East Hartford, CT (PRWEB) June 29, 2011- The forces of nature have been especially harsh on residential neighborhoods across the U.S. in 2011. Violent storms with damaging winds, floods from spring rains on melting snow packs, and the U.S. National Weather Service forecast for an active Atlantic hurricane season have combined to give travelers new worries about making vacation plans, especially if they live in regions vulnerable to storms or floods. In addition to worrying about potential travel disruptions, potential travelers in uncertain economic times may hesitate to pre-pay for an expensive vacation that could be disrupted in advance by the damage of a natural disaster at home.

Travel Insured International®, a leading independently-owned travel insurer, is reassuring travelers that fear of potential home damage from a natural disaster should not mean the end of plans they wish to activate for a 2011 vacation. The company includes several specific home-related risks as covered reasons for Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption in all four of its retail trip insurance plans under the Worldwide Trip Protector brand line. Pre-departure trip coverage begins as soon as the day after a travel insurance plan is paid for, which may be weeks or even months prior to when a vacation is scheduled to actually begin.

All four Travel Insured retail plans, including the Worldwide Trip Protector, Worldwide Trip Protector Gold, Trip Protector Lite and Trip Protector Lite Expanded policy have Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption coverage that can reimburse a prepaid vacation when travelers must cancel or cut short their trip due to specific risks at home as well as risks during travel, or in their destination.

Home-Related Reasons for Trip Cancellation or Interruption

Several home-related reasons can trigger coverage for Trip Cancellation before or during a trip. Most important is the requirement that for any hurricane or tropical storm-related coverage to apply, the insurance policy must be purchased before that storm is identified and named by the U.S. National Weather Service.

• The trip may be canceled and its prepaid costs reimbursed if the traveler's primary residence is made uninhabitable by fire, flood or other natural disaster.
• A burglary of the traveler's primary residence within 10 days of departure is a covered reason.
• Coverage can be provided if the insured must serve on a jury, is subpoenaed, or is required to appear as a witness in a legal action in which he or she is not a party.
• Coverage can apply if the insured is a felony assault victim.

Travel-Related Trip Cancellation or Interruption

Weather-related disruptions can be covered reasons for Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption while traveling and in the destination. Again, the most important requirement for any hurricane or tropical storm-related coverage to apply is that the insurance policy must be purchased before that storm is identified and named by the U.S. National Weather Service.

• When weather causes complete cessation of common carrier services for at least 24 consecutive hours.
• When a natural disaster at the destination causes accommodations to be uninhabitable.
• In the Worldwide Trip Protector and Worldwide Trip Protector Gold plans an added covered reason is mandatory evacuation ordered by local authorities in the destination due to a natural disaster or hurricane. There must be 50% of less of the total trip length remaining after the evacuation ends for Trip Cancellation coverage to apply.
• In the Worldwide Trip Protector and Worldwide Trip Protector Gold plans another added covered reason for Trip Cancellation applies when the insured's arrival at the destination is delayed and causes the loss of 50% or more of the scheduled trip duration due to reasons covered by the Trip Delay benefit. Trip Delay reasons, among others, include a delay of six (6) or more hours due to common carrier delay, including for weather, or delay due to a natural disaster.

The message from Travel Insured International® is that the frequency of storms and natural disasters both near and far from home in 2011 is no reason to forego vacation planning. A solid travel insurance plan, such as one of the plans in the Worldwide Trip Protector line, can protect prepaid vacations while still at home, during the course of travel, or after arrival in the chosen destination.