Getting Blitzed On Vacay Can Void Your Travel Insurance

Today, a piece from Travel Market Report draws our attention to the fact that alcohol consumption can nullify travel insurance, meaning you might not be covered for injuries from falls after drinking or being refused seating on a flight due to intoxication. Policies vary, but as the report notes, "for most insurers, intoxication is an exclusion for all plans." As a writer currently traveling for work, isn't it funny I'm currently shifting uncomfortably as I type this sentence, thinking of the six-pack she has in her hotel mini-fridge?

Travel Market Report spoke with Carolyn Leckie, a travel expert from the travel insurance site Squaremouth, who said, "Many travelers do tend to drink alcohol while on vacation so we urge them to be careful and do their homework as to what their travel insurance does and doesn't cover." (Elsewhere, a writer bites her nails, remembering that she has that flask of fancy-ass whiskey in her suitcase right now.)

That said, the piece also includes a quote from the U.S. communications director for Allianz Global Assistance, who claims (insurance pun!) that only a few claims per year are denied, a "tiny percentage of the thousands of claims we receive."

Yeah, but still. Here's Gail Mangiante of InsureMyTrip:

"And general exclusions aren't just for medical issues, either. Any illegal drug or alcohol use is listed as an exclusion for all other benefits in a policy as well, like trip cancellation and trip delay. So, you can't cancel a trip because you got too intoxicated to get on a flight," Mangiante said. "Bottom line, limit the booze and read the exclusion section of your policy's certificate."