Who is Defined As Your Family Member or Traveling Companion?
A Family Member usually means your spouse, child, spouse's child, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, brother, sister, mother, father, grandparents, grandchild, step-brother, step-sister, step-parents, parents-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, guardian, ward.
Be sure to check each insurance provider's exact definition of a Family Member. A good rule of thumb is: "Family members are related by blood or marriage".
On the other hand, Traveling Companions are "related" by their accomodations. In other words, they are people traveling together.
A common Traveling Companion definition is "a person or persons with whom you have coordinated travel arrangements, shares the same accommodations as You and intend to travel with during the Trip."
Here's some help figuring out who qualifies as a Traveling Companion. (note: Traveling Companions are people you are not related to - those people are usually Family Members). Some (not all) Travel Insurance plans cover you if you're forced to cancel or interrupt your trip because of unforeseen events like you, a family member or a Traveling Companions gets hurt or sick.
Are you sharing the same accommodations? This means the same cabin on a cruise or room in a hotel. A very few plans cover your if your companion is in another cabin / room, but most plans do not cover you;
Are you going to the same destination? You have to have the same itinerary;
Are your travel dates the same? If you all are starting together, but coming home at different times, you won't be covered as traveling companions;
Is the person the group leader? If so, they won't be a Traveling Companion.
Where do Business Partners fit in? Some companies (Travelex, Travel Guard, Travel Insured, Travel Safe) consider a business partner to be equal a Family Member. However, their definitions are very specific: an individual who is involved in a legal partnership and shares in the management of the business. Note the wording "a legal partnership" - this means a General Partnership. Not an LLC, not an LLP, not a C-Corporation, not a S-Corporation, not a Sole Proprietorship.
Important: Just so it's as clear as I can make it, the only way you could possibly be covered for a trip cancellation or trip interruption involving a "Business Partner" is if you are all part of a Legal General Partnership. Trust me (Steve Dasseos) when I say there aren't very many Legal General Partnerships out there, so the likelihood of using this befnefit is reduced.
Here's What The Policies Say:
TRIP CANCELLATION BENEFITS
Benefits will be paid up to the Maximum Benefit Amount purchased to cover an Insured for the Published Penalties and unused non-refundable prepaid expenses for Travel Arrangements when an Insured is prevented from taking his or her Covered Trip due to:
1. death of an Insured, Traveling Companion or Family Member;
2. a covered Sickness or Injury involving an Insured, Traveling Companion or Family Member which necessitates Medical Treatment at the time of cancellation and results in medically imposed restrictions, as certified by a Legally Qualified Physician, which prevents an Insured?s participation in the Covered Trip;
Domestic Partner means a person who is at least eighteen years of age and can show evidence of financial interdependence, such as joint bank accounts or credit cards, jointly owned property, and mutual life insurance or pension beneficiary designations; plus one of the following: 1) evidence of continuous cohabitation throughout the 180 day period prior to the Insured's Effective Date of the Plan; or 2) an affidavit of domestic partnership if recognized by the jurisdiction within which they reside.
Family Member means any of the following: an Insured's or an Insured's Traveling Companion's legal spouse (or common-law spouse where legal), legal guardian, son or daughter (adopted, foster, step or in-law), brother or sister (includes step or in-law), parent (includes step or in-law), grandparent (includes in-law), grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew, Domestic Partner, an employed caregiver who lives with the Insured, or a person for whom the Insured is the primary caregiver with whom the Insured have lived for 12 continuous months prior to the effective date of the Insured's plan, whether or not they travel with the Insured.
Traveling Companion means a person or persons with whom the Insured has coordinated Travel Arrangements and intends to travel with during the Covered Trip. A group or tour leader is not considered a Traveling Companion unless the Insured is sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader.
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Here's what HTH says:
Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Benefits Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation
We will pay a Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation Benefit, up to the amount in the Schedule, if you are prevented from taking your Covered Trip due to your, a Family Member's or Traveling Companion's Sickness, Injury, or death, that occurs before departure on your Covered Trip. The Sickness or Injury must: a) commence while your coverage is in effect under the plan; b) require the examination and treatment by a Physician, in person, at the time the Covered Trip is canceled; and c) in the written opinion of the treating Physician, be so disabling as to prevent you from taking your Covered Trip.
DOMESTIC PARTNER means means a person who is at least eighteen years of age and you can show: 1) evidence of financial interdependence, such as joint bank accounts or credit cards, jointly owned property, and mutual life insurance or pension beneficiary designations; 2) evidence of cohabitation for at least the previous 6 months; and 3) an affidavit of domestic partnership if recognized by the jurisdiction within which they reside.
FAMILY MEMBER includes your or your Traveling Companion's dependent, spouse, child, spouse's child, son/daughter-in-law, parent(s), sibling(s), brother/sister, grandparent(s), grandchild, step-brother/sister, step-parent(s), parent(s)-in-law, brother/sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, guardian, Domestic Partner, foster child, or ward.
TRAVELING COMPANION means a person whose name(s) appear(s) with you on the same Covered Trip arrangement and who, during the Covered Trip, will accompany you.
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Here's what Travelex says:
TRIP CANCELLATION/TRIP INTERRUPTION
You are covered for the amount purchased for Published Penalties and unused non-refundable prepaid expenses for Travel Arrangements, whenever You are prevented from taking a Covered Trip for any of the following reasons that occur after the Effective Date of Your Protection Plan:
- Any serious Injury or any unforeseen serious Sickness:
1) occurring to You, Your Business Partner, a Traveling Companion which is so disabling as to cause a reasonable person to delay, cancel, or interrupt their trip;
2) occurring to Your Family Member that is considered life threatening or requiring hospitalization; or
3) occurring to Your Family Member requiring Your immediate care. The cause of cancellation must be as the result of medically imposed restrictions as certified by a Legally Qualified Physician at the time of loss preventing Your continued participation in the Covered Trip;
- Your death, the death of Your Family Member, Business Partner or Your Traveling Companion;
Note this important policy wording under Travelex's Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption coverage for Any serious Injury or any unforeseen serious Sickness:
"3) occurring to Your Family Member requiring Your immediate care".
The important phrase is "requiring Your immediate care". This means that if you're taking a trip and your grandmother gets sick or injured, you'll only have a valid claim if you are the person responsible to take care of her.
"Business Partner" means an individual who: a) is involved in a legal general partnership with You; and b) is actively involved in the day-to-day management of Your business.
"Family Member" means Your: legal spouse or common-law spouse (where legal), legal guardian, legal ward, son or daughter (adopted, foster, step or in-law), brother or sister (includes step or in-law), parent (includes step or in-law), grandparent (includes in-law), great-grandparent, grandchild, great-grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or Key Person, provided the Family Member resides in the United States, Canada or Mexico.
"Key Person" means a) an employed caregiver of a legal dependent of You or b) a person to whom You are not married and with whom You have cohabited for 12 continuous months.
"Traveling Companion" means a person or persons with whom You have coordinated Travel Arrangements and intend to travel with during the Covered Trip (to a maximum of four persons including You). Note: a group or tour leader is not considered a Traveling Companion, unless You are sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader.
Note: To qualify for the "Children under 16 are covered at no additional cost (except for optional plan add-ons) when accompanied by a covered adult", the children must be a Family Member to the primary insured.
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TRIP CANCELLATION AND INTERRUPTION
The Insurer will reimburse the Insured, as described below, if a Trip is canceled or interrupted for the Insured due to any of the following Unforeseen circumstances: (a) Sickness, Injury, or death of an Insured, Immediate Family Member, Traveling Companion, or Business Partner. Injury or Sickness must be so disabling as to reasonably cause a Trip to be canceled or interrupted. If the Insured must cancel or interrupt his/her Trip due to Injury or Sickness of an Immediate Family Member or Business Partner, it must be because their condition is life-threatening, or because the Immediate Family Member requires the Insured's or Traveling Companion's care;
"Business Partner" means an individual who: (a) is involved with the Insured or the Insured?s Traveling Companion in a legal partnership; and (b) is actively involved in the daily management of the business.
"Domestic Partner" means an opposite or a same-sex partner who is at least 18 years of age and has met all of the following requirements for at least 6 months: (1) resides with the Insured; (2) shares financial assets and obligations with the Insured; the Insurer may require proof of the Domestic Partner relationship in the form of a signed and completed Affidavit of Domestic Partnership.
"Immediate Family Member" means the Insured's or Traveling Companion?s spouse or Domestic Partner, child, spouse's child, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, brother, sister,mother, father, grandparents, grandchild, step-brother, step-sister, step-parents, parents-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, legal guardian, caregiver, legal ward, or Domestic Partner of any of the above.
"Key Employee" means an employee of an employer who is responsible for policy and decision making.
"Traveling Companion" means a person or persons with whom you have coordinated travel arrangements and intend to travel with during the Trip. A group or tour leader is not considered a Traveling Companion, unless you are sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader.
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Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption: The Insurer will pay a benefit, up to the maximum shown on the Schedule of Coverage and Services, if You are prevented from taking or continuing Your Trip due to the following Unforeseen events:
a) Sickness, Accidental Injury, or death of You, Your Traveling Companion, or a Family Member or Business Partner of You or Your Traveling Companion which results in medically imposed restrictions as certified by a Physician at the time of loss, preventing Your continued participation in the Trip. A Physician must advise cancellation of the Trip on or before the Scheduled Departure Date.
"Business Partner" means an individual who: (a) is involved in a legal partnership; and (b) is actively involved in the day-to-day management of the business.
"Domestic Partner" means a person, at least 18 years of age, with whom You have been living in a spousal relationship with evidence of cohabitation for at least 10 continuous months prior to the Effective Date of coverage.
"Family Member" means You or Your Traveling Companion's legal or common law spouse, Domestic Partner, parent, legal guardian, step-parent, grandparent, parents-in-law, grandchild, natural or adopted child, foster child, ward, step-child, children-in-law, brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew.
"Traveling Companion" means a person who is sharing travel arrangements with you. Note: a group or tour leader is not considered a Traveling Companion unless You are sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader.
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Covered reasons for Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation:
Sickness; Injury; Mental, Nervous, or Psychological Disorders requiring inpatient hospitalization of three (3) days or more; death of you, an Immediate Family Member, Traveling Companion, or Business Partner; death or hospitalization of your Host, as defined; or Other Covered Events, as defined. The Sickness or Injury must: a) commence while your coverage is in effect under the policy; b) require the examination and treatment by a Physician at the time the Trip is canceled; and c) in the written opinion of the treating Physician, be so disabling as to prevent you from taking your Trip.
Covered reasons for Post-Departure Trip Interruption:
Sickness, Injury, or death of you, an Immediate Family Member, Traveling Companion, or Business Partner; or for Other Covered Events, as defined. For item 1) above, the Sickness or Injury must: a) commence while your coverage is in effect under the policy; b) for item 2) above, commence while you are on your Trip and your coverage is in effect under the policy; and c) for both items 1) and 2) above, require the examination and treatment by a Physician at the time the Trip is interrupted or delayed; and d) in the written opinion of the treating Physician, be so disabling as to delay your arrival on your Trip or to prevent you from continuing your Trip.
"Business Partner" means an individual who is involved, as a partner, with you in a legal general partnership and shares in the management of the business.
"Care Giver" means an individual employed for the purpose of providing assistance with activities of daily living to you or to your Immediate Family Member who has a physical or mental impairment. The Care Giver must be employed by you or your Immediate Family Member. A Care Giver is not a babysitter; childcare service, facility or provider; or persons employed by any service, provider or facility to supply assisted living or skilled nursing personnel.
"Domestic Partner" means a person who is at least eighteen years of age and you can show: 1) evidence of financial interdependence, such as joint bank accounts or credit cards, jointly owned property, and mutual life insurance or pension beneficiary designations; 2) evidence of cohabitation for at least the previous 6 months; and 3) an affidavit of domestic partnership if recognized by the jurisdiction within which they reside.
"Immediate Family Member" includes your or the Traveling Companion's spouse, child, spouse's child, son-daughter-in-law, parent(s), sibling(s), grandparent(s), grandchild, step brothersister, step-parent(s), parent(s)-in-law, brother-sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, guardian, Care Giver, Domestic Partner, foster-child, or ward.
"Traveling Companion" means up to six persons whose names appear with yours on the same Trip arrangement and who, during the Trip, will accompany you. A group or tour organizer, sponsor or leader is not a Traveling Companion as defined, unless sharing accommodations in the same room, cabin, condominium unit, apartment unit, or other lodging with you.
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