Traveling out of the USA?
Recently we had a policyholder call from Italy when they were about to rent a car. Should they buy the insurance offered by the car rental company?
“My car insurance from home protects me abroad, doesn’t it?”
“What if my luggage is stolen while I’m here?”
“While shopping on a busy street, what if I accidentally knock someone in front of a bus, and they are injured and sue me?”
Your insurance travels with you – up to a point.
1. Your luggage and other personal belongings are covered by your Homeowners policy anywhere in the world, but they may not be covered for all events, and any claim is still subject to the policy deductible. Most Homeowners policies will protect your belongings for theft ( including burglary and robbery), fire, and a few other events, but the policy will not protect your things from “mysterious disappearance” and many other events or perils.
2. Your car insurance will protect you for a rented car in the USA and Canada in some instances but not in most other countries.
3. Your Personal Umbrella policy is usually worldwide to protect you against a lawsuit for negligently injuring another person. But not always.
The point is to check with us, your insurance agent, for these things before you travel. You can then take the necessary steps to protect what you have while traveling abroad.