Feel Protected with Total Peace of Mind While on Vacation
Written by
Christine Lacagnina has written thousands of insurance-based articles for TrustedChoice.com by authoring consumable, understandable content.
Reviewed by
Jeff Green has held a variety of sales and management roles at life insurance companies, Wall street firms, and distribution organizations over his 40-year career. He was previously Finra 7,24,66 registered and held life insurance licenses in multiple states. He is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
When you go on vacation, you want to leave not only your current location behind, but also your worries and troubles. This can be difficult if you're away from home only to worry about disasters happening there in your absence. If you're lacking the proper coverage, this can be a legitimate concern indeed.
Fortunately, an independent insurance agent can help you get set up with all the coverage required to protect your property while you're away on vacation. For starters, though, let's go over all the coverages you might need for your property while you're on vacation and exactly how they can help you.
Understanding How Home Insurance Protects You on Vacation
Your homeowners insurance policy continues to protect your property and you and your family from a liability standpoint even while you're away on vacation. Further, most policies allow your coverage to extend worldwide, in case you need to bring your belongings with you on your trip and they end up stolen or damaged. Some insurance companies cap your personal belongings at 10% of your regular contents coverage for items you bring on vacation, though, so make sure to review your policy before you go away.
How Your Home Insurance May Not Protect You on Vacation
Personal property that you typically stored at another residence, like a second or vacation home, may be excluded from coverage while you're on vacation. Your home insurance policy also may not cover theft of certain types of property like personal watercraft, equipment, campers, or trailers while you're away from home. Double-check your home insurance policy together with your independent insurance agent if you're planning to take a trip.
What about Liability Insurance?
Your homeowners insurance and renters insurance's liability coverage follows you while you're on vacation, too. So if you end up causing personal property damage or bodily injury to a third party on accident, your home insurance can help reimburse you for legal costs even while you're on vacation. If you're concerned about not having enough liability coverage, ask your independent insurance agent to help you increase your policy's limits.
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What about Driving Rental Cars on Vacation?
Your car insurance's protection travels with you when you leave the state. If you bought only the bare minimum car insurance coverages under your policy, that would be all the coverage you’d have on a rental car on vacation. However, rental car companies offer their own insurance policies that you can purchase temporarily to supplement your existing coverage.
If you get into an accident in your own vehicle while you're on vacation, you'd still file a claim through your car insurance ASAP. If you were driving a rental car, you would contact both the rental company and your car insurance company. Your independent insurance agent can also help file claims for you and advise on the proper course of action if an accident or other disaster occurs while you're away on vacation.
Should I Get Travel Insurance?
According to insurance expert Jeffery Green, if you’re traveling outside of the country for your vacation, travel insurance is especially relevant to consider. If there's a medical emergency on your trip, travel insurance provides coverage for treatment and your transportation to go back home. Travel insurance can also reimburse you if your trip gets canceled, interrupted, or delayed.
If you'll be traveling outside the country, speak with your independent insurance agent about getting travel insurance. They can help you evaluate which types of coverage you may need, and how much of it you need in each category.
Consider Hiring a House-Sitter While You’re Away from Home
The biggest peace of mind while you're on vacation may come in the form of just hiring a house-sitter to keep an eye on your property for you. But though your house-sitter can potentially prevent break-ins and other property disasters, you're still responsible for their liability while you're away. So if your house-sitter gets injured on your property during your trip, you'd need to file a claim through your homeowners insurance for their medical treatment if necessary, and cover any resulting lawsuits.
In addition, if your house-sitter accidentally caused a fire in your home, you'd still be liable for the damage to your property, meaning you'd go through your homeowners insurance to help recoup the losses and replace destroyed items. Make sure to discuss your home insurance's liability limits with your independent insurance agent before having someone else watch your home. Ask them if extra liability through an umbrella insurance policy would be beneficial or necessary.
Why Choose an Independent Insurance Agent?
Independent insurance agents simplify the process by shopping and comparing insurance quotes for you. Not only that, but they’ll cut through the jargon and clarify the fine print so you'll know exactly what you’re getting.
Independent insurance agents also have access to multiple insurance companies, ultimately finding you the best home insurance coverage, accessibility, and competitive pricing while working for you.
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