Whether you’re just traveling with your camera gear for a long-awaited vacation, work, or your photography business, you’ll want to make sure your photography and videography equipment is covered in the event of loss, damage, or theft.
Here’s everything you need to know about camera insurance for travel.
Keep Reading to Find Out
What You Will Learn
How to Insure a Camera for Travel
If you’re shopping around for camera equipment insurance ahead of an upcoming trip — whether business or leisure — you’ll have two options:
- Camera insurance
- Travel insurance
The first will cover your camera gear specifically, while the second will cover you in travel-related situations in general. Which is right for you? Here’s what to consider.
When to buy a camera insurance policy for travel
If you’re specifically worried about potential damage to your camera gear, a camera insurance policy can keep your gear protected (or at least refund you in case of an issue).
Camera insurance protects you in the event of
- Damage to your gear, either during your trip or during transit
- Theft of your gear
- Vandalism
However, a camera insurance policy won’t just protect you during your trip. It’ll save you when you’re at home as well, making this a smart purchase if you frequently use your camera on shoots or outside the home (where a homeowners or renters insurance policy won’t cover you, as it may for other electronics, like laptops).
That said, if you have an existing camera insurance policy, don’t just assume you’re good to hit the road and will be covered under any circumstances. Before purchasing camera insurance for travel, or relying on an existing policy for travel coverage, check a few things. For the best protection, your policy should cover you:
- During travel, in general
- In the destination where you’re traveling (not all policies cover travel to all countries)
- If an airline loses your gear
Also, check out your policy’s requirements for filing a claim related to incidents that occur while traveling. You may be required to show proof, for example, that you filed a theft report with the police in your destination if you want to file a claim for camera theft. Or, you may find that your policy doesn’t cover you if your gear is confiscated by airport security.
When to buy travel insurance for camera equipment
In addition to purchasing camera insurance that will protect you while you travel, you can also buy travel insurance that will protect your camera gear. This is a good option if you already have existing photography equipment insurance that doesn’t cover you while you travel or if there’s any other reason you don’t need broader coverage at home.
Again, though, just like you don’t want to blindly trust an existing camera insurance policy to cover you while you travel, you don’t want to blindly trust a current travel insurance policy to protect your camera gear.
Before using an existing travel insurance policy or buying a new one with your camera equipment in mind, check to see that the insurance company will:
- Cover your gear’s total value (for example, some policies might only reimburse you up to $1,000 if your camera is stolen, but professional photographers will tell you that most gear costs more than this)
- Cover your equipment if an airline loses it or damages it
- Cover your equipment if it’s stolen
Unfortunately, most standard travel insurance policies won’t cover electronics if they’re accidentally damaged (like if you drop your camera while sightseeing).
Another option?
While the above two options — either travel insurance that covers your electronics or camera insurance that covers you while you travel — are your primary options, there is another route. You can buy photography insurance or photography business insurance that’s intended for businesses that travel. Of course, to take advantage of this, you do need to be a legitimate business and professional photographer. This option won’t work for you if you’re just a hobby photographer. For businesses, though, these policies can be tailored to your more exact needs and will cover higher-value items.
Will My Existing Business Insurance Cover Traveling with Camera Equipment?
Suppose you’re a professional photographer with an established business. In that case, you may think that you can use your existing business insurance to cover travel-related issues that arise with your camera equipment, but this is a dangerous assumption. If you only have liability coverage, you won’t be covered if your gear is stolen, lost, or damaged while traveling. Liability coverage is only there to keep you (and your assets) safe if a third party makes a claim against your business.
Going Beyond Equipment Insurance
Even the most robust insurance coverage will only cover you under some circumstances, and even with insurance coverage, you likely still don’t want to damage or lose your gear. Not only is filing a claim a headache while traveling, but you also want to be able to use your camera gear during your trip (especially if it’s for work). Therefore, go beyond your equipment insurance and take smart steps to keep your gear safe while traveling.
Pack your gear in your carry-on bag.
Don’t leave your pricey camera equipment at the mercy of the airline (have you seen how they throw those bags around?). Instead, take your gear with you in your carry-on bag.
Don’t take questionable items on the plane.
Similarly, since most travel or camera equipment insurance policies won’t cover you when TSA takes equipment, leave anything that looks a little questionable at home. While you may know that your boom mic is perfectly safe, the average TSA employee might not.
Keep your gear in (your) sight.
While it shouldn’t need to be said, it does. When traveling, it’s oh-so-easy to lose sight of your gear. You take out your camera to snap a few photos and get caught up in the moment, and you absentmindedly leave your backpack open and available to any passing, savvy thief who knows the value of that expensive lens you just bought.
Keep your gear in sight (or, even better, on your person) at all times, or leave it in the hotel room safe.
Camera Insurance for Travel FAQs
Still have more questions about buying camera insurance for travel? We’ve got answers.
- How much does camera insurance cost?
How much is camera insurance? You might be surprised at how little camera insurance costs relative to how much coverage it provides. For minimal one-time or monthly fees, you can keep your gear protected from the most common problems.
- What does camera equipment insurance cover?
Camera equipment insurance coverage differs according to policy but generally covers theft, loss, damage, and vandalism, with a few caveats.
- Will my current business insurance policy cover my equipment while traveling?
You’ll need to buy a specific insurance policy to cover either camera gear or travel (or both). General liability coverage for your business will not keep your gear protected.
Make Sure You're Covered While You Travel
Beyond electronics, there are many other valuable items you travel with that your general travel insurance might not cover. Take jewelry, for instance. What would you do if you come back to your hotel after a day of busy sightseeing, only to look down and realize you’d lost your engagement ring or a prized family piece?
Luckily, BriteCo offers worldwide coverage, protecting you and your favorite jewelry from damage, loss, theft, and mysterious disappearance, no matter where you go. See why our 5-star jewelry insurance policies are better than the rest, and get your quote today.
Also Check:
A Jeweler’s Guide to Traveling with Expensive Jewelry
How to Photograph Jewelry for Insurance Purposes?
Video camera equipment insurance: Why you need it
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