The Importance of Travel Protection Plans
Traveling teachers make dreams come true by providing outside-the-classroom learning opportunities for students. Whether it’s a band traveling to a parade or a French class visiting France to speak the local language, these opportunities change students’ lives. The teachers leading these groups are to be commended for making the possible a reality.
We all know the safety of student travelers is the highest priority. If something goes wrong or someone becomes ill while traveling, travel insurance can be a teacher’s greatest tool in effectively handling the situation.
Travel protection plans for student travelers can cover expenses related to medical emergencies, trip interruptions, missed connections and emergency evacuation costs. Travel protection plans also cover costs related to lost luggage and delayed baggage.
SYTA member tour operators understand the value of travel protection plans. That’s why most work with providers to ensure their travelers have some type of post-departure coverage—medical, travel delay, et cetera—while traveling.
If you are a teacher who plans a trip and is not using a SYTA member tour operator, it’s important that you reach out to a travel protection plan provider for options. In providing these options for your travelers, you are now positioned to ensure the parents can safeguard their child. As travel protection plans offer a range of benefits, it’s important to understand the coverage in any plan you choose.
Some families wonder if travel protection plans offer enough insurance coverage—a difficult question to answer, as different families may have differing tolerance levels for unexpected expenses. If a family emergency arises and a student can no longer travel, the cost of the tour may be forfeited. For many, that alone justifies considering additional travel insurance. In addition to the cost of the trip insurance, there is Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage available through many SYTA travel insurance providers.
Protecting the Family’s Investment
One day I received a call from a student traveler’s father, who was calling with bad news: His daughter would not be traveling on our adventure to Rome. She had slipped and torn a tendon in her leg, and would not be able to walk the three to five miles a day that was common on our programs. Fortunately, the parents had purchased the enhanced travel protection plan that covers the full tour cost.
Although it was a sad day for this student traveler, at least the family’s investment was protected. The best part of the story: The family received the cost of the trip and had the funds to send their daughter on this life-changing adventure, the very next year.
Here’s wishing you all safe and healthy travels!
Written by Michael J. Bowers, Safety Consultant, Center for Student Travel Safety.
