Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Volcanoes: Does Your Travel Insurance Cover Natural Disasters?

You are halfway through a two-week trip when an earthquake strikes, a hurricane changes course toward your resort, or a volcano grounds all flights. This guide explains what your travel insurance covers before you leave, while you are there, and when returning home.

Does travel insurance cover trip cancellation due to a natural disaster?

Yes, Trip Cancellation insurance reimburses your eligible prepaid, non-refundable costs if an official travel advisory to “avoid all travel” or “avoid non-essential travel” is announced for your destination. However, cancellations related to an earthquake, hurricane, or volcanic eruption that occurred before you booked or purchased are excluded, even if an advisory is issued later.

Important: The advisory must be issued after you booked your trip or purchased your insurance (whichever is later) and remain in effect on your scheduled departure date or within the 7 days before it. If the advisory was already in effect, it is not covered.

Does travel insurance cover medical emergencies during a natural disaster?

Yes, your Emergency Medical coverage applies if you are injured in a natural disaster while travelling. Claims and 24/7 emergency assistance are handled by TuGo to coordinate your urgent care.

This includes:

• Hospital treatment for injuries
• Pre-approved emergency air transportation to an adequate medical facility at the time of hospitalization
• Repatriation to Canada if medically necessary

Does trip interruption insurance cover getting home after a natural disaster?

Yes, Trip Interruption insurance can cover extra travel expenses and unused bookings if an official “avoid all travel” or “avoid non-essential travel” advisory is issued for your travel dates after your departure, provided you purchased insurance before its issue date. It does not cover events like earthquakes or hurricanes that occurred before booking or purchase.

If a covered reason forces you to cut your trip short or strands you, Trip Interruption insurance can cover:

• The unused portion of your eligible prepaid trip costs
• Additional economy transportation costs to reach your next destination or return to your original departure point
• Extra commercial accommodation up to $350 per day (maximum $1,500 shared with meals and other expenses) until you can resume travel

What is not covered by travel insurance during a natural disaster?

Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption insurance does not cover voluntary cancellations without an official travel advisory, or specific events like earthquakes or hurricanes that occurred before booking or purchase. General belongings are not covered under medical benefits. Coverage applies only to unexpected events that meet policy criteria.

Specific exclusions include:

• Choosing to leave voluntarily when no advisory has been issued
• For Trip Cancellation and Interruption, specific events like an earthquake, hurricane, or volcanic eruption that occurred before you booked your trip or purchased your policy, whether or not you were aware of them
• Property damage to your belongings (this falls under baggage coverage, with per-item limits)

Does travel insurance cost more for earthquake-prone destinations?

No, travel insurance does not cost more for seismically active destinations. The coverage and pricing remain the same whether you are travelling to Florida or Fukuoka.

Japan, Chile, Indonesia, Turkey, and Mexico are among the most visited countries by Canadians that sit on major fault lines. We offer the same standard protections across all covered destinations without location surcharges.

Price in about 2 minutes for most travellers →

Questions travellers ask

Can I cancel my trip if a hurricane or earthquake is forecasted?

You can cancel and claim eligible non-refundable prepaid costs if a Canadian Government issues an ‘avoid all travel’ or ‘avoid non-essential travel’ advisory for your destination after you book your trip or purchase the policy (whichever is later). The advisory must be in effect on your scheduled departure date or at any time within the seven days before it. However, you cannot claim if the cancellation relates to a circumstance you knew about before booking or purchasing (whichever is later), or to a hurricane or earthquake that occurred before you booked the trip or purchased the policy, even if you were unaware of the event. If you decide to cancel voluntarily without an official travel warning in place, your cancellation expenses are not covered.

What happens if a natural disaster injures me while abroad?

If you are injured in a natural disaster during your trip, Emergency Medical insurance covers hospital treatment, pre-approved emergency air transportation between facilities, and repatriation to Canada if medically necessary. (If an ‘avoid all travel’ or ‘avoid non-essential travel’ advisory is issued after you arrive, coverage for a related condition is limited to 30 days from the advisory’s issue date, unless the insurer authorizes an extension.) Claims and 24/7 emergency assistance are handled by TuGo.

Are my hotel and flight costs covered if a volcano strands me abroad?

Yes, if a covered reason like a common carrier delay of at least 4 hours (when there is no connection) or a missed connection strands you, Trip Interruption coverage helps pay for extra commercial accommodation costs up to policy limits. It can also help with additional economy transportation expenses to return to your original departure point or next destination, and cover the unused portion of your eligible prepaid trip costs. This does not apply if the volcanic eruption or ash cloud began before you booked your trip or purchased the insurance.

Does travel insurance cover damaged luggage from an earthquake?

Emergency Medical and Trip Interruption plans do not pay for damaged belongings. Property damage to your personal items falls under baggage coverage, which includes specific per-item limits. In addition, Trip Cancellation and Interruption policies do not cover specific events like earthquakes or hurricanes that occurred before you booked your trip or purchased your policy, whether or not you were aware of them.