Spring Break a busy time for travel agents - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(03/15/13) - Large numbers of college students and families have always headed for Florida for Spring Break, but now they have other destinations to explore, too.

It's a busy time of year for travel agents, helping clients find fun places to get away to in March and April. Many are willing to expand their horizons and consider locales other than the Sunshine State.

"This year, we had a lot of travelers who are going to stay in the United States. Of course, Florida. Out west: Grand Canyon, California, East Coast. When we think 'Spring Break,' we think warm destinations, but travelers are looking for other things," said John Schmitt, of Frankenmuth Travel Service.

Mexico, the Bahamas and Jamaica are also popular spring destinations. And when planning these excursions, many travelers consider trip insurance, sometimes called cancellation insurance.

"It's only 5-7 percent of the cost of your trip to purchase cancellation insurance. So it's a very wise investment when you consider what your potential losses are," Schmitt said.

That insurance covers anything that the traveler has purchased - air fare, ground transportation, lodging.

"If your trip's interrupted, it may cost you a lot of money to get back," Schmitt said.

Cancellation insurance can help with those expenses.

Often, your health insurance doesn't cover you if you're overseas. That's where trip insurance can come in handy if you have a medical emergency.

"Zip lining, wave runners, parasailing, all that. If an accident occurs, it could be costly for the coverage and costly to return back home if you got a broken leg or worse," Schmitt said.