All travel suppliers, whether they are tour operators, hotels, travel agencies, cruise lines or airlines, have cancellation penalties. You pay a deposit or final payment toward a trip and these suppliers will apply their published penalties to your trip. You will find the published penalties more severe as your scheduled departure date gets closer. These published penalties inform you that if you cancel, the supplier will hold all or a large percentage of your monies placed as down payment, deposit or final payment. You will lose this money. Trip Cancellation and Interruption is designed to reimburse you for your loss if you cancel or interrupt for a covered reason.