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Rain, rain go away — or at least give me my pay...
Due to the fact that extreme weather is becoming one of the main reasons individuals hesitate to book their next trip as a result of climate change, travel agencies are now providing weather insurance products.
Most travel insurance policies that cover trip cancellation, trip interruption and trip delays were created to address hurricanes and tropical storms, but natural disasters are no longer the only cause for concern. Heavy rain storms, unbearable heat, and bad air quality from wildfires have become more common as climate change has led to more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns.
To ease potential travelers’ minds, companies have begun offering refunds and rebookings to those whose beach vacation gets rained out or can’t bear the heat at an amusement park.
“The experience matters so much more than the money to people,” says Nick Cavanaugh, founder and CEO of Sensible Weather, which pays travelers if the forecast meets previously agreed upon unwanted conditions.
Parameters for the packages are set at the time of checkout and typically cost about 5-10% of what a traveler is spending. For example, a customer can pay $3 to guarantee that if it rains for one hour during their $122 one-night hotel stay, they’ll immediately get reimbursed $122.
Thanks to these new programs, travelers can be even more excited to book their getaway, knowing neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom will completely ruin the experience.