Travel insurance helps against quarantine

WARWICK, R.I., Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Travel alerts by the U.S. government warn of quarantining arriving passengers in China or Cuba who exhibit fever or flu-like symptoms, a travel expert said.

Jim Grace, president and chief executive officer of InsureMyTrip.com, says most insurance companies provide quarantine coverage because of H1N1 flu but details vary by company and plan.

Some companies provide quarantine benefits only if you are sick while others provide benefits if you are not sick but singled out because you were traveling with or near to someone who is ill.

"Quarantined travelers stand to lose a lot unless they're properly insured," Grace says in a statement. "The time you spend in quarantine means time lost enjoying your trip, unused hotel reservations, missed pre-paid planned activities and possibly a future one-way ticket home. Travel insurance protects your financial investment so you don't pay for an itinerary you can't follow as planned."

Trip cancellation package policies offer the broadest protection, including coverage for trip cancellation, interruption, baggage and travel delay, as well as medical and emergency evacuation.

In a quarantine situation, the first coverage activated in such policies is usually travel delay, which provides reimbursement for overnight hotel stays and meals during the quarantine, Grace says.