Wild Fires are Impacting Travel Plans

Many areas of the western US are currently being ravaged by record-setting wildfires for the second year in a row. According to the US Forest Service, there are currently 68 ‘large incident’ fires burning in the US as of this date, most all of them in the Western United States.

These fires can cause havoc for vacationers whose travel plans are disrupted either due to the inability to get to their destination or in some cases, due to the travelers primary homes being impacted by fire.

For those with travel insurance, most can rest easy as their financial risk is protected against natural disasters.  Play Travel coverage underwritten by Nationwide Insurance Company will provide reimbursement for non-refundable travel expenses in the event that the vacation destination or the traveler’s primary home is inhabitable due to fire.  It also provides coverage for instances of evacuation due to fire threat or roads closed that prevent someone from getting to their destination.  For others, they may be one of the thousands who have been called on to battle the blaze and their vacation plans, regardless of the destination, have been put on hold due to the job requirement. They too have coverage.  Some exception and restrictions may apply, so please refer to coverage documents for specific terms.

Travel insurance is designed to protect against the unexpected.  It’s a small price to protect yourself against financial risk from unexpected events.  The key is to make it part of your travel plans at the time of booking.  Once a fire has started and threatens your plans it’s too late.  Similar to a named storm, insurance coverage may not cover you if purchased after a fire is declared or you are within 30 days of the start of your travel.  Plan ahead and be protected.