Protecting your trip.
Many people do not think about the expenses that can occur if something unexpected happens. There are several types of insurance you may or should want to consider.
1) Medical Travel to protect yourself against unexpected medical issues
2) Trip Cancelation insurance to cover losses should you have to cancel before the trip (May include interruption). Our company does allow shifting ahead a season, often without penalty and preserving your deposit & any payments, if the trip is still months away. We usually do this once or twice a season for someone. We realize things come up, but we would still rather keep a customer. If it is close to departure then there may be penalties, as we may have already prepaid for services we cannot recover. We also MAY allow substitution of family or friend. (service charge applied)
3) Mexican Vehicle insurance. Your US and Canadian insurance does not cover you in Mexico. You require at least Mexican liability insurance. Some jurisdictions (BC for example) may rebate you your premiums for the time you are in Mexico. Please be aware that standard deductions on Mexican Insurance policies is $500 US for cars and $1000 US for RV's. It is often much cheaper to have body damage repaired in Mexico where it is very cheap, unless it involves specialty RV bodies like Filon. I had several dents and scrapes on my car that have accumulated over the years repaired last year. It came to less than $200. A lot of parts are made in Mexico and are a lot cheaper without the extensive dealer markup found in the US and Canada.
4) Trip interruption insurance. Many do not consider this, but IMO it is more important than cancelation for the reason given in #2. We have had 3 instances over the last several years where people have had to cut their trip short due to vehicle breakdown, or an accident, or a family emergency. The unexpected can happen and it is up to you to protect yourself if you desire to do so. These are often not covered by other forms of travel insurance, so trip interruption is something you should consider.
The expenses around these occurrences can be considerable and may not be covered with other insurances. First you may lose part, or all, of what you have paid for the trip, and there can be expenses involved with accommodation, etc. while you get your vehicle repaired, for example. We have had people expect us to refund the cost of their trip and that sort of thing. While we do what we can, we cannot guarantee anything, and it is up to you to insure yourself against eventualities. For both Americans and Candians, Travelguard seems to fit the bill and there may be others. The link in the next paragraph will take you to our insurance information page where we have more details.
WE ARE NOT IN THE INSURANCE BUSINESS. It is up to you to do your homework, however, we do have an extensive information page on the subject, plus a few recommendations. A lot of information there. We add links as we find more options or people recommend them. It is located HERE
You will find plenty of links. Please be aware that some options are different for Canadians and Americans. It appears to be a lot easier for Americans to find coverage.
NOTE: Some premium credit cards may offer this option if you pay for the trip using them. Although we offer a 2 % discount for trips paid by check, etransfer or cash, it may be in your best interest to use a credit card in this case. You need to check it out. The credit card coverage may not be as good as you think it is when you dig into it.