Access America: Don’t Let Tropical Storms or Hurricanes Blow Away the Family Vacation

Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily.

These are some of the names that will be given this year to tropical storms and hurricanes by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The official Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and continues through Nov. 30.

Access America, a provider of travel insurance and assistance, is urging travelers to purchase travel policies before dangerous storms become “foreseeable events.”

“Beach vacations and cruises are often affected by hurricanes and tropical storms this time of year. Even destinations a few hundred miles inland can sustain impact for several days when a storm comes ashore,” said Beth Godlin, senior vice president of Travel Markets at Access America. “Comprehensive travel insurance policies can protect your family vacation investment, but like all types of insurance, you must buy it before the storm is a sure thing.”

In 2004, the Atlantic hurricane season was especially devastating, with multiple storms hitting the Caribbean and Florida.

Access America paid more than $1 million in claims as a result of these storms. Most affected customers filed claims for trip cancellation, trip interruption and travel delay.

Almost half of these hurricane-related claims were associated with losses incurred during Hurricane Frances, which hit Florida during the Labor Day weekend.