East Hartford, CT, April 19, 2010 – The price of sports championship and hit show are higher than ever in 2010. It is advisable for savvy sports and entertainment travelers to buy event tickets with their trip arrangements from a tour operator authorized to sell and deliver valid tickets prior to departure. Missing a trip due to a last-minute need to cancel can mean a big loss for the grounded traveler with unused event tickets.

Fortunately, traveling fans can fully protect high-priced tickets as an included prepaid expense within a trip they insure under Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption coverage. The coverage is included in each plan from the Worldwide Trip Protector product line from Travel Insured International, Whether the tickets are purchased as part of a travel package or bought separately from the event box office or a ticket service, they can be covered when included in the insured trip cost and prepaid before departure.

A check of ticket sources for 2010 events reveals the high cost of sports and entertainment:

• Tickets for the 2010 U.S. Open Golf Championship (June 17-20) at Pebble Beach, CA start at $110.
• 2010 Oberammergau Passion Play (May 15 – Oct. 3) tickets range from €45 to €150 ($61 to $205) plus fee.
• Ticketmaster© prices online for the Addams Family Musical at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theater range from $51.50 to $126 for a summer weeknight performance and higher on weekends.
• Online ticket prices for a La Scala opera seat in Milan begin at $190.

The www.travelinsured.com/Travel-Insurance/TripCancellation.aspx Trip Cancellation / Interruption coverage included in Travel Insurance for event ticketholders means that if illness, an accident, a job loss, a travel supplier bankruptcy (in most plans), or other covered reason forces them to cancel or cut short their trip, their ticket costs can be reimbursed for the event they were unable to attend.

Processing an event ticket reimbursement claim with Travel Insured International is a smooth process provided required documentation for proof of the ticket purchase is submitted along with the unused tickets. Documented service fees can be reimbursed with the tickets.

Travel Industry Warnings on Ticket Scams

Travel Insured International strongly urges travelers to heed consumer warnings regarding special event tickets. The Department of Transportation 2006 rule governing event tickets sold in conjunction with an airline flight requires the following:

• An entity that offers special event tickets with an airline flight must be in physical possession of a sufficient number of tickets or have a written contract for the tickets.
• The entity’s contract for tickets must be directly traceable to the actual sponsor of the event.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) advises travelers to verify that special event packages include valid tickets, book packages through a qualified travel agent or tour operator with a consumer protection plan, and read the tour brochure’s fine print carefully.