What to do if you can’t travel because someone at home is sick or injured
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If a family member or close relative at home suddenly falls ill, it’s understandable you may not want to continue your travel plans.
Whether you’ve booked but not left yet or are halfway through your trip and need to fly home, here’s what to do when you have no option but to cancel your trip to be by the side of someone you care about.
- Rearrange or Cancel Your Bookings
- Get It in Writing
- Keep Your Itineraries and Receipts
- What If Someone Gets COVID-19 and I Can’t Travel?
- Need to Know More?
1. Rearrange or Cancel Your Bookings
As soon as you know a close relative is ill and you are unable to travel or have no choice but to curtail your trip after you’ve left, you must try to rearrange any pre-booked or pre-paid accommodation, transport, or tours, or if necessary, cancel them.
2. Get It in Writing
The best way to support your claim is to provide satisfactory written evidence.
Written evidence needs to come from an independent third party and confirm all relevant information, such as the circumstances relating to cancellation, costs incurred, and that pre-paid expenses were non-refundable.
Required Documents Include:
- Doctor’s report, written medical diagnosis, or medical certificate from the treating doctor confirming it is medically necessary to cancel or curtail or interrupt your trip.
- Relevant medical records or reports, including information about pre-existing medical conditions.
- A report from all relevant travel suppliers or carriers confirming the details around the cancellation, including compensation or offers made to you.
- Any other relevant documentation related to what happened.
3. Keep Your Itineraries and Receipts
Be sure to keep all relevant itineraries, receipts, and booking and cancellation confirmations from your tour provider/s and carriers.
If you make a claim you must be able to show that the event was unforeseen, unexpected, and occurred after you booked or paid for your travel arrangements and purchased your travel insurance policy.
This is where keeping your itineraries and receipts comes in handy — and can help keep your claim hassle-free. They’ll be able to confirm your intended destinations, dates of purchase, booking and cancellation costs, etc.
4. What If Someone Gets COVID-19 and I Can’t Travel?
If a close relative in your Country of Residence is sick with, and hospitalized due to, COVID-19 and you have to cancel your trip, we may be able to help.
We offer Standard and Explorer Plans, each with different levels of cover. If you’ve purchased an Explorer plan we may be able to help with the costs of pre-paid travel arrangements if you have to return home to your Country of Residence if a close relative is hospitalized with COVID-19.
Like other illnesses, for a valid claim you must be able to provide satisfactory written evidence of diagnosis.
To find out what cover applies to you, read our What’s Covered for Coronavirus, which has all of the details, including benefit limits, conditions and exclusions.
It’s important to note coverage depends on your Country of Residence and varies between plans.
5. Need to Know More?
If you’re still unsure what to do if you need to cancel your trip because someone at home is sick, we’re here to help answer your questions. Check out our Help Centre that has FAQs on diverse topics that will answer any of your questions. If you are still unsure you can get in touch and we’ll help you work through things.
And in case of an emergency, our experienced Emergency Assistance Team is available to help you navigate any medical issue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How Do I Make A Claim on My Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance doesn't cover everything. All of the information we provide is a brief summary. It does not include all terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions, and termination provisions of the plans described. Coverage may not be the same or available for residents of all countries, states, or provinces. Please carefully read your Policy Wording for a full description of coverage.
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Protection
Protect your hard earned vacation from unexpected cancellation before you leave home.
- Explorer Plan: USD $10,000
- Standard Plan: USD $5,000
Trip Protection
- Unexpectedly hospitalized?
- Travel buddy unfit to travel?
- Close relative suddenly dies?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Overseas Medical Insurance
Take the pain out of medical costs while traveling overseas.
- Explorer Plan: Unlimited, up to 12 months
- Standard Plan: USD $5,000,000
Emergency Medical Insurance
- Need meds quick?
- Accidentally injured?
- Suddenly sick?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Transportation
We'll get you to hospital quickly.
- Explorer Plan: USD $500,000
- Standard Plan: USD $500,000
Evacuation and Repatriation
- Banged up abroad?
- Need a hospital urgently?
- Medivac home?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Cover your stolen or damaged gear and tech.
- Explorer Plan: USD $3,500
- Standard Plan: USD $2,500
Protect your gear
- Passport or tech stolen?
- Airline lost your gear?
- Bags delayed?
Help starts here.
- Overseas Medical & Dental Expenses
- 24 hour Emergency Assistance
- Emergency Medical Transport
- Repatriation & Travel Expenses
- Pre-Trip Cancellation
- Trip Interruption
- Resumption of Trip
- Travel Delay
- Missed connection (Explorer)
- Hijacking (Explorer)
- Baggage & Personal Items
- Passport & Travel Documents
- Personal Liability
- Rental vehicle insurance excess (Explorer)
- Personal accident (Explorer)
24/7 emergency assistance
Whether you need medical assistance or emergency evacuation, our teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
Phone:+353 21 237 8008 or +353 21 237 8003 (calls are not toll free. You can claim your itemised call costs)
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.