Will travel insurance cover natural disasters?
This guide will outline who you can turn to for help or compensation in the event of a natural disaster – whether you've booked a package holiday or are travelling independently.
Key Takeaways
Your travel insurance policy can offer financial protection if your trip is disrupted by events like hurricanes, earthquakes and floods
However you might need additional cover depending on when and where you’re travelling to - consider things like hurricane season in tropical locations
If you are affected by a natural disaster, try to contact your insurance provider as soon as possible to understand what your next steps should be
The link between the ongoing climate change crisis and an increase of extreme weather means that certain risks for holiday-goers are greater than ever before. The wildfires in Greece and Italy in 2023 caused mayhem and left a lot of British travellers stranded or forced to cancel their plans entirely.
If you’re unfortunate enough to be caught up in a natural disaster, such as a wildfire, flood or earthquake, here’s everything you need to know about getting home safely and claiming compensation.
Will my travel insurance policy cover natural disasters?
Your travel insurance policy might cover you financially in the event of a natural disaster, but it’s not always included as standard so it’s important to check what your policy includes when you take it out.
How do insurers define a natural disaster?
Most travel insurers will define a natural disaster as an unforeseen and unavoidable act that happens as a result of natural causes. These will be outside of human control and couldn’t have realistically been predicted. Some insurers also call them natural catastrophes or acts of god.
What natural disasters are covered?
It will vary between insurers, but generally speaking natural disaster cover should include:
Storms, tornados and hurricanes
Earthquakes and tsunamis
Floods
Landslides and avalanches
Volcano eruptions and ash clouds
Wildfires
Pandemics
What is an FCDO warning?
Travel insurance will only pay out for holiday cancellations in the event of a natural disaster if the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advise against anything except essential travel to your destination. Some providers also require the local or national authorities to say that it’s unsafe to travel.
If you make the choice to cancel your holiday while your holiday provider or airline is operating as normal and FCDO's advice is unchanged, then you won’t receive any cancellation cover from your insurance.
This means that holiday-goers are left with the tough choice of putting themselves at risk by travelling or cancelling their holiday and not receiving any compensation.
What is an anticipated event?
If extreme weather or catastrophe is forecasted before you booked your holiday or left for your trip – or it is currently happening when you are supposed to fly out – then your travel insurance may not cover you for any related problems.
Unfortunately, this puts you in a difficult situation if the event happens before you travel but the FCDO hasn't issued any travel warnings. It means that insurance providers won't pay out if you cancel the holiday but they also won't pay out if you are affected by the event while you're abroad.
If you're concerned that this may be the case for you, you should speak to your insurance provider to confirm what you are covered for.
Package holidays
It’s your tour operator’s responsibility to reimburse you if they cancel your travel plans. They should refund you for any parts of the holiday that you booked through them, like accommodation, activities, or flights.
However, they won’t compensate you for any plans you made independently. If you booked any additional activities, you will need to cancel them yourself. If you have travel insurance with cancellation cover, you may be able to claim for any cancellation fees for these activities.
In the event of an evacuate...
If you need to evacuate your accommodation, your holiday provider is responsible for finding you new accommodation or emergency accommodation if necessary. Your provider will also be responsible for arranging your transport home to the UK if your travel was booked through them.
If they are unable to fly you home or can’t find a flight with another airline, you may need a chartered flight organised by the UK government. Check the FCDO for more information and contact your nearest British embassy if you’re unable to arrange travel back to the UK.
Independent holidays
If you organised your holiday entirely yourself, you will be responsible for cancelling bookings with your suppliers if you are unable to travel.
According to UK and EU regulation, airlines don’t need to compensate travellers for delayed or cancelled flights in ‘extraordinary circumstances’, which includes wildfires and volcanic eruptions. So, if flights are cancelled due to natural disasters, it's unlikely that you will receive compensation from your airline.
However, your airline may be required to assist you with rebooking your travel or refunding you, so it is always necessary to speak to your airline first before making a claim on your travel insurance. You can also claim on your travel insurance for cancelled activities and accommodation if the FCDO has advised against travelling to your holiday destination.
In the event of an evacuation...
If you booked your holiday independently and have been forced to evacuate, cancellation of your holiday plans needs to be done by you. You will need to speak to each of the suppliers that you booked with to cancel your activities or reschedule them.
Travel insurance will cover you for certain cancellations if advice has been given by FCDO not to travel and you need to evacuate the country, but it likely won't cover you if you are only being locally evacuated and you are cancelling activities or accommodation you've booked elsewhere.
You will also be responsible for arranging your own emergency accommodation and return flights. The airline you booked with is not required to compensate you if a natural disaster grounds or delays your return flight.
They are, however, responsible for finding you alternative travel back home if your flight home is cancelled or delayed.
The airline also must offer food and drink if there’s a delay to your replacement flight and you are travelling to or from a UK airport. They may provide passengers with food vouchers to use at the airport, or they will ask you to keep the receipts for whatever necessities you purchase in the airport while your flight is delayed.
With your receipts you can claim back the money you spent from the airline at a later date. If you are delayed overnight, the airline is also responsible for providing accommodation.
If your flight has been delayed by more than 24 hours, your travel insurance may cover you for cancellation.
What will my travel insurance cover me for?
Depending on the details of your policy and your provider, your travel insurance should generally offer the following cover in the event of a natural disaster:
Emergency alternative accommodation
Emergency travel
Will my baggage and possessions be covered if I have to leave it behind?
If you have to evacuate and you don’t have time to get your things, you might be able to get reimbursement for your lost luggage. However there will be a single-item limit as part of your policy, so be sure to declare any expensive items like jewellery or gadgets separately to ensure you have enough cover.
Travel insurance also won’t cover any of your belongings while they are in the care of an airline.
What won’t be covered by travel insurance?
Unfortunately as with most insurance policies there are some exclusions to be aware of - you likely won’t be able to claim in the following situations:
If you travel against government advice
If you travel despite adverse weather being forecasted
If you took cover out after adverse weather being forecasted
If you cancel before the delay reaches at least 24 hours
If your travel providers will refund you for any cancellations or delays
Do I need specialist cover for unforeseen events?
Some areas of the world are more at risk of natural disasters, so if you’re travelling to such a location then you might want to consider a specialist policy that offers comprehensive cover. These policies can give you access to higher limits on claim amounts for cancellation, alternative travel and accommodation, or even the ability to claim for a natural disaster if a standard policy doesn’t.
How do I know if it’s safe to travel?
Before you set off on your holiday, it’s worthwhile subscribing to local weather alerts and warnings, and checking the FCDO website for any travel advice. If your trip will be affected by a natural disaster, your airline or holiday provider should contact you to let you know.
What to do if I’m on holiday and a natural disaster happens
If you’re on holiday and you’re caught in a natural disaster, your airline should let you know if your flights have been cancelled, and they’ll usually offer a replacement flight if possible. They’ll be able to help with food, drink and accommodation if required, depending on how long you’re delayed.
If they nor any other airline are able to get you on a flight home, you should check with the FCDO or contact the British embassy or consulate for advice. Contact your insurer and check if your policy can provide any help.
How to make a claim for a natural disaster
If you’ve tried to recoup your losses from your airline or travel providers and they don’t pay out, you can then claim on your travel insurance policy. Contact your insurer with your policy details to hand and they should tell you what you’ll be covered for and how you can submit your claim.
Tips if you’re in a natural disaster
You can’t predict when a natural disaster will strike, but there are some extra precautions you can take to minimise their impact on your travel. The most important thing is to check government travel advice with the FCDO and adjust plans if necessary, but also check local weather reports to stay informed.
You should also take out enough cover on your travel insurance policy to cover even the unlikeliest of eventualities - and be sure to compare your options to find the best deal available.
Compare travel insurance
It's important that you take out travel insurance - the UK government advises that you take out appropriate cover if you’re travelling abroad. Even if you have booked a package holiday, a travel insurance policy can help you protect the aspects of your travel plans that aren’t the responsibility of your provider.
Finding affordable travel insurance with the cover you need is quick and easy when you compare quotes with MoneySuperMarket. Just tell us about yourself, your travel plans and the protection you need, and we’ll show you quotes from across the market that meet your needs.
Author
Mehdi Punjwani
Insurance specialist
Mehdi is a financial writer and editor with over six years of experience in personal finance. He has written for organisations and publications including Equifax, The AA, and USAToday, covering a...
Reviewer
Saarrah Mussa
Former Content Writer
Saarrah was a MoneySuperMarket's in-house pet insurance expert. With broad experience writing across insurance products Saarrah is acutely aware of the complexities and costs consumers have to face...
