"Sunshine Insurance" – Don’t Vacation Without It
Planning a vacation but worried that bad weather may spoil your trip? No worries–companies now offer “sunshine insurance” to protect vacationers against poor weather.
The insurance policy, offered by French travel agencies Pierre et Vacances and FranceLoc, will reimburse travelers for a portion of their holiday expenses if they suffer at least four days of rain in a given week. Clients can purchase coverage for up to 400 euros ($571).
To calculate whether or not consumers should receive compensation, Pierre et Vacances will study satellite photos from the French weather service. If it’s determined that a holiday was rained-out, a reimbursement check will be mailed to their home address.
In a trial run last year, 10% of clients saw sufficient rainfall to receive money back.
Lufthansa, one of the largest airlines in Europe, is offering “sunshine insurance” too. On flights to selected destinations, passengers will receive 20 euros ($28) for each day with 5 millimeters or greater of rainfall, up to 10 days.