Atlantic hurricane season is underway, officially starting June 1 and continuing through November 30.
With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicting 12 to 17 named tropical storms and five to nine hurricanes this season, the coming six months could prove costly for unprepared travelers visiting vulnerable destinations like the Southeast U.S., Gulf Coast, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Since weather is unpredictable, the best advice is to work with a trusted travel advisor and purchase a travel insurance policy that reimburses you if your trip is impacted by a tropical storm or hurricane. An experienced advisor can guide their clients to the ideal policy based on several unique factors.
For travelers who wait until a trip-impacting storm develops to purchase travel insurance, it’ll already be too late. At that point, it becomes a “foreseeable event” that more than likely won’t qualify for reimbursement.
“Buying travel insurance as soon as you book your trip is important to protect your travel investment during hurricane season,” says Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. “Weather is unpredictable, and what numerous travelers don’t know is that once a hurricane impacting one’s destination is identified and named, it’s too late to purchase travel insurance. It’s always smart to purchase travel insurance right after you book your trip, so you know you can be protected.”