Travel Glossary · Insurance & Planning
Trip Interruption Insurance
Definition
Trip Interruption Insurance: Trip interruption insurance reimburses unused prepaid trip costs and extra transportation when a covered reason, such as illness or a family emergency, cuts your trip short or delays its start.
Trip cancellation covers you before departure; trip interruption covers you once the trip is under way, or if you must join it late. If a covered event forces you home early or makes you miss part of an itinerary, the policy typically reimburses the unused, nonrefundable portion of your trip plus additional transportation home or back to rejoin it, often up to 100% to 150% of the insured trip cost.
Covered reasons are listed in the policy and commonly include your own illness or injury, the illness or death of a family member, a natural disaster at your destination, or a serious event at home. Simply changing your mind is not covered; some insurers sell an interruption-for-any-reason upgrade with partial reimbursement and strict conditions.
Interruption coverage matters most on trips with many prepaid parts, such as a safari with light-aircraft hops or island-hopping in French Polynesia. Read the definitions, insure the full trip cost, and keep every receipt. See our travel insurance guide.
Go deeper
- Travel GuidesTravel Insurance Explained: What It Covers and When to BuyTravel insurance explained: what trip cancellation, medical, and evacuation coverage includes, how Cancel For Any Reason works, and when to buy a policy.
- CompareTravel Insurance vs. Credit Card Coverage: Do You Need Both?Travel insurance vs credit card coverage: what each covers, the medical and evacuation gaps, pre-existing conditions and CFAR, and when to buy a policy.
- Travel GuidesEmergency Abroad: What to Do and Who to CallEmergency abroad? Who to call first, local emergency numbers, what the US embassy can and can’t do, and how to handle medical crises, theft and disasters.
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