If you're taking a trip this fall, consider travel insurance, especially to hurricane-prone areas

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- We are in the heart of hurricane season and also fall travel season. If you're planning to go away this fall, it's key to consider travel insurance. Though you may think you can easily just cancel, without the right coverage, you may not get your money back.

The first thing you need to know when purchasing travel insurance is that you must buy it before a storm is named to get the benefits.

"Those benefits include things like coverage for mandatory evacuations, so that if you are somewhere and a hurricane is approaching, you're going to be covered for your additional transportation expenses and for your unused expenses that you incurred in getting to your destination," said Jeff Rolander, at Faye, a travel insurance company. "So if you've prepaid for a hotel or something like that, it'll cover that. It'll also cover the change fee and any additional airline expense associated with getting you home."

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Make sure you take a look at the different travel insurance policies, as not all provide the same coverage.

When Hurricane Erin hit North Carolina, several areas at the coast were under mandatory evacuation. Under North Carolina law, travelers scheduled to stay in an area under a "mandatory evacuation" are entitled to a refund. However, if the rental company offers insurance and the traveler refuses it, the traveler may forfeit this right.

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Beyond travel insurance, Rolander offered these tips if you plan to travel this fall to hurricane-prone areas:

"Add a little more padding into your into your schedule or if you're expecting to catch a cruise ship somewhere, give it another day or two so that you arrive at the destination and have a little time before that cruise ship departs rather than counting on the plane arriving exactly when it's supposed to and the cruise ship departing exactly when it's supposed to."

Of course, always read the fine print with any travel insurance policy. Also, look at your credit card as some offer travel protections.

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