How To Sell Travel Insurance To Your Travelers: One Agent’s Perspective
Published on Tuesday, September 15, 2015
You might say that Andy Lange is a travel insurance advocate. As the owner of Lange Travel, Andy has firsthand knowledge of the importance of having travel insurance. Travel agents like Andy don’t just sell insurance – they provide a critical service that is needed during what is possibly the most important and most stressful moment of a person’s life.
RoamRight interviewed Andy to learn more about how he sells travel insurance to his clients and why he believes in the product so much.
Tell us a little about your travel agency.
My wife and I have a marketing services company and we decided to add travel to our portfolio. So now we are a home-based travel agency specializing in cruising, land-based tours (on a limited basis) and Florida travel (Disney, Universal, Sea World).
Why did you become a travel agent?
Two reasons: One, I have love for travel. I traveled extensively in my work and leisure travels took me all over the place; I got quite good at figuring out travel logistics and figured I could be of service to other people regarding traveling. Two, the travel industry is booming! Baby boomers are retiring at a clip of 10,000 people per day for the next 20 years. What do retirees do? Travel! We saw this as a great business opportunity.
Do you always offer your clients travel insurance?
Always! I push travel insurance with every booking! I am always talking about how important it is.
You have a very personal story about not having travel insurance. Would you please share it with our readers?
Unfortunately, yes. My father went on one of our group cruises to Alaska. He refused to buy travel insurance since “we are going to ALASKA, last time I checked, it’s still part of the US. Thus, Medicare should cover me.” He would say this whenever I brought up the issue of travel insurance. True, Alaska is one of the 50. But, Canada is not, which we passed through on way back home. While we were on the cruise, he fell in the bathroom, landed on the toilet bowl, broke 4 ribs. Luckily we were in Juneau when that happened. We had no problems with the hospital there. But, as we arrived in Vancouver (4 days later), he developed severe breathing problems as we were getting ready to get off the ship; we had to call 911. The ambulance arrived and took him to Vancouver General Hospital. They determined he had fluids in his lungs – they suspected that one of the broken ribs punctured his right lung and started bleeding. He ended up going into ICU, and ultimately the doctors were unable to stop the bleeding. He passed away the next day. What a shock! Everyone in our group was stunned; he seemed fine the day before. As result of all this, I had to change my plane reservations, find a hotel, and deal with the hospital. Now, because he had no insurance, Vancouver General Hospital is billing us approximately $29,000 for his hospital care. If he had it, his travel insurance would have been $800. Medicare does not cover you when you’re out of the United States.
Can you share a time where you or one of your clients benefited from having travel insurance?
These days, a lot of people are getting sick unexpectantly. In one group, I’ve had three people cancel their cruise because of cancer. Weird things pop up and if you’re not covered, it would be painful for your wallet. They were very glad to have travel insurance.
How do you maximize your travel insurance sales?
Many people are confused about travel insurance: How much do they need, what do they need, and the myriad of rules and regulations that go with it. I patiently explain all the options as best I can, and refer them to RoamRight when they have very specific questions. I do take time to explain what the difference is between the medical insurance they have now compared to getting travel insurance. I explain the importance of having a peace of mind on vacation. The last thing you want to do is worry about being protected while you’re on the trip. This usually works well!
Why did you choose RoamRight as your travel insurance provider?
I wanted a travel insurance agency that was fair, responsive, and easy to work with. RoamRight has been that agency. I’ve had nothing but great experiences working with the team there. They are super responsive, they are fair, and they take the time to explain things that even I couldn’t understand. They offer great commission on sales and the team there is awesome! I really enjoy working with them.
What advice do you have for other travel agents looking to earn extra through travel insurance?
I always start off by asking my client, “What is your peace of mind worth to you?” I explain the benefits and the importance of having travel insurance is more than just for themselves, it is also for the people around them. If something should happen while on a trip, travel insurance is a blessing and helps with the unexpected. Not having insurance is very risky. In today’s times, it’s vitally important to be covered while on a trip. I tell a lot of stories about what happens by not having travel insurance. I’ve experienced it firsthand. It’s no fun to travel and have something happen to you or your loved one while you’re on a trip. Travel insurance companies have teams of people who can help navigate through the emergency should it arise. Bottom line, I always ask “How much is your peace of mind worth?”