These eight things could get your travel insurance claims rejected

Travel insurance seems like just the thing to put the mind of the easily-worried traveler to rest before a big trip. But your pricey belongings are only protected if a theft or damage claim is actually accepted, and hidden in the fine print of your policy are a surprising number of things that could get your claim rejected. Here’s a list of things you may be doing wrong when it comes to insurance:

1. Purchasing the wrong coverage: Countless claims are rejected every year because the claim fell outside of the purchased policy’s umbrella. Travel insurance usually takes the form of some combination of five different categories: trip cancellation and interruption, flights, baggage, evacuation and basic medical. You need to figure out what you’ve got: don’t bother submitting a claim for an emergency evacuation during typhoon season, for instance, if you’ve only procured flight insurance. Likewise, you may have some luck submitting a claim for a suitcase that was damaged on the plane, but if you fail to purchase baggage insurance, good luck getting any missing valuables reimbursed.

Outright asking your insurance agent what your policy doesn’t cover can be the quickest way to single out areas where you may want to expand your coverage.

2. Drinking too much: This one seems mighty counterintuitive; after all, when is the right time to cut loose with a couple of cocktails if not while you’re on vacation? But your travel insurance company can and will deny your claim if they are able to prove that you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when the incident occurred. And actually proving you were drunk may not be as difficult as you might think. Police reports, medical bills and even incident reports from within your hotel or airport are just the sorts of thing to paint you in an uninsurable light. Better to save the brewskies for when your valuables are safely locked away in your hotel room safe.

3. Caring improperly (or not enough): Few people would be surprised to learn that leaving your baggage unattended in an airport while you hit the duty-free shop would be considered improper care of your belongings by your insurance agent. But have you ever considered that leaving an iPad on the hotel desk while you are at a conference, or a packed suitcase in the back of a rental car would also be considered improper care?

Travel insurance companies don’t need to prove that you took bad care of your belongings in order to reject your claim; they only need to prove that you could have taken better, more proper care of them. When traveling, imagine your situation through the lens of a potential thief and also an insurance agent.

4. Failing to disclose medical conditions: It’s better to be upfront with your insurance agent and pay a little bit more to fill a gap in coverage for your pre-existing medical condition than it is to have a claim denied for failing to disclose an accurate account of your health. Sharing your medical history with a stranger can sometimes feel too personal, but being hit with a series of bills from medical facilities abroad can bankrupt you if you don’t have the correct coverage.

5. Getting your extreme sports on: Travel insurance policies are notoriously murky when it comes to spelling out which sports are and are not permitted under their watchful eye. Most people would agree that parasailing and jet-skiing have an air of danger to them, but paddle boarding? C’mon! Be sure to carefully review your company’s descriptions of athletic and outdoorsy activities that will get your claim denied before hitting the surf (or slope, or cave, or jumping out of that airplane, even).

6. Taking your time: When filing an insurance claim, time is of the essence. In most cases, you have just 24 hours to file a police report or seek documented medical care in order for a claim to be viewed as valid. Resist the urge to refuse to let a theft or cancelled excursion ruin your trip by soldiering on, to be revisited later. If you wish to be reimbursed for your losses, getting an official report on paper should become your immediate priority when something goes wrong. Plus, you shouldn’t be drowning your sorrows in a pint glass right now anyway. Aren’t you paying attention here?

7. Telling a little white lie: There can be temptation to embellish your claim in order to really sell it, but you should fight the urge to exaggerate. Your claim will eventually come down to the facts, and if yours don’t align, your claim will be rejected outright on the basis of dishonesty. It’s better to admit that a 6-year-old girl pick-pocketed you than to insist you were cornered in an alley by a motorcycle gang. Tell your pals what you will once you’re safe and sound back in your hometown, but don’t ever lie to your insurance agent.

8. Riding mopeds, motorbikes and scooters: Wait, what? You didn’t travel all the way to the winding, oceanview roads of the Greek coast or the streets of India to then not rent a Vespa for the day, did you? Hidden deep in your travel insurance policy is probably a passage excluding any injury or damage that may occur when traveling on motorbike. These coverage exclusions typically only outright forbid vehicles with engines larger than 125cc, so there is hope yet! Be sure to be explicit about engine size when renting a bike for the day.