As New Research Cites Family Travel, Grandparent Trips & "Life Events" as Key Travel Motives, Travel Insured Urges Multi-Generation Coverage

EAST HARTFORD, CT, September 13, 2011 (Press-News.org) New research from the 2011 "Portrait of American Travelers" by the YPartnership / Harrison Group this summer identifies ongoing travel movement by multiple generations of U.S. families as the leading driver of leisure travel activity. The March 2011 survey polled 2,539 U.S. households with annual incomes of $50,000 or more who took a leisure trip of 75 miles or more requiring overnight accommodations in the previous 12 months. Among the findings were that seven in 10 leisure travelers (70%) took a "celebration vacation" to mark a "life event," while 50% took a leisure trip to visit family and friends and 42% took a family vacation. The survey also noted that grandparent travel with grandchildren, described as 7% of adult U.S. leisure travel by the U.S. Travel Association, is a growing segment of family travel.

"Family travel (adults who travel with children) will continue to grow because of the burgeoning popularity of multi-generational leisure travel," said YPartnership in its survey analysis. "One third of all leisure travelers are now grandparents, and three out of ten took at least one vacation with their grandchildren last year. This incidence will continue to grow as the population continues to age."

Travel Insured International Responds to Multi-Generational Travel

Travel Insured International responds to the growing multi-generational travel trend with coverage that can fit the needs of each member of the extended family,

Individual Plans Geared to Families

- Family members can obtain coverage of pre-existing medical conditions provided they purchase the Worldwide Trip Protector plan up to 21 days from the initial trip deposit and meet simple purchase requirements. The same plan includes Kids Free insurance coverage for all children under 18 traveling with a related adult enrolled under the same plan.
- The Cancel for Any Reason option can be added to the Worldwide Trip Protector plan when purchased together up to 21 days from initial trip deposit. It allows for a cancellation up to 48 hours prior to scheduled departure for up to a 75% cash reimbursement of their non-refundable trip costs.
- Family members seeking a lower-cost plan can obtain coverage of pre-existing medical conditions provided they purchase the Trip Protector Lite Expanded plan up to 14 days from initial trip deposit and meet simple purchase requirements. The same plan includes Kids Free insurance coverage for one child under 18 per related adult traveling with them and enrolled under the same plan.
- Both of the above plans include, at no extra cost, valuable School Year Extension coverage. This coverage can allow for Trip Cancellation benefits if the primary or secondary school attended by the insured, their travel companion, or their dependent children must extend its operating session beyond the pre-defined school year to dates within the insured trip period due to unforeseen events that occurred after the insurance policy was in effect. This proves valuable, for example, when short-notice makeup days for snowstorm school cancellations conflict with vacations.

Group Plans for Families

- Family members of 10 or more traveling on the same dates to the same destination can currently qualify for Travel Insured Group Lite or Group Deluxe plan provided they insure the full pre-paid cost of the trip.
- Members of the family group plan are eligible for coverage of pre-existing medical conditions for themselves and their family members provided they purchase their plan prior to making their final trip payment and meet simple purchase requirements.
- Family members on a group plan may individually opt to purchase, or the whole group may purchase, the Cancel for Any Reason upgrade, provided they buy the plan with the option within 14 days of their initial trip deposit. The option allows individuals to Cancel for Any Reason up to 48 hours prior to scheduled departure for up to a 75% cash reimbursement of their non-refundable trip costs.
- All of Travel Insured's plans can provide Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption for the sickness, accidental injury or death of a broad range of specific, extended family members when certified by an attending physician who recommends the cancellation. Family members can include the insured or travel companion's legal or common law spouse, domestic partner, parent, legal guardian, natural or adopted child, foster child, ward, stepchild, children-in-law, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, brother- or sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew.

The 2011 research data shows that family trips, increasingly involving members of multi-generations, continue to be the steady anchor of leisure travel despite a challenging economy. Travel Insured International has the right coverage for all family members when the time is right for them to travel together.

About Travel Insured International

Travel Insured International , based in E. Hartford, CT, was founded in 1994 by the foresight of insurance industry executive Peter Gehris when he acquired the travel protection division of the Travelers Insurance Company. Coverage is underwritten by Arch Insurance Company (a Missouri corporation, NAIC #11150) with executive offices located in Jersey City, NJ. Arch Insurance is rated A ("Excellent") for financial strength by the insurance rating service A.M. Best. Not all insurance products or coverage is available in all jurisdictions. Coverage is subject to actual policy language.

Travel Insured International
52-S Oakland Ave.
E. Hartford, CT 06128-0568
Contact: John Stone
Media Relations Manager
jstone@travelinsured.com
http://www.travelinsured.com