Extreme temperatures have been affecting many areas of Europe this summer, especially in Greece where there have been a number of active forest fires, particularly on the islands of Rhodes, Corfu, and in Evia. These forest fires spread significantly and are now largely under control.
Italy has also been facing extreme weather events with scorching heat in the South, causing fires, and storms, floods and other severe weather in the North. We understand that our customers may have questions about how these type of events could affect their travel and what assistance and insurance coverage we provide.
As a first step, please check the validity of your travel insurance for your destination. Current information and travel advisories for your travel destination can be found on the website of your local foreign office.
As a second step, please refer to your policy documents which contain important information about your travel coverage, and contact your travel supplier (e.g. airline, travel agency, or tour operator) who may be an effective source of information for questions related to your trip. Your travel supplier can often reschedule, change, or refund itineraries depending on the specific situation, timing, destination, etc.
In the event that your travel supplier is unable to provide solutions, here are some general considerations with respect to your travel insurance policy, specifically related to the situations some travelers may face in or around Europe. Please refer to your policy documents for more details.
If you need assistance or have questions about your coverage, you can contact our 24-hour emergency servicehere.
What should I do if I want to cancel my trip abroad?
If customers have a trip booked, they should check with their travel operator, or hotel, prior to travel, to make sure that the area they plan to visit is not impacted by the current wildfires or weather events. If the travel provider, such as the airline, is still running the trip, then customers should check the policy terms of their contract to see if they have trip cancellation coverage in their policy related to natural disasters. If the trip is to one of the affected areas, and the travel provider decides to cancel, then the insured customer should receive a full refund from the travel provider.
We recommend that customers liaise with their travel provider or operator to see if they can rebook travel to another destination or later date.
Please note that change of mind or fear of travel is generally not covered by travel insurance.
What kind of coverage abroad do I have in the event of a natural disaster?
Allianz Partners offers a variety of travel insurance policies, providing customers with a range of different types and levels of cover at several price points. A customer’s travel insurance coverage depends on the specific terms, conditions and exclusions related to the customers’ policy.
In a number of circumstances, our premium policies cover travel delay or trip interruption due to natural disasters. We recommend that our customers refer to their policy documents and contact us for any questions regarding their policy.
What happens to my insurance policy if my trip is cancelled or changed?
If a customer has bought a single trip policy and they cannot now travel because of transport services being suspended or cancelled and are not submitting a claim, then Allianz Partners will refund the policy premium in full. If the customer has bought a single trip policy and would like to travel to another destination or on another date, we advise the customer to please contact the Customer Services telephone number shown in their policy wording document so that the appropriate changes can be made.
An additional premium may be payable for any increase in trip duration or change in destination country.