Travel Insurance Coverage for Missed Connections
Travel insurance may help US residents with missed connections for group tours, cruises, and more.
- As featured in:
As featured in:
For information relating to policies purchased prior to October 23 2024, please check the Policy Wording provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For plans purchased after October 23 2024, please see below.
- How does the Missed Connection benefit protect my travels
- What is covered under the Missed Connection benefit?
- What is not covered?
Sometimes the best adventures involve getting to a specific location before you officially start your journey. Maybe you’ve been dreaming of hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. You book your guided hike and plan plenty of time for your plane to arrive before meeting up with your fellow hikers, but sometimes things don’t go exactly as we plan.
If storms here in the US have your plane delayed for a day, you may miss the start of the hike. Because this is a guided group tour, they can’t wait for you, and the hike must start without you. This unfortunate missed connection leaves you no other option than to meet up with them in the next city once you finally arrive. It stinks that you’ll miss the first part of the hike, but at least you’ll be able to complete most of it. However, you’ll need to pay for additional transportation to get you to that new city, but that’s where your travel insurance* plan from World Nomads may be able to help.
When you’re researching the best travel insurance plans, you may want to consider checking to see if it includes missed connection benefits. If so, you could be covered for things like additional transportation costs that will allow you to meet up with your group and get your hike back on track.
How does the Missed Connection benefit protect my travels?
US residents who have the Explorer or Epic travel insurance plans from World Nomads have the missed connection benefit included in their plan. This is meant to provide assistance if there’s a covered delay that causes you to miss your scheduled trip departure for things like a cruise, guided tour or a flight on another carrier.
Let’s look at another example: You have an Alaskan cruise booked, but you’ll need to fly into Seattle to board your boat and start your trip. Let’s face it - sometimes flights aren’t on time or are even cancelled.
If your arrival in Seattle is delayed for at least 3 consecutive hours for a covered reason, your travel insurance could reimburse you for the cost to join your cruise at their next port of call. You may have to catch a flight to Juneau and board the boat there, and your plan may reimburse you for the cost of that additional flight you didn’t plan for. If you miss out on any special activities that you had paid for in advance on the cruise, you may be reimbursed for those unused, forfeited, prepaid non-refundable payments and deposits.
Another example: Airport missed connections. If one carrier is running at least 3 consecutive hours late and you miss your next flight on another carrier, you’ll likely be stuck with the cost of buying a new flight. However, with the missed connection benefit, World Nomads travel insurance plan may also cover the cost of a new flight.
We know a missed connection may throw your plans off track and could cause you to have even more additional expenses you didn’t plan for. Your travel insurance plan from World Nomads also includes trip delay coverage. If your trip is delayed for 6 or more consecutive hours for a covered reason, you may be reimbursed for additional expenses you have until you can resume your trip. That could include things like hotel accommodation and meals.
When you get a travel insurance quote, you’ll be able to compare the coverage of each plan to determine the best travel insurance plan for your needs. Your Summary of Plan Benefits will lay it all out for you, but we want to make sure you understand everything. If you’re unclear about anything at all, get in touch with us, and we’ll help explain it all.
What is covered under the Missed Connection benefit?
When you’re planning a trip that involves traveling to another destination to join a group or catch a new flight on another carrier, there’s always things that can happen beyond your control. Nobody likes to get left behind, but it happens. It doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the trip.
Some of the covered reasons for a missed connection include:
- Delay, cancellation, or mechanical breakdown of your common carrier
- Inclement weather
- Quarantine, hijacking, strike, natural disaster, terrorism, civil disorder, or riot
What is not covered?
While a good travel insurance plan could help you get back on track with your trip when you have a missed connection, there’s some things it doesn’t cover.
- Oversleeping on the day you’re supposed to leave for your trip and missing your flight. If you’re late getting to your destination because you stayed out too late the night before and missed your flight, you won’t be covered. You’ll only be reimbursed if the flight is late because of a covered reason. Not hearing the alarm on your phone isn’t one of those reasons.
- You messed up on your flight dates. You planned out the whole trip and thought everything was perfect, but then realized you scheduled your flight to Miami for the day after you’re supposed to be boarding your cruise ship. Oops! We totally feel for you on this, but unfortunately you wouldn’t be covered for the costs to get you to the cruise’s next port of call.
- You booked a flight that didn’t allow enough time to get to your tour. If you only allow yourself 2 hours to get from the airport to your cruise port, you know you’re cutting it close. If the airline is running 2 hours behind, you’ll miss your cruise. You won’t be covered for this - coverage only applies when you’re delayed for 3 or more consecutive hours.
*All information we provided here is a brief summary. It does not include all terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions, and termination provisions of the plans described. Please carefully read your state specific plan documents for a full description of coverage. Travel insurance is included as part of your travel protection plan which contains both insurance benefits and non-insurance assistance services. Material included on this page does not represent, nor is it specific to, United States Fire Insurance Company or travel insurance benefits provided on United States Fire Insurance Company’s travel protection plans.
Baggage Delay in a Delhi Winter.
I arrived in Delhi from Rome. Baggage claim help desk informed me that my bag had been delayed in transit. I was without my bag for almost a week before it was finally delivered to me. It was cold in Delhi (being winter, December) and my warm jacket was in my bag, requiring that I purchase a jacket and other items of warm clothing that I had not taken in my carry-on.
S.N. U.S Nomad in India.
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Protection
Protect your hard earned vacation from unexpected cancellation.
- Standard Plan: $2,500
- Explorer Plan: $10,000
- Epic Plan: $15,000
- Annual Plan: $5,000
Trip Protection
- Unexpectedly hospitalized?
- Travel buddy unfit to travel?
- Close relative suddenly dies?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Insurance
Take the pain out of medical or dental costs.
- Standard Plan: $125,500
- Explorer Plan: $150,000
- Epic Plan: $250,000
- Annual Plan: $100,000
Emergency Medical Insurance
- Need meds quick?
- Accidentally injured?
- Suddenly sick?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Evacuation
We'll provide assistance to get you to the hospital or home quickly.
- Standard Plan: $400,000
- Explorer Plan: $500,000
- Epic Plan: $700,000
- Annual Plan: $100,000
Emergency Evacuation
- Banged up abroad?
- Need a hospital urgently?
- Medevac home?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Covers the loss, theft or damage of your bags, tech and gear.
- Standard Plan: $1,000
- Explorer Plan: $2,000
- Epic Plan: $3,000
- Annual Plan: $2,000
Protect your gear
- Passport or tech stolen?
- Airline lost your gear?
- Bags delayed?
Help starts here.
The amounts listed represent the maximum benefit amount.
Protect your health
- 24/7 Emergency Assistance Help Line
- Emergency Medical & Dental Expenses
- Emergency Evacuations
- Bedside Companion Travel
- Emergency Medications
Protect Your Trip
- Trip Cancellation
- Optional Cancel for Any Reason (Explorer or Epic)
- Trip Delay & Trip Interruption
- Missed Connection (Explorer or Epic)
- Rental Car Damage (Explorer, Epic or Annual)
Protect Your Stuff
- Baggage Delay
- Passport and Visa Loss
- Lost or Stolen Bags
- Personal Tech, Equipment & Gear
- Baggage Return After Evacuation
Non-Insurance Services
- Medical & Non-Medical 24/7 Emergency Assistance Line
- Translators Available
- Runway Health
- FootprintID
- Blue Ribbon Bags
24/7 emergency assistance
Whether you need medical or dental assistance or advice, emergency evacuation or travel assistance, our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Wherever you are, we’re here 24/7 to help you in any emergency.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
Contact Generali Global Assistance:
Telephone:
+1 954-334-8143 (Collect outside the US)
+1 877-289-0968 (Toll-free in the US and Canada
FAQ
Here are our most frequently asked questions about cover for missed connections. You can also find the answers to other questions in our Help Center or you can ask the customer service team.
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I’ve missed my connection and I have a group tour; now what?
Call the tour operator or cruise line and see if it’s possible for you to join the tour or cruise later. If so, ask them where you’ll be able to join, and what time you’ll need to be there. Document all communication from the airline and/or tour operator - you’ll need proof of what caused the missed connection as well as the solution the cruise or tour is offering. Then, give the 24/7 Emergency Assistance line a call to discuss the alternate transportation you’ll need. You’ll also need to try to get a refund from the hotel and airlines - travel insurance comes into play for those instances that are non-refundable and forfeited. Make sure to keep all receipts for additional expenses you have because of the missed connection. You’ll need these things, as well as your trip itinerary, when you submit a claim.
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Can I claim for Missed Connection and Trip Cancellation or Interruption?
No, you can’t claim the same unforeseen event under trip cancellation or trip interruption. However, you may also be able to claim for trip delay, if the incident meets the terms for that. Contact us if you have questions before you file a claim..
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What if the tour operator won’t let me join at another location?
If the tour operator won’t let you join at another location (and you have documented proof), you may still be covered by your World Nomads travel insurance plan. You may be reimbursed for unused, forfeited, prepaid, non-refundable payments or deposits that you paid to the tour operator. You’ll need to contact our team to explain the situation.
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.