Following the news of the Sandstorm which impacted the Canary Islands on the 22nd February 2020, we at tifgroup would like to extend our sympathies to those affected and clarify what cover may be available.
We advise all travellers to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice before travelling, and you can do that by checking your chosen destination from the list provided here:
– https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
For residents of Ireland please follow the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as follows:
– https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/
Cancellation
This type of event is unfortunately not covered across the travel insurance industry for claims relating to cancellation. This is because most policies have the following exclusion relating to cancellation “any claim where the fire, flood, earthquake, storm, lightning, explosion, hurricane or infectious disease had already happened before you left home”.
We would suggest that you always check your specific policy wording for more information on this and to find out whether you have cover or not.
Additional travel and accommodation costs
Should your travel and accommodation arrangements have been affected by the sandstorm, your policy may cover reasonable additional costs within a certain radius to provide you with alternative options. To find out more please check your specific policy wording or contact your claims team.
If you need to come home early
Cutting short your trip may be covered depending on your circumstances. Please refer to your policy wording in the first instance and if you are unsure please contact your claims team. There is no cover for coming home early in the event of loss of enjoyment for whatever reason.
Each travel insurance product varies and we would recommend you check your policy wording to see if any other cover may be available, or alternatively contact your claims team to discuss your individual situation.
In the event that you have specific questions not answered by this directive, please contact your insurance company directly either by email or over the phone.
