AFW certainly encourages all tour registrants to consider whether the purchase of travel insurance is right for their interests and needs. At the same time, we do not believe that travel insurance is the right solution for most of our travelers under our programming and billing system. At the very least, we do not think it is a necessary consideration for any travelers until four to five months before tour departure.

AFW works to protect as much of our registrant’s deposited funds for as long of a period of time as possible. However, once registration takes place and a tour is confirmed, per the tour terms, some deposited funds are at risk and possibly non-refundable; for many months, this cost risk is less than the cost of travel insurance.

As referenced, typically we do not believe more of your funds are at risk than would be the cost of travel insurance until approximately four to five months before tour departure. At this point, travelers may consider purchasing travel insurance. However, travelers should thoroughly contemplate their concerns regarding not being able to take the intended tour, investigate what insurance would meet that specific concern should it arise, and determine the cost of the insurance.

If they wish to purchase travel insurance, the traveler must pay in full for the tour and take the receipt to a travel insurance provider to have that cost insured. We can recommend travel insurance providers, but AFW does not contract with a specific company or agency.

Potential registrants or registered travelers can contact us to discuss these issues further.