Before you plan your next vacation, you may want to consider your options for lodging. Due to the large masses of people typically accompanying a popular hotel or resort, travelers may want to look into the alternative of vacation home rentals.
Choosing Where to Stay
Finding the right lodging during the pandemic remains a top challenge for many travelers, but the better option may be vacation home rentals rather than hotels.
Travelers appear to be more interested in staying in small, boutique hotels and private villas/cabins, and less interested in staying in large hotels and resorts. Vacation home rentals allow travelers to experience their trips at a distance from others. Travelers can more easily keep away from large groups, which would be more inconvenient at hotels and resorts.
With vacation home rentals, travelers can book for extended lengths of time, leaving room for the homes to be properly sanitized between residents, in fact some vacation rentals are required to keep properties vacant for a minimum of 24 hours between resident stays.
Covering Your Travels
It is important to understand there is a difference between trip cancellation insurance and Cancel For Any Reason coverage. Both are useful for travel during and after the pandemic, as it is always a good idea to be prepared. Cancel For Any Reason coverage works as an add-on to your trip insurance policy to aid in some reimbursement for prepaid trip expenses and deposits that are otherwise considered to be non refundable should you need to cancel your trip for any reason not typically covered under the basic trip cancellation benefit. It is critical to understand these stipulations prior to purchasing Cancel For Any reason coverage:
- Reimbursement for cancellation may be only up to the specified coverage amount (often 75 percent) as stated in the specific policy you are purchasing. Please note that coverage amounts will vary from plan to plan.
- Cancel For Any Reason Insurance must be purchased with the base plan and within 20 days of the date that the initial trip payment or deposit is paid.
- Insurance coverage must be purchased for the full cost of all nonrefundable prepaid trip arrangements that are subject to cancellation penalties or restrictions.
- Trip cancellation must be made no less than 48 hours prior to the departure date in order to receive reimbursement.
Are Credit Cards a Better Option to Cover Vacation Rentals?
Your credit card can play an important role in whether you can take full advantage of trip cancellation insurance and Cancel For Any Reason coverage. Some credit cards, like Chase Sapphire Preferred and Amex Platinum, do have trip cancellation stipulations.
That said, taking on a credit card also involves annual fees and APR. While you can certainly use your credit card to help cover your trip, it is still best to purchase your own trip cancellation insurance and Cancel For Any Reason coverage.
What Plans Allow for Cancel For Any Reason Coverage Add-on?
While all of our trip insurance plans will cover vacation home rentals, plans with the Cancel for Any Reason benefit allow for more flexibility. There are a few plans that allow you to add-on Cancel For Any Reason coverage:
- iTravelInsured Travel LX
- Worldwide Trip Protector Plus
- Worldwide Trip Protector
- Seven Corners Trip Protection Elite
- TravelSafe
Want help finding the perfect plan to cover your vacation home rental? Our team of licensed insurance specialists will be happy to help you insure your travel plans.
