Planning, budgeting and paying for your honeymoon can be a big part of the expense of planning a wedding. And while it may be hard to imagine now, many couples find that their honeymoon trip may be the biggest trip they take until the kids are out of college. Joking aside, what would you do if a hurricane interrupted your honeymoon or the cruise line you were booked on went out of business? A little planning can go a long way to protect your investment!

One of the easiest and most affordable ways to protect your investment is with travel insurance. Since most couples these days spend well over $1,000 on their honeymoon, travel insurance is surprisingly inexpensive. In some cases, travel insurance may even protect you if your honeymoon is interrupted by some unforeseen event such as a hurricane.

When considering travel insurance, it is generally a good idea to purchase travel insurance from an independent travel insurance company. For example, if you visit a travel agent you can buy a travel insurance policy from a company such as American Express that is totally independent of the agent and the trip that you’ve booked. If you purchase travel insurance from the same company that owns the resort where you’ll be staying, your insurance would be worthless if that resort goes out of business. Be sure to discuss travel insurance with your travel agent before you book your trip so you understand what is covered, your deductibles and any limitations of the policy.

Here’s a look at what may be covered by a travel insurance policy.

Lost or Stolen Luggage –  A travel insurance policy often will reimburse you for the value of lost or stolen luggage but usually only for the amount that exceeds what may already be covered by your airline, resort or cruise ship. 

Trip Cancellation – If you have to cancel your trip due to illness, death of a family member, or possibly you need to change the date of your trip due to a wedding date change, travel insurance may reimburse you for non-refundable deposits that were paid for your trip.

Trip Interruption - Some travel insurance polices will reimburse you if your vacation is cut short by illness or some unforeseen event such as a hurricane. Make sure you’re clear on what is covered.

Medical Insurance Abroad – If you are traveling abroad and need medical help the health insurance or HMO that you have in the states may not cover your health care expenses. In addition, if you’re in a country with a poor health care system you will want to make sure that the policy covers your transportation to a reputable medical facility with adequate provisions to care for you.

Accidental Death – Most travel insurance policies provide coverage for accidental death. Let’s hope you don’t need this!

Another way to protect your honeymoon investment is to use a travel agent instead of booking your honeymoon yourself online. Not only can most agents meet or beat the online price, but an experienced travel agent also provides an added protection. For example, if you book your honeymoon online without a travel agent and have to change or cancel your trip, you may be subject to non-refundable deposits. If the travel agent says to the Resort they won’t recommend their services anymore if they don’t refund the deposit, the Resort is more likely to refund your deposit.

Finally, you may want to avoid hurricanes altogether. Keep in mind that hurricane season runs from June 1 – Nov. 30 with August usually the peak of hurricane season. Hurricanes often impact islands in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and Florida. If you are going to the Caribbean, islands furthest south are least likely to get hit by hurricanes.

So, before you book your honeymoon keep all these factors in mind. Plus, travel insurance and a good travel agent can help protect the trip of a lifetime!