions that cause delays or cancellations to the scheduled departure of a common carrier may be covered on your travel insurance plan, subject to the terms and conditions of the specific plan.

No, on our Travel Guard travel insurance plans that have coverages where severe weather may be a factor, there is no additional coverage to purchase to include winter weather specifically. Please be sure and review your plan for more details and limitations.

Yes, except for Trip Cancellation and Trip Exchange, your policy may be extended past your originally scheduled return date if you are delayed due to a covered unforeseen event. In many cases, the policy will extend automatically for a period of time. Please review your policy for more details and limitations.

If you are currently traveling and inclement weather is impacting your trip, either preventing you from returning home or causing you to leave early, you can call us any time and our specially trained representatives can help you find a way home. 

Typically travel insurance plans don’t cover bad weather if it's simply putting a damper on your plans. However, with Travel Guard's Travel Inconvenience benefits, you may have some coverage for those type of scenarios. Here are some examples, subject to the terms and conditions of the plan:

• You've gone to Vail to ski, but the ski facilities are closed due to inclement weather or lack of snow.
• You took a vacation to golf in Wisconsin, but an early blizzard closes the course.
• An amusement park you're at must close several rides due to a power outage caused by a winter storm.

Our travel inconvenience benefit may pay a flat amount based on the inconvenience you run into; be sure to check your schedule of benefits to confirm your benefit limits and review the details of the coverage!

A travel inconvenience is no fun. Especially when it impacts a highly anticipated part of your trip. Travel Guard's travel inconvenience benefits can't make up for those lost experiences, but they may provide coverage for certain inconveniences.

Travel Guard's travel insurance plans come with 24/7 emergency assistance services. That's access to specially trained representatives who can help you anytime day or night. Our representatives can help you rebook flights or reroute your itinerary to help you get where you need to be!

A travel insurance plan must be purchased at least 24-hours prior to when a severe winter storm warning or watch is issued in order for the storm to be considered under the coverage. If you purchase your insurance after a severe winter weather warning or watch has been issued, you likely will not have coverage for Trip Cancellation and Interruption losses resulting from that winter storm.

No. For a travel insurance plan that you purchased ahead of inclement weather, a winter storm warning/watch does not need to be issued for coverage to apply, but other terms and conditions of the policy may apply. Be sure to review your policy.