When applying for group or family travel insurance, it’s always a good idea to read the fine print before signing anything. Doing so helps you better understand where you are covered and where you are not.
However, there are some events that are simply too strange to realistically list in the fine print. Here are seven of the craziest where claims were successfully paid.
1. Falling coconuts: A traveler in Sri Lanka was injured when a coconut fell on her head and she was lucky to be insured when it happened. Actually, this is quite a common problem in tropical regions, which is why coconut trees without nuts are often seen on the beaches of resorts and hotels.
2. Buried Treasure: Two well-intentioned Cornish boys took it upon themselves to safeguard their parents’ video camera by burying it in the sand. Unfortunately they forgot where he was buried, but the insurers paid the same. You may want to expand your family travel insurance to include your gadgets, especially if they’re expensive enough to justify the extra protection.
3. Violent rodents: A BusinessBalls.com contributor shared how a client of his broke his arm while cycling to work. The reason? A herd of guinea pigs ran him out of the way! A local farmer supported his story, telling how his daughter’s guinea pigs escaped and reproduced in plague-like proportions. Guinea pigs may not get you out of the way, but animals can pose a danger when you’re abroad, big or small.
4. Hungry rhinos – Speaking of animals, an Australian traveler in Africa volunteered to help out at a local zoo. Unfortunately, the poor man lost a finger when a rhinoceros bit him completely off. It clearly pays not to underestimate animals, whether you’re in the wild or in the confines of a zoo.
5. Fatal attraction: A young British man broke his nose while walking to a bus stop in Athens. He claimed he was distracted by a group of women in bikinis and luckily for him, his insurance provider paid for him! Sometimes it pays to be honest and direct in these cases, although it could be a bit of a problem for spouses to use this excuse when it comes to family travel insurance.
6. Best Foot Forward: A traveler in Fiji was trying out spear fishing and in his eagerness mistook his own foot for a fish. You can guess what happened next! The provider in this case was smart enough to cover the accident, which would have been easy to write off as a self-inflicted injury had he been less reputable.
7. No-Show Snow: A woman eager to test her new skis on the piste requested a payment from her insurance company for no snow when she arrived. Some providers guarantee specific events during the trip, such as skiing or horseback riding, so it’s worth checking the contract to see if you’ll be covered due to factors beyond your control.
While these stories above sound too strange to happen to you, it’s worth noting that they actually did happen. You will be very grateful for the protection of individual or family travel insurance packages if something equally strange happens to you!
