Oh the weather outside is frightful...

As snow blankets the northeast, it's a good time to mention that no one can predict the weather. My daughters Amy and Gina were supposed to fly to California today from New York, but their flights were cancelled. The airlines allowed them to re-schedule their flights, and hopefully the planes won't have any problems departing in a day or two. We are fortunate, in that we had no hard and fast plans to take a cruise or a concert in Los Angeles today, but many others undoubtedly face these problems head on today.

In Southern California, we're accustomed to sunny weather, and having light rain is considered severe weather, but most of the world doesn't conform to this model. Last year, my friend Sam was rightly concerned when his flight from San Diego to Puerto Rico was inexplicably routed through Chicago, a city where snow could obviously be a factor. Fortunately, nothing went wrong for Sam and his traveling companions, and they had no trouble catching their Southern Caribbean cruise.

While my daughters are fortunate, because the airlines allowed them to re-book their flights at no charge, if you miss your cruise because of flight delays, you will be happy to have purchased travel insurance. Most of the time, it will expire unused and feel like a waste of money, but never forget that in addition to the coverage itself, you are purchasing peace of mind.

Most people purchase travel insurance to cover cancellation for medical reasons, but most policies include coverage for travel delay by carriers en route, lost luggage, emergency medical treatment and evacuation. Some policies even have limited coverage for business related items or simply changing your mind.

In full disclosure, I admit that I seldom buy travel insurance, but each time I pass, I consider the risk I am taking. Just take time to think about it. If you're flying somewhere distant, padding your cruise with a day or two pre-cruise in your embarkation port can add enjoyment extending your vacation at the same time as giving you peace of mind about being sure to catch your cruise. In any case, never schedule a flight that arrives after the cruise line's recommended arrival time. Even a simple flight between sunny airports can run into unexpected difficulty which delays the flights resulting in major headaches and expenses catching up with the cruise.

Cruise Planners 1 has some excellent sources for pre-cruise hotels combined with air like Monograms and Travel Impressions which frequently cost considerably less and have better flights than cruise lines. However, cruise line combinations which include transfers simplify plans for people with special needs, and so they remain popular ways to arrive early and explore the embarkation port city.

"Better service leads to better trips."