What Should I Look For?
As consumers we always tend to buy based on the lowest price available, however the lowest price doesn’t necessarily mean that you are getting the best deal. When considering any company you should ask a lot of questions. For example:
- How long have they been in business?
- Do they belong to the Better Business Bureau and other professional associations?
- How is your money going to be protected when you pay the tour company?
- Do they offer medical or accident insurance?
- Do they have a Representative that will be assisting the group during the trip?
These are all very important questions that need to be asked but are often forgotten.
About Comparing Prices
Always read the inclusions in your price carefully! A lot of times prices differ because not all of the attractions, meals, hotels, etc. are the same. Pay close attention to the type of meals (coupons vs. sit down meals), hotels (budget vs. deluxe), attractions and complimentary packages. First Choice Educational Tours works with BOCES 1 and BOCES 2 Arts and Education Programs that provide funding for participating schools.
What Type of Insurance Should We look For?
Not all programs are created equal. One of the first items you may want to be familiar with is the terminology used to describe this coverage.
“Travel Agents’ Professional Liability Insurance” is commonly referred to as “Errors and Omissions”, or simply “E&O”.
Technically, errors and omissions coverage represents only one component of a comprehensive “Travel Agents’ Professional Liability” policy. The type of claim that would fall under the “E&O” category would be a client alleging that an agent booked an incorrect departure date.
Unfortunately, claims are also made against travel companies for situations that involve bodily injury to a client. One distinction of the travel industry is that unlike most other types of businesses, travel agencies need protection for bodily injury claims that could occur anywhere in the world. After all, it was the travel company who arranged the trip for the client. The coverage that is selected should recognize this type of travel-related exposure.
Storefront offices often maintain General Liability coverage for incidents arising out of business operations. However, standard commercial coverage such as a “Business Owner’s Policy” (BOP) or “Commercial General Liability” (CGL) are typically not designed for the unique worldwide exposure of a travel company.
A quality “Travel Agents’ Professional Liability” policy should provide worldwide liability coverage for “E&O’ in addition to “Bodily Injury” (BI) and “Property Damage” (PD) claims of the agency’s clients.
This is one reason why a policy specifically designed for the industry has earned its place in a travel company’s insurance portfolio.
First Choice Educational Tours co-insures your school district with an additional three million dollars of professional liability insurance per occurrence, with respect to the negligence of the named insured/co-insured in connection with the travel and or tour service.
