Why You Should Get Travel Insurance for Your Grand Canyon River Rafting Trip

Why You Should Get Travel Insurance for Your Grand Canyon River Rafting Trip

What exactly is travel insurance and why do you need it?

Travel insurance is a type of insurance coverage you can purchase specifically for losses of travel expenses and emergencies incurred while traveling. These policies go above and beyond what a typical person’s medical or other insurance covers. Depending on the policy you choose, you may be able to obtain coverage for things like trip interruption, trip cancellation, or emergency medical evacuation. 

At Hatch, we strongly recommend our guests purchase travel insurance for their Grand Canyon river rafting trips. The costs associated with this style of vacation are substantial and guests are required to commit to dates and make payments early—this means there is potential for an unexpected life event to result in a costly change of plans. (Review our booking policies for full details on payments, refunds, and transfers.) This is where travel insurance can help.

Cancel for Any Reason

At Hatch we specifically recommend finding a policy with “Cancel for Any Reason” coverage. This style of coverage does not require you to meet any particular criteria before you can file a claim for a cancelled trip. Although the amount of coverage may be a little lower if you cancel for an unspecified reason (often in the neighborhood of 75% of your expenses), a CFAR policy allows you to recoup some of your costs if you must cancel a vacation because other priorities in life get in the way.

Over the years, our guests have told us about countless life events that meant they weren’t able to participate in their Grand Canyon river rafting trips as originally scheduled. Common examples include:

• Change of job
• Surprise move
• Wedding of a close friend or family member
• Pregnancy (self or family member)
• Caring for an injured or ill family member
• Injury or health condition

Every policy is different, and some without a CFAR provision may still include coverage for things like medical events, but few will allow you to recoup expenses if you simply have a conflict due to an unexpected life event. We encourage you to compare travel insurance plans and find the option that will work best for you. 

Beware! Cancel for Any Reason policies often need to be purchased quickly after paying your initial trip deposits. If you’re considering booking a trip with Hatch, be prepared to make an insurance decision within a week or two of signing up. 

Medical Emergencies and Evacuations

Travel insurance policies also often include coverage for medical incidents and emergency evacuation. It’s difficult for us to predict exactly what you may need when it comes to this kind of coverage. Evacuations from Grand Canyon are handled by Search and Rescue at Grand Canyon National Park. Often they result in no charge to the evacuee, but in some circumstances costs could be passed on. It’s best to include some medical/evacuation coverage in your travel insurance policy just in case. 

Finding a travel insurance policy

Unfortunately, at Hatch we can’t point you to one specific company for a policy that works for you. Everyone’s needs are different, and the insurance landscape changes frequently, so this is one area where you’ll just have to do your research. BUT we can give you an idea of where to start based on what some of our previous guests have recommended:

• Rewards credit cards – If you already carry a credit card with travel rewards attached to it, check what other benefits it may have. In some cases, the insurance coverage you need could be included or obtained via an add on. 
• Travel-related services – Some previous guests who are members of AAA have found the company’s travel insurance options to be great for their needs. Other services that provide support for travelers might have similar benefits that are worth looking into. 
• Travel insurance specialists – There are some insurance companies out there that provide coverage exclusively dedicated to travel. We recommend vetting these companies before committing to make sure they provide what you need and that other users have had good experiences with them. 
• Check with your existing agent – If you already work with an agent for your other insurance needs, check in with them. They may be able to set you up with a travel insurance policy that will work for you. 
• Annual travel insurance policy – If you are a frequent traveler, consider looking for an annual travel insurance policy. Instead of purchasing insurance for each trip, you could use this style of policy to cover all your trips throughout the year.
• Bonus tip: Double check any insurance policies you already carry to see if they offer any applicable coverage—it may help you save some money. 

You may never need it (and we hope you don’t!), but covering your Grand Canyon river rafting vacation with a travel insurance policy means that should anything go wrong you have some extra protection. Once you’ve got it out of the way, you can get back to thinking about the GRAND adventure awaiting you!