Yay, you’re going to Belize! While the plan is to go on a worry-free vacation to get away from it all, if there is an unexpected event that prevents you from traveling or affects your trip, be sure you are prepared for any potential financial ramifications. Do the auto, health, &/or renters/home owner’s insurance policies you already have cover any events that might occur during your travels? Does your credit card offer travel insurance if used for bookings/purchases? Even if you are covered in some areas, are there other areas to consider covering via travel insurance?

Various levels of travel insurance can be considered that can include among the following general categories:

Trip Cancellation, Interruption and Delay
Useful if for example you need to cancel due to things such as illness, death in the family, or natural disaster; or if your trip is delayed due to weather and you need to overnight unexpectedly en route. For Belize, especially if traveling from August through October, you want to make sure you’re covered in case of a hurricane.

Baggage and Personal Belongings
In case your luggage is delayed, lost, stolen or damaged (beyond what may be offered by the airline).

Emergency Medical Assistance, Evacuation and Repatriation
Will your health insurance already cover you internationally? (Medicare will not.) If there is a serious medical emergency while traveling, additional insurance could be useful, especially if you need (or want) to fly back home for care. Note: if planning to do “adventure sports” while traveling such as scuba diving, sky diving, zip lining and caving, make sure you are covered!

Rental Car Coverage
Are you renting a car on the mainland? Third party coverage is normally included for golf carts on Ambergris Caye; additional coverage may also be included or offered in addition.

“Cancel for any reason” add-on
This is what you want to consider to get the coverage for the broadest reasons, such as a pandemic. Normally you do not receive reimbursement for 100% of your costs, however.

Covid special coverage
What if you test positive while traveling internationally, need to isolate, & can’t fly home on your planned date? You will want to be prepared for potential extra expenses incurred for unexpectedly needing to extend your stay abroad and any related expenses–testing, medical, accommodations, food, etc.

There may be other areas you want to consider depending on your situation & destination, such as coverage for cancellation/interruption for work-related reasons, political evacuation, air ticket change fees, whether a concierge service is offered with the coverage, etc.

Note: Belize offers an optional Travel Health Insurance for US$18/person good for up to 3 weeks while they are in the country; more information here.

Sites such as InsureMyTrip* and Squaremouth* allow US residents to compare different policies from a number of providers; options are there for Canadian travelers as well. No matter what insurance you consider, be sure to read the fine print carefully so you know what it covered and what is not, as well as any limits imposed on the maximum amounts that may be covered. Forbes also has an article on best Covid travel insurance plans of December 2023. The New York Times also has an August 2023 article on travel insurance which may be helpful.

*A purchase made through this link may provide a small commission to the rental agent at no additional cost to you.