This never happened to people. The luggage belt was nearly empty. There were only a couple pieces of baggage that no one had claimed yet left on the carousel, and hers was not one of them. Utter panic was setting in. She was arriving in this tropical paradise as a bridesmaid for her friend, and the swim-up bar wasn’t looking so good right now without her bathing suit. All her shoes and make-up for the wedding, (as well as her bridesmaid gown!!!!) were packed in that suitcase. Where. Was. It?
If you have never had the experience of having your luggage missing when you get off a plane to start your vacation, count yourself lucky. Because that is exactly what it is: Luck. Luggage gets lost all the time. The good news is, most of the time, it is located and delivered to your hotel. Bad news, sometimes it isn’t located.
The panicked scenario described above could have been alleviated by a doing a couple of things before our bridesmaid left home.
First and foremost, she should have purchased travel insurance.
Second, never – never, ever, ever – pack anything that you need upon arrival in checked luggage. Put it in your carry-on.
Third, have a GPS locator on your luggage. Although this will not keep it from going to Boise when you are in Cancun, you at least can tell the airlines where your bag is.
Travel Insurance would have given our poor passenger peace of mind. The problem is that travel insurance is the most misunderstood commodity in the travel industry. Inevitably people think it only covers your airfare if your flights gets changed or cancelled. So they count on a problem-free trip and take a chance without it.
The real value of travel insurance is in the medical coverage it gives you, as well as the evacuation coverage, the baggage delay or damage coverage, airline change fees coverage, and trip delay expenses it affords you. If you are leaving the US for any international destination, understand your U. S. medical insurance does not follow you, nor does it reimburse anything outside the US. You will be essentially uninsured while traveling. An accident, with the resulting medical bills and financial loss of the remainder of your vacation, will cost you a lot of money - in many cases, thousands of dollars. Evacuation coverage is the coverage that gets you back to the states – your new airline ticket, coverage for a medical attendant, etc. Imagine having to pay all that out of your pocket. If you are on a cruise, and you get sick or injured while at sea, you will be required to pay the helicopter bill to get you off the ship, or if the ship is near US territory and can dock, you will be required to pay for the docking fee along with the per person penalty fine. That is why almost all cruise ships now require passengers to purchase travel policies.
In the case of our panicked bridesmaid, depending on her policy, she would have had some coverage to replace her missing belongings, as well. She would have been able to purchase new shoes, make up and whatever clothing she needed. She would have been ok. Instead, the bride is all upset; the groom doesn’t know what to think; and the bridesmaid is trying to borrow someone’s shoes and trade them her flip flops for the reception. She’s also trying to find a bathing suit to fit from the limited selection available in the hotel gift store.
This wedding really could have used a travel advisor who would have been able to roll the cost of trip insurance into the total trip costs, and everyone who was attending the wedding would have been covered. A Worry free wedding.
Do yourself a favor. Never travel without trip insurance again. Don’t purchase the policy that pops up when you are purchasing your plane ticket either – there is very little coverage. Purchase your policy from a reputable insurance agency. Your travel advisor will be able to steer you in the right direction, and provide you peace of mind.
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