When a vacation spot turns violent: What's a traveler to do?

In this story: Travel insurance Staying informed RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Thurston Hatcher
CNN.com Writer

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- You've saved for years for the journey of a lifetime and you've finally booked your tickets. Suddenly, your dream destination is grappling with the worst violence in years, and your trip seems to be turning into a nightmare.

Should you take your chances and go? Or should you change your plans?

Depending on how you scheduled your trip, changing those plans won't necessarily cost you big bucks.

RESOURCE U.S. State Department travel advisories     MESSAGE BOARD Travel troubles

"It really depends on what kinds of tickets (travelers) have and what kind of package they purchased, and whether or not they purchased cancellation insurance," said Dina Long, a spokeswoman for the American Society of Travel Agents.

Continental Airlines allows travelers to change their flight plans, including dates and their destination, within a year for a $150 fee.

Phoenix, Arizona-based I.T.S. International, which offers discount travel fares, charges $150 to change the itinerary, but will also provide refunds for travelers who want to cancel their trip entirely, minus a $225 fee.

Cheryl Stein, spokeswoman for Israel's El Al Airlines, said there's no special policy in effect for travelers who want to cancel because of the recent violence in the Middle East, but they can change their itinerary for a $50 fee.

Travelers headed to areas with a potential for trouble may want to consider buying travel insurance which may cover some or all of their losses if they have to cancel.

"We absolutely recommend that people purchase trip cancellation insurance," Long said. "Any number of things can happen, and if you're not able to take a trip and if you haven't purchased insurance, the policies of various travel suppliers vary about whether you can get any of your money back."

Travel Guard International offers a "terrorism benefit" as part of its overall travel insurance policy, which will cover air, lodging and other expenses if a traveler has to cancel a trip to a trouble spot.

The benefit kicks in when the U.S. State Department issues a travel warning for a destination. But, like a pre-existing medical condition, the policy won't cover a claim if the warning had been issued at the time the policy was purchased.

A policy usually costs about 4 percent to 6 percent of a trip's total cost, said Dan McGinnity, Travel Guard's vice president of communications.

"Would I buy travel insurance policy just for the terrorism benefit?" McGinnity asked. "Probably not, but it's one of the many coverages that are included in a complete travel insurance policy."

Keeping up with the news and watching for announcements from the State Department can help travelers make the difficult decision about whether to go ahead with their trip.

The Department advises Americans to watch for public announcements and travel warnings on its Web site and counsels Americans abroad to contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for the latest on security conditions.

Travel agents will tell people what the State Department is saying about a particular country or destination, but it's ultimately up to travelers to decide whether or not they should go, Long added.

"Our travel agents will generally not make a recommendation about whether it's safe to travel some place or it's not," she said. "It really is a personal choice, because what some people are comfortable with varies widely between what another is comfortable with."

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State Department Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets
Travel Guard
El Al
Continental Airlines
American Society of Travel Agents

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