VIDEO CNN's Jim Morelli reports on travel insurance and vacationing during hurricane season. Windows Media 28K 80K QUICK VOTE   Would you plan a trip during hurricane season? Sure, there's always cancellation insurance No, I don't want to worry Depends if I'm feeling lucky View Results

August 30, 1999
Web posted at: 2:25 p.m. EDT (1825 GMT)

From Jim Morelli
CNN Travel Correspondent

(CNN) -- It may be the riskiest time of year to schedule a seaside vacation, but that's exactly what thousands of people do during hurricane season. They take their chances, betting they won't have to deal with flooded hotel rooms, toppled trees, snapped power lines and mandatory evacuations.

If vacationers do encounter a hurricane, it might seem by their response that getting their money back is almost as important as getting out alive. A storm can cost travelers hundreds of extra dollars, particularly if they're forced into a shelter an outlying hotel.

One option is trip cancellation insurance. You can buy it on your own, and some travel agencies include it in packaged vacations.

Loyal Charles of UNIGLOBE Travel says, "Whenever a person calls me at any time of the year -- and they say they want to travel between June 1 and December 1 anywhere in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and seaside destinations in the U.S. -- I always say to them, 'That's hurricane season, and we need to talk about trip cancellation insurance to protect your investment.'"

The best of these policies reimburse for things such as lost nights of lodging and meal costs. But travel agents caution that not all plans are alike.

Consumers should ask one question before buying: What provisions allow me to get my money back? That's an especially important question because some policies don't cover natural disasters.

There are some drawbacks to cancellation insurance.