Codie’s Corner: It’s Time to Get Familiar With Travel Insurance

I think we can all agree that travel advisors wear many hats. There is no “typical” workday for agents—one day they are booking a leisurely family vacation for their clients headed to Cancun, and the next day they spend hours frantically rebooking a client’s flight that was canceled by an airline so the person can get home from a European adventure.

Another day they are learning how a new supplier booking system works that was unexpectedly updated, and the day after they are booking trip after trip trying to keep up with the walk-in clients headed through the door one after another.

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Working as a travel advisor keeps you on your toes. You need to be up to date with what is going on around the world, where the best places to send your clients are, what upgrades resorts are working on, etc. With everything an agent needs to know and remember, sometimes it’s easier to simply know where to find the answer instead of always having the answer memorized.

I used to think it wasn’t really a travel advisor’s job to know everything there is to know about travel insurance. With the number of policies available, it would take way too much time to thoroughly understand what each one includes.

However, I do think we’ve entered an era where understanding insurance policies is important—and thoroughly understanding the various insurance policies is a hat you now need to wear.

This may sound like a daunting task you need to take on, especially if insuring your client’s trips wasn’t something you did much of before the pandemic. So here are a few tips for getting started:

—Always offer travel insurance. This is a crucial step in the vacation booking process. Even if you don’t think educating yourself on specific policies is a huge part of your position, offering travel insurance to your clients is.

—Stick with a few reputable brands that you are familiar with. If you’ve successfully worked with a specific insurance company in the past, just dig a little deeper and become familiar with the various policies it has to offer. If you already work with a company that covers your clients’ needs, there is really no need to continue looking.

—Be honest and upfront with your clients. Let them know you are a travel advisor first, and you might not be 100 percent familiar with every travel insurance policy. Most clients will trust that you are offering a solid policy, but encourage them to share any specific coverages they need so you can ensure they have a policy that works best for them.

A recent study revealed that Americans are more likely to purchase travel insurance when traveling after the coronavirus pandemic, and another one discovered that younger generations are even purchasing trip insurance policies in greater numbers. It's time for travel advisors to become familiar with travel insurance so they can seamlessly assist their clients with all aspects of the vacation.