How Travel Insurance Can Provide Protection For Culinary Travel

There is no wonder why food and travel have been such an inseparable duo for centuries. Experience new cuisines, venturing outside of your palate’s comfort zone, is an exhilarating and anticipated aspect of traveling.

This connection between food and travel is so strong that a new style of travel was born: culinary travel. Like it sounds, culinary travel (or culinary tours) is a type of trip that takes you to a destination with the sole goal of having a unique food experience.

Doesn’t it sound awesome? In fact, it sounds so awesome to so many people that a survey of American travelers in 2016 by the World Food Travel Association said that 95% are interested in taking part in culinary travel.

As with any type of trip, it is recommended by experts that those participating in a culinary trip purchase a travel insurance plan before they depart.

Culinary Travel & Travel Insurance

While culinary travel can allow for a unique experience, it holds many of the same qualities as general travel. Usually, culinary travel does not feature any time of extreme adventure sports, so special travel insurance coverage is likely not needed.

However, it is important to be familiar with how travel insurance can come into play when planning a culinary tour.

Pre-Paid, Non-Refundable Activities

It can be common that for many culinary tours, the tastings or related unique food experiences are paid for in advance, either as a part of the tour cost or as an add-on. If you want coverage for these expenses in the event you have to cancel your trip or if your trip is delayed or interrupted, it is important to include these expenses in the trip cost you enter when obtaining your insurance quote.

Trip Cancellation

Trip Cancellation can be a valuable resource in the case that there are circumstances that cause the trip to be cancelled. For example, if the culinary tour is taking place in an area vulnerable to natural disasters such as hurricanes during peak season, you’ll want to be covered in case the island gets hit, something happens to the property where you are supposed to stay, or if the trip needs to be cut short because of a storm. Trip cancellation may also provide coverage if you, a traveling companion, or family member becomes ill and is unable to travel.

Trip Delay

Trip delay is a benefit that may provide coverage if you are delayed for a specified time period while en route to or returning from your trip due to a covered Travel Hazard. For most Arch RoamRight plans, that delay must be six or more hours. However, the time period may change depending on the plan, so it is important to be familiar with the benefit for the plan you purchase. For example, in the case that a snowstorm in the northeast postpones arrival at your culinary travel location, travel insurance may be able to help, maybe even providing coverage for missed, prepaid, non-refundable food experiences.

Medical Coverage

Nobody expects to fall ill or have a medical emergency while on a culinary trip. However, for the rare times it may happen, travel insurance may provide coverage. Purchasing travel insurance could ensure that you’re not stuck with any outstanding medical fees, allowing you to get the care you need while on your trip.

Destinations that require travel insurance

There are countries you may visit while on your culinary journey that require you to have travel insurance before you are allowed to enter.

In an effort to protect themselves from the financial burden made by medical bills left unpaid by tourists, more and more countries are now requiring visitors to show proof of travel insurance before being allowed to enter. This ensures that in the case of an emergency, the traveler is able to cover any medical expenses should they require treatment.

Read our blog on Schengen travel insurance to learn more about which countries need proof of travel insurance purchase for entry, and visit the State Department’s website to see what other countries require additional travel documents for entry.

Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.