Can I get travel insurance that includes political evacuation?

A.C. from Connecticut asks: I am going to the country of Niger for a month and a half to visit my family. A family member works there in the U.S. embassy. There is a current travel warning for Niger. Can I still get travel insurance that includes political evacuation just in case?

Dan answers:

A great question. The answer is yes and no. It depends on the insurance company. Some companies will accept this risk, but there are limitations. (Please check with us if you ever find yourself traveling to or through a travel warning country.) Some companies will provide coverage for you in countries for which the U.S. Department of State has issued a travel warning, but at the same time those companies do have exclusions for countries that are on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) list. And please remember there are many companies that would not provide any benefits at all. (Again, check with us.)

Niger is not on the OFAC list, so in A.C.’s case we were able to provide political evacuation by issuing a RoamRight Preferred plan (and insured her $2,850 trip cost for trip cancellation) for $363.

To read the Description of Security Assistance Services details and coverages provided by RoamRight’s assistance services provider On Call International click here.