Covid-19 Travel FAQs
Here’s what you need to know about risks and travel insurance during COVID-19. We are here to help you navigate every aspect of your trip – whether you’re feeling a little confused about your travel insurance eligibility or perhaps you’re wondering how you can travel again? Better ways to travel in 2022 →
Travel insurance: Mistakes we've seen during this pandemic
Our clients enjoy complimentary assistance with insurance claims during this pandemic period – even if you did not purchase travel insurance through us. However if you prefer to handle the claims yourself, here are some common mistakes to avoid:❖ Providing too much information. It may be tempting to furnish all documents for the trip, but this will lengthen the processing time. Instead, you should only provide information that is relevant to the specific claim benefit. ❖ How you explain the situation. Be careful when describing why the trip is not going ahead. You need to be clear about the real reason why the trip is cancelled, postponed or disrupted. This reason is the underlying factor in determining your claim eligibility. ❖ Travel credits and vouchers. Weight your options when deciding whether to accept a credit voucher or to claim losses against your travel insurance. Double-dipping is not possible.
Should I defer my travel plans?
Our team will provide the latest travel news and information to support your decision making.
In general, we advise those with a high risk profile to defer travel for the time being. We also recommend our clients to adhere to the official travel advisory. If you choose to travel while a non-travel advisory is in place, be sure to check your policy wordings to verify whether your insurance benefits still apply. Enhanced support in 2021: complimentary COVID-19 insurance coverage is included when you book a Gourmet Trails® tour including flights.
When can I safely travel again?
If you are fully vaccinated and ready to travel again, there are still some important considerations before booking a tour. Such as mitigating potential risks, avoiding crowds, and strong ground support among others. How to travel better and safely during covid →
For new trips in the future, will my travel insurance cover the COVID-19 pandemic?
If you’re buying travel insurance now, most policies will not cover the coronavirus pandemic because it is a known event. Nevertheless it is possible to be insured with a special travel insurance targetted at traveller needs during these uncertain times. Enhanced support in 2021: complimentary COVID-19 insurance coverage is included when you book a Gourmet Trails® tour including flights.
When should I buy travel insurance?
We request clients to arrange travel insurance as early as possible – as soon as you’ve confirmed your trip dates or booked your flight.
Too often, many travellers make the mistake of buying travel insurance just one week or a few days before their departure. This means that the insured person loses out on Pre-trip benefits such as trip cancellation and trip postponement.
Have a general question about Gourmet Trails?
Read our Frequently Asked Questions →
2020 FAQ: Can I claim for my cancelled trip because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes if your travel insurance coverage includes pandemic benefits, and you purchased travel insurance before COVID-19 is considered a known event.
On 11 March 2020, WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a worldwide pandemic. However travel insurance providers usually have their own definition of when a pandemic is considered a “Known Event” or “Known Circumstance” which means that the pandemic will no longer be covered after that.
For this pandemic, we have seen many insurance providers define this date between mid-to-end January 2020. You may check with your travel insurance provider for exact details. During this difficult times, we will assist with all claims even if you did not purchase travel insurance through us
2020 FAQ: It is possible to claim for flight cancellation if I’ve receive flight credits too?
Travel insurance is meant to provide coverage for irrecoverable costs.
So if a traveller chooses to convert their booking to flight credits/vouchers or receive a full refund from the airline, the traveller should not expect to receive monies from insurance on top of that. However in case you received only a partial reimbursement in the form of refund/credit, you should be entitled to submit a claim for the difference in amount.
Final Thoughts
With travel restrictions in place, the coronavirus pandemic has left us dreaming of more carefree days…One thing is certain though: borders will re-open and we shall travel again. Let’s give it time and know that we are here to answer your questions
Like us?
Stay in Touch
Join our mailing list to receive quarterly newsletters →
Travel news and inspiration delivered straight to your inbox
