Does travel insurance cover volcano incidents?

Getting ready for an exhilarating trip to (or from!) a region known for volcanic activity? Maybe you’re venturing from your home in Hawaii to a snowy destination or stopping in Iceland on your way to Europe? Either way, don’t let the possibility of a volcanic eruption cloud your vacation dreams.

At Travelex, our travel insurance with volcano coverage can help if a volcano threatens to turn your scheduled itinerary into ash.

What is a volcanic eruption and how can it impact my trip?

A volcanic eruption is a type of natural disaster that can come with toxic gases, hazardous volcanic rock, ash, and lava — which could drastically change your trip plans.

So, if you’re wondering, "Why should travel insurance cover volcano incidents?”, here’s how a volcanic eruption can affect your trip.

A volcanic eruption could put your vacation at risk of cancellation or interruption, especially if you’re taking a trip to or from parts of the Americas, Japan, Iceland, the Philippines, and New Zealand — destinations with historical volcanic activity. Because a volcanic eruption is often a safety hazard and destructive to surrounding areas — causing water contamination, wildfires, floods, mudslides, and more — it can mean you’ll need to change your trip.

For more information on volcanoes, check out the U.S. Geological Survey's volcano page and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s volcano facts.

Does Travelex offer volcano insurance coverage?

Yes, whether you opt for our Travel Basic or Travel Select plan, you’ll have travel insurance with volcano coverage included in your policy. This means you’ll be more prepared if a volcano interrupts your vacation.

So, how does our volcano insurance coverage help you when it matters most? After an unforeseen volcanic eruption, our coverage can help cover the costs of unexpected expenses that come your way because of trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, missed connections, luggage issues, emergency medical costs, and more.

Want to know more about our volcano insurance coverage? Our customer service team is happy to help.

What are the benefit limits of Travelex’s volcano coverage?

While both our comprehensive plans include travel insurance volcano coverage, the benefit limits and conditions vary between the two.

Here are the benefit limits for each plan:

Remember: Our travel protection plans with volcanic insurance coverage can help when an unforeseen covered event ruins your vacation plans. So, if you need to file a claim, the reason must be because of an unexpected incident – not a known event.

What counts as an unforeseen covered event when it comes to volcanoes?

With our volcano insurance coverage, if your vacation is unexpectedly affected by a volcano, we can reimburse you for costs from situations like:

• A volcanic eruption destroys your or your travel companion's primary home and you can no longer live there.
• You have our Travel Select plan and you or your travel companion can’t reach or stay in your vacation destination because of a volcanic eruption.

Still have questions? Reach out to our customer service team at 1-800-228-9792.

Does Travelex’s volcano insurance coverage include flight disruptions?

Yes, if an active volcano affects your flight and you have a Travel Select or Travel Basic plan, our travel insurance for volcanic ash or eruption coverage can help.

Here are the different flight disruption benefits our travel insurance volcano coverage offers:

Trip Cancellation coverage

If a volcano melts your vacation plans entirely, our Travel Basic and Travel Select plans can offer financial support if you need to cancel your trip before you leave home.

Our coverage can also refund you for covered pre-paid, non-refundable costs that you don’t get to enjoy because of the volcanic eruption, like a geothermal spa visit, snorkeling tour, or Airbnb home with mountain views.

Important: If you cancel your getaway because of volcano-related reasons, don’t forget to let our Travelex team know within 72 hours of canceling your trip.

Trip Interruption coverage

If a volcano turns your trip itinerary into smoke, our travel insurance coverage for volcano incidents can do more than provide a feeling of relief; it can reimburse the costs of unused prepaid nonrefundable expenses.

Also, if you have to go home sooner than planned, rejoin your trip, or arrive later than expected because of a volcanic eruption, we can help reimburse the extra travel costs.

Plus, if the person you were supposed to be traveling with unexpectedly can't make it because of a covered reason, there’s less reason for you to worry. With our volcanic eruption insurance coverage, we can help cover their half of the trip accommodations so you’re not left paying their entire bill, too.

Important: Just like with trip cancellations, if you have a trip interruption, remember to let our Travelex team know within 72 hours.

Trip Delay coverage

Worried a smoke cloud and lack of visibility from a volcanic eruption might affect your flight’s departure time? If you still haven’t taken off five hours past your scheduled flight time, our travel insurance coverage for volcanic ash and other eruption hazards can reimburse you for necessary expenses during your delay, like meals, taxi fares, essential telephone calls, local transportation, and hotel stays.

Tip: Don’t forget to keep all your receipts when you’re buying anything during your delay, though — you’ll need to submit them as part of your claim.

Important: We can only help you get costs back for one delay per vacation. So, if you have more than one delay during the same trip, we can refund you for the most expensive delay.

Missed Connection coverage

Picture this: You planned your flights with enough of a layover to have a laid-back connection, but then a volcanic eruption calls off your first flight.

If your flight is canceled or on hold for more than three hours because of a volcano and you don’t make it on your next flight, our volcano insurance coverage can help. Yes, you can be reimbursed for extra and unused travel expenses, for covered reasons, and if the airline verifies the delay.

Remember: Always allow enough layover time when you’re booking flights with connections — or you may not have coverage if you miss part of your booking. At Travelex, our Missed Connection coverage only applies if your domestic flights have at least a one-hour gap and if your international flights have at least a two-hour gap.

What are some other ways volcanic eruption insurance coverage can help me during my trip?

Apart from flight scheduling mishaps, volcano insurance coverage can help with other unexpected incidents that happen during your trip — or before it even begins — because of volcanic activity.

After a volcanic eruption at your destination, you could be faced with any of these situations:

• A volcano destroys your hotel and you can no longer stay there.
• You need emergency medical care after tripping over volcanic rock.
• Your baggage is destroyed by volcanic eruption debris.
• A volcanic eruption makes visibility hazy, and you're involved in a traffic accident on your way to your destination.

Travel insurance with volcano coverage is worth investing in because it can help with much more than flight issues. You can get the support you need with urgent medical expenses, problems with luggage, changes of plans, and more.

If you want even more protection, you can get the Travel Select plan and include the optional upgrades that offer coverage for things like adventure sports.

How can I reach the Travelex 24/7 assistance team if my trip is impacted by a volcano?

If you’re traveling with a Travelex plan and your trip is affected by a volcano, you can contact us in a couple of ways:

• Use the tap-to-call feature in our Travelex Travel On app to reach us right away. It’s important to download and log into the app before leaving on your trip so it’s easy to access when time is of the essence.
• Call our Emergency Assistance team directly. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, it's free to call us at 1-844-215-1672. From all other locations, you can call us collect at 1-647-775-8042.

How can I get volcano travel alerts during my trip?

We may post volcanic activity that could impact your policy coverage on our travel alerts page, so be sure to check it before and during your vacation.

As a Travelex policyholder, the best way to stay updated on volcano concerns is through our Travel On app. Our app can send you immediate safety notifications, show you location information, and more, so it’s essential to set it up before your vacation begins.

Will Travelex let me cancel my trip for any reason?

Our Travel Select and Travel Basic plans — which include volcanic eruption insurance coverage — can help reimburse you for costs tied to a canceled trip for certain covered reasons only. You can find these reasons in the policy wording or call our customer service team for more information.

Want to breathe a sigh of relief knowing you can cancel no matter what happens? Consider adding the Cancel for Any Reason upgrade to your Travel Select plan. With this upgrade, you can cancel your trip up to 48 hours before departing and get refunded up to 75% of your insured trip costs (up to $7,500).

To include the Cancel for Any Reason upgrade in your policy, you’ll need to:

• Insure all nonrefundable trip costs (with a maximum trip cost of $10,000) in your policy.
• Be on your trip for 30 days or less.
• Purchase the Travel Select plan and Cancel for Any Reason upgrade at the same time and within 15 days of your first vacation payment.

Why do I need volcano insurance coverage if my scheduled airline might give me a refund?

Airline rules can make it tricky to get your money back when flights are canceled, especially if you bought a non-refundable ticket.

Even if you do manage to get a refund from the airline for a canceled flight, what about your non-refundable tours, hotels, and other parts of the trip that you paid for? An airline won’t necessarily cover those additional costs.

Travel insurance for volcano incidents can give you the right coverage for your entire trip—not just your flight.

Is travel insurance with volcano coverage worth it?

Volcanoes can sometimes erupt without warning, which means there is always a chance your trip could be affected — especially if you plan to do some volcano sightseeing during your vacation.

If a volcano does erupt near your home or at your destination, travel insurance volcano coverage has the benefits you might need to get back on your feet. This includes coverage for unexpected challenges during your vacation, such as canceled, missed, or delayed flights.

How do I file a claim for a volcanic eruption?

Like the ease of filing a claim online without having to call? Visit our online claims portal to complete the process.

If you prefer to speak to our specialists or have questions, you can call or email our claims team:

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company

• Phone: 1-855-205-6054
• Email: [email protected]

Don’t erupt over ruined trip plans: Consider volcano insurance coverage

Having travel insurance with volcano coverage can feel like you were rescued from approaching molten lava. When unexpected chaos heats up during your trip, volcanic insurance coverage can help cool you down with much needed assistance.

Don’t forget to become familiar with all your travel insurance volcano coverage benefits and exclusions before you head off on your travels, so you're more prepared if anything goes wrong.

Have more questions about our volcano coverage with travel insurance? Feel free to give our customer service team a call at 1-800-228-9792 from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST.

Want to help defend your trip from volcanic eruptions?

Feel more protected from unpredictable volcanoes with our travel insurance plans. Get a quote now.