Lindblad Expeditions Travel Insurance - 2024 Review

Overview

Lindblad Expeditions goes to the most amazing and often remote places on the planet—like South Georgia and the Falklands; Patagonia, and remote regions of Polynesia, including the Marquesas Islands where few travelers venture.

Lindblad’s website states its teams will do “whatever it takes to ensure you unforgettable experiences. Whether it’s manning the spotting scopes all night to ensure a polar bear sighting, orchestrating a landing at an extraordinary wildlife site to coincide with a magnificent sunrise, or sending waitstaff out with gourmet ice cream bars to refresh you as you explore a Polynesia atoll, their commitment creates thrilling moments for you.”

A core value of Lindblad Expeditions is to positively impact the geographies where they sail. By bringing travelers into wildernesses and inspiring them to care, they hope to create planetary stewards instead of just tourists.

Sample Lindblad Trip: Best of Chilean Patagonia

Our 7-day sample trip travels from Florida to Patagonia from 02/20/22 - 02/27/22. For our two travelers, ages 55 and 60, the all-inclusive trip costs $11,180.00 in total.

Insurance is provided through their partner, TripMate and is 8% of the overall trip cost. For our trip, the insurance cost is $894.00 which covers both travelers.

Lindblad's insurance has built-in Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage and this is part of why the insurance premium is so high. Unfortunately, their CFAR benefit does not pay a cash refund. Instead, your refund comes in the form of a voucher, only good with Lindblad. By contrast, standard CFAR plans pay a cash benefit, not credit.

Lindblad trip insurance’s medical coverage is $25,000 and their medical evacuation coverage is only $50,000.

Next, we’ll see if we can find more robust coverage for our trip by using the TripProtectors Insurance Marketplace.

Comparison Quotes

We used the same trip information to create a quote at TripProtectors and the system provided results for a variety of plans and insurers.

TripProtectors consistently recommends carrying at least $100k Medical Insurance, $250k Medical Evacuation, and a Pre-Existing Medical Condition Waiver when traveling outside the US.

TripProtectors recommends these coverage levels because you want enough financial protection for a worst-case scenario in an emergency overseas.

The least expensive plan for this trip is the AIG Travel Guard Plus. This plan provides $100,000 of medical coverage and $1 million of medical evacuation coverage for $477.46, which is about half what Lindblad charges.

As Lindblad’s insurance contains a Cancel For Any Reason benefit, we also looked at the least expensive policy in our list of quotes that contains Cancel For Any Reason benefits. In this case, it is Trawick First Class with a 75% CFAR benefit. This plan provides $150,000 of medical coverage and $1 million of medical evacuation coverage for $1,002.27, which is slightly more expensive than Lindblad’s plan but provides substantially more coverage.

Let's look at all three plans side-by-side:

Benefit	Lindbald Expeditions Cancellation Plan	AIG Travel Guard Plus	Trawick First Class (CFAR 75%)
Trip Cancellation	100% of trip cost	100% of trip cost	100% of trip cost
Trip Interruption	150% of trip cost	150% of trip cost	150% of trip cost
Medical Insurance	$25,000	$100,000	$150,000
Medical Evacuation	$50,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000
Baggage Loss/Damage	$1,500	$500/article up to $2,500 per person	$500/article up to $2,000 per person
Baggage Delay	$250	$400	$400
Travel Delay (Incl quarantine)	(Up to $150 per day) $750 per person	$1000 per person	$1000 per person
Missed Connection	$750	$1000 per person	$1,000 per person
Cover Pre-existing Medical Conditions	No	Yes, if purchased within 21 days of deposit	Yes, if purchased within 14 days of deposit
Cancel For Work Reason	No	100% of trip cost	No
Interrupt For Any Reason	No	No	No
Cancel For Any Reason	Voucher only will be provided	No	75% of trip cost
Accidental Death & Dismemberment	$25,000	$50,000	$25,000
Cost of Policy	$894.40 (8% of trip cost)	$477.46 (4.3% of trip cost)	$1,002.27 (8.9% or trip cost)

Lindblad Travel Insurance – Price and Value

Lindblad travel insurance’s cost is exceptionally high for the coverage it provides. For over $300 less than Lindblad, the AIG Travel Guard Plus provides superior Medical Insurance and Emergency Evacuation. It also includes protection for Pre-existing Conditions which Lindblad does not cover.

For a little over $100 more than Lindblad’s insurance, you can have a robust Cancel For Any Reason insurance plan from Trawick that pays cash refunds with far better medical and medical evacuation coverage.

Most troubling is that Lindblad insurance does not offer a Waiver for Pre-existing Medical Conditions. Consequently, your Pre-existing Medical Condition would be excluded from Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, and Medical Insurance.

Medical Insurance Coverage

No matter how remotely you travel, you cannot evade all trouble. If something goes wrong during your cruise or excursions, you need adequate Medical Insurance.

Imagine that you are enjoying a stroll through the picturesque landscape when you stumble, twist your knee, and land hard on your shoulder. Your knee and upper arm radiate pulses of intense pain. Who will treat your injury? How will you reach medical treatment? This is especially concerning in remote locations such as the ones Lindblad Expeditions travels to.

Medicare does not extend coverage outside of the United States. Some Medicare supplements have minimal protection, but they cap a $50,000 lifetime limit with a 20% copay. You must pay out-of-pocket and request reimbursement.

With these limits and copays, you can face a massive bill for a medical emergency. You may end up being forced to spend money you saved for future trips, retirement, and your family. Adequate Medical Insurance protects your life's savings.

Sadly, Trip Insurance with Lindblad falls short and only offers $25,000 Medical Insurance coverage. This is not enough during a medical emergency.

TripProtectors always recommends having at least $100,000 in Medical Insurance when traveling outside of the United States. The AIG Travel Guard Plus provides $100,000 of medical coverage while the Trawick First Class offer $150,000 for Medical Insurance so you can rest assured you’ll have adequate coverage in case of an emergency.

Medical Evacuation Coverage

Lindblad travel insurance includes a mere $50,000 Medical Evacuation coverage. This amount falls dangerously short of our $500,000 recommendation for Medical Evacuation Insurance when traveling to remote areas or for expedition travel.

Without Emergency Medical Evacuation insurance, you could face devastating charges of $15,000 to $35,000 per flight hour. Neither Medicare nor the State Department will pay for your transportation in a medical emergency.

For travel to remote locations, TripProtectors recommends a minimum of $500,000 Medical Evacuation.

First, you must receive evacuation from a remote location to a hospital. Then, you may require transfer to a more suitable hospital. Finally, if the medical situation is severe, a private medical jet outfitted as an ICU is very costly but can bring you home safely.

If your travel insurance plan lacks adequate Medical Insurance or Medical Evacuation protection, your finances, retirement fund, or your dream to travel throughout the world could be washed away by a single unfortunate event.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions Exclusions

Pre-existing Medical Conditions can be as simple as a recent ear infection to something as serious as a cancer diagnosis.

Regarding travel insurance, Pre-existing Medical Conditions are:

• An older condition that has worsened or has new symptoms
• New health concern that developed recently
• Tests or treatment recommended by a physician
• Medication changes or needing acute treatment

Lindblad trip insurance excludes any Pre-existing Conditions in the past 60 days before you bought the travel insurance policy. Therefore, if you cancel your trip for a medical reason, the policy does not cover it unless the insurer determines it is not a Pre-existing Condition.

Furthermore, suppose your Pre-existing Medical Condition requires you to seek treatment during your trip. In that case, the policy pays for no medical care nor reimburses you for Trip Interruption.

Robust travel insurance plans include a Waiver covering Pre-existing Medical Conditions, even if they just came up a week ago. TripProtectors always recommends buying travel insurance with a Pre-existing Condition Waiver, regardless of your health history or age.

Most plans at TripProtectors include a Waiver when you buy the plan within 14-21 days of paying the initial deposit or payment. For AIG Travel Guard Plus you must enroll within 21 days and for the Trawick First Class with CFAR, you must enroll within 14 days.

Trip Cancellation

Although Lindblad travel insurance offers Cancel For Any Reason, there are a few situations when they pay a cash refund for Trip Cancellation.

These are the covered cancellation reasons for Lindblad trip insurance:

• Unforeseen illness, accidental injury, or death
• Quarantine, hijacking, jury duty, subpoena
• Your home or destination inaccessible or uninhabitable by a natural disaster
• Place of employment damaged by a natural disaster
• A documented theft of passport or visa
• Employer-initiated transfer
• Involved in a traffic accident en route to departure
• Strike, inclement weather, mechanical breakdown of common carrier
• Airport or air traffic control shutdown
• Called to military service to aid a natural disaster
• Military leave revoked
• Involuntary layoff

Although the plan offers reimbursement if you, your traveling companion, or a family member have an unexpected illness or injury, the policy excludes Pre-existing Conditions. Consequently, you might not have a covered cancellation and only receive vouchers from Lindblad.

By contrast, most plans at TripProtectors cover Pre-existing Conditions if you buy it within 14-21 days of paying the initial trip payment or deposit.

Notably, this list does not include common cancellation reasons like terrorism and a common carrier's bankruptcy. Policies at TripProtectors provide cancellation for terrorism at your destination and if the common carrier (in this case, Lindblad) goes bankrupt.

With adequate Trip Cancellation insurance, you don't have to add losing money spent on your vacation to your list of concerns.

Trip Interruption

Trip Interruption insurance is similar to Trip Cancellation. It offers the same covered reasons as Cancellation but occurs during your trip.

If you end your trip early for a covered reason and return home, Trip Interruption coverage reimburses you for the unused prepaid travel arrangements. It can also cover transportation costs to get you back home promptly.

Suppose you are three days into your cruise to Chile. While enjoying an evening stroll on the ship, you slip on the deck and hit your head.

The injury appears minor at first, but your symptoms show you have a concussion.

Lacking the ability to walk in a straight line, you need to cut your trip short to stay in the hospital and recover at home. That is where Trip Interruption insurance comes into play.

Lindblad travel insurance includes a 150% benefit. You would receive up to a 100% refund for your unused travel arrangements and up to an additional 50% for transport home. The AIG Travel Guard policy and the Trawick First Class (CFAR 75%) also offer a 150% Trip Cancellation reimbursement.

Travelers gain peace of mind knowing they can receive a refund if they have a family emergency and must return home early. Sure, it is not fun to cut a trip short, but at least you have the funds to plan your next adventure!

Cancel For Any Reason

Cancel For Any Reason provides the highest level of travel insurance you can get. You can cancel your trip for any reason and receive reimbursement.

Suppose one week before your cruise, your spouse's anxiety flares up in full force. They no longer feel comfortable or have the desire to travel so far from home. Their previous excitement for the long-planned trip has been replaced by dread and anxiety.

Unfortunately, most standard travel insurance policies do not cover cancellations due to mental health unless the insured is hospitalized.

However, with a Cancel For Any Reason policy, you can cancel for mental health concerns and receive a partial refund of your trip cost. CFAR policies typically reimburse either 50% or 75% (depending on policy) of the trip costs if you cancel for a reason not listed in the policy. Also, the reimbursement is in cash. The Trawick First Class (CFAR 75%) will reimburse 75% of trip costs for cancelling for a reason not listed in the policy.

Although Lindblad travel insurance has a Cancel For Any Reason provision, it is limited. It only provides vouchers that must be used within one year of issue. The certificate is non-transferable, non-refundable, and cannot be redeemed for cash.

While we applaud Lindblad for offering the option to receive some compensation, it is not ideal. It is expensive, and the limiting terms detract from its convenience.

Conclusion

Lindblad Expeditions Travel Insurance does not offer adequate financial protection, particularly for travelers traveling outside of the United States.

Its low limits for Travel Medical Insurance and Medical Evacuation coverage will not be enough in the event of a medical emergency during international travel, especially to remote regions. Overall, we rate it a 6 out of 10.

Do not buy the first Trip Insurance policy that you come across or your trip provider offers without comparing to the wider marketplace. When you shop with TripProtectors Travel Insurance Marketplace, you can find multiple policy options and more coverage for usually less money.

You won’t find a lower price for the same policy by purchasing directly from the insurer. Travel insurance prices are regulated, so not even the insurance company can sell the same policy for less.

All policies at TripProtectors provide comprehensive Travel Insurance protection, including:

• Trip Cancellation and Interruption
• Medical Insurance, Medical Evacuation
• Baggage
• Travel Delay
• Missed Connection
• Travel Assistance

TripProtectors's friendly licensed agents are here to help you choose the right travel insurance plan with no pressure.

Please stop by and chat with us, send an email, or give us a call at +1(650) 397-6592.

Safe travels!