4 Tips for Insuring Spring Break Trips

Insuring your Spring Break trip might sounds like a very adult thing to do, but coming home with a huge medical bill you can’t pay is no fun.

1.      Choose your destination carefully:

a.       South Padre Island, Texas.

b.      Daytona Beach, Florida.

c.       Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

d.      Orlando, Florida.

e.       Miami, Florida.

f.       Panama City Beach, Florida.

g.      Key West, Florida.

h.      Fort Myers, Florida.

In all of these places, the local law enforcement is aware of the timing of Spring Break and more than happy to implement regulations to keep spring break season from getting out of control. According to Panama City Beach law enforcement, the 2012 spring break season resulted in twice as many service calls as normal and during the first three weeks of spring break, more than 650 spring breakers were arrested. No doubt, for some cities Spring Break represents a significant bump in revenue. Travel insurance plans often exclude coverage for trips to places where a travel advisory has been issued, so choose your destination carefully.

2.      Be very aware of crime. Travel insurance plans specifically exclude coverage when the insured is engaged in illegal acts. 

3.      Be sure your medical insurance is valid at your destination. Medical care is expensive no matter where you travel, but if you travel outside your health insurance network you could be paying far higher out-of-network rates. If you travel outside the country – to Mexico, for example – your medical insurance is likely invalid so you’ll be paying for your medical care with cash. 

4.      Have an escape plan. If you are severely injured and out of the country on Spring Break, you need to have medical evacuation coverage. Even if you choose a travel insurance plan that does not include trip cancellation protection, nearly all travel medical insurance plans include medical evacuation and trip interruption. If violence breaks out in Cancun and you have to leave to be safe, your travel insurance company will help you pay for and reserve a seat on commercial flights leaving your travel destination.