Earlier this month, the Conroe woman embarked on her first-ever cruise from Galveston to the Caribbean with her boyfriend, but the trip quickly took a turn for the worse. Instead of relaxing on Mahahual Beach with margaritas in hand, Baxter faced mysterious internal bleeding and ended up with a staggering $13,000 bill, split between the cruise line and a Mexican hospital.
To help with her expenses, Baxter’s friends set up a GoFundMe campaign, which has raised nearly $14,000 out of its $16,000 goal. However, Baxter still wishes that she didn’t need to rely on fundraising. “I really wish I would’ve gotten travel insurance,” Baxter told Houston’s KHOU, which first reported her story.
Monica Pena, owner of the Cruises From Galveston travel agency, has heard similar stories from clients before. She estimates that only about one percent of her customers opt for travel insurance, despite the fact that these policies are designed to cover typical cruise-related issues like last-minute cancellations, lost luggage, and medical emergencies—ranging from minor injuries to expensive helicopter evacuations. The catch? These policies are only helpful if travelers purchase them.
Many travelers, feeling in good health and believing that such precautions are unnecessary, often regret not buying insurance once things go wrong. “Especially when they book and then cancel last minute, it’s so hard to help them,” Pena explained. “That’s when they realize they should have gotten it. They get frustrated with the travel agent sometimes because they didn’t purchase the vacation protection, and it’s not our fault.”
At another Galveston agency, Point Me to Paradise, the percentage of clients purchasing cruise coverage is much higher. Owner Christina Garcia reports that about 50% of her clients buy insurance, with that number climbing to 60% depending on the season. “It can be upwards of $1 million, even, to have to be helicoptered from the Caribbean back to the U.S.,” Garcia said. “I mean, it could be very expensive. So when we present them with these scenarios, it makes them realize, ‘Okay, maybe this is something that could be of a benefit to me should I need it.'”
Pena, who offers travel insurance policies ranging from $50 to more than $100 depending on the length of the cruise, notes that many of her clients choose reputable third-party insurers recommended by cruise lines, such as Travel Insured International, TripMate, and Allianz.
However, Garcia shared that her agency has seen impressive results since partnering with Travel Defender, a travel insurance concierge service that she describes as “the only one of its kind in maybe the world, definitely in the U.S.” Travel Defender provides highly personalized coverage and, thanks to its strong relationships with top insurance executives, can help navigate the often-complicated claims process.
Garcia recounts how Travel Defender recently helped her secure a claim that had been unresolved for almost a year, processing the payout within days “just as a favor.”
This story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of travel insurance, especially for those embarking on overseas trips. Without it, even a dream vacation can quickly turn into a financial nightmare.
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