About SaharaTrek • Travel Advisor Insurance & Protection
Travel Advisor Insurance Is Now Maryland Law. Here Is What Already Protects You With Us.
On October 1, 2026, a new Maryland law took effect: anyone selling travel to a Maryland resident must now carry at least $1 million in professional liability and errors-and-omissions coverage. At first, our reaction was relief. Finally, a floor. Our second reaction was the one this article is about: a floor is not a house. Travel advisor insurance pays after something has gone wrong. The things that stop it going wrong look different, though, and SaharaTrek has had them in place for most of 25 years.
This piece belongs to our About SaharaTrek series, where we explain how the company actually runs. For the traveler’s side of the insurance question, read our honest guide to travel insurance for Morocco.
What Maryland’s Travel Advisor Insurance Law Requires
The law is called the “Don’t You Worry (Wurie) Act,” and the trade magazine Luxury Travel Advisor covered it the day it took effect. The requirement is simple: a travel provider who sells to Maryland residents must hold at least $1 million in professional liability and errors-and-omissions insurance. It also does not matter where the advisor sits. If the client lives in Maryland, the rule applies.
That is a genuine step forward, because most states have nothing of the kind. However, the same article asked the obvious question: is travel advisor insurance enough? The president of the American Society of Travel Advisors, Zane Kerby, answered bluntly. In his words, “Anyone can go and get an insurance policy and an IATA number.” A travel-law attorney quoted in the piece went further, warning that without a competence standard for who books these trips, the industry is opening a Pandora’s box.
Two numbers from the article also stayed with us. To begin with, a Chase Travel survey of more than 4,000 travelers found that 60 percent of Gen Z and Millennial travelers want to use a travel advisor. Meanwhile, only about 1,500 of ASTA’s 25,000 members hold its voluntary Verified Travel Advisor credential. In other words, demand for expert help is rising faster than any proof of expertise.
Our View: A Policy Is a Floor, Not a House
Of course, we carry insurance, and we think every travel seller should. Still, a policy is a promise to pay after a mistake. It does not know which riad in Fez has a new owner, which mountain road closed last week, or which driver you can trust with your parents. Those things are known only by people who keep going back.
So when a new client asks whether we are insured, we say yes and then keep talking. Because the honest answer to “what protects me?” is a list, and travel advisor insurance is near the bottom of it. We would rather never need our policy at all.
What Has Been in Place at SaharaTrek for Years
So here is the full list, in the order we think it matters.
Why We Still Say “Buy Travel Insurance” When We Are Insured
People sometimes hear “licensed, bonded and insured” and assume they are covered for anything. In fact, they are not, and no honest advisor should let that impression stand. Our policy answers for our errors. It cannot, for example, refund a trip you cancel because you broke an ankle at home, fly you to a hospital in Casablanca, or replace a suitcase an airline lost in Paris.
That is what trip insurance is for, which is why we recommend it to every traveler, every time, in writing. Travel advisor insurance and travel insurance sound alike, but they protect different people from different things. You want both working for you at the same time. Our guide to travel insurance for Morocco explains what to look for in a policy and what the riads and clinics here actually expect.
Seven Questions to Ask Anyone Who Sells You a Trip, Including Us
Maryland now asks one question on your behalf. We think you should ask seven, and we have put our own answers beside them so you can compare.
| Ask this | SaharaTrek’s answer |
|---|---|
| Are you registered and bonded, and where? | Yes. Florida Seller of Travel #ST43790, which anyone can look up. |
| Do you carry travel advisor insurance? | Yes, and we did before any state required it. |
| How long have you run this destination? | Morocco only, since 1999. |
| When were you last there, and what did you check? | Regularly, and we check the riads, guides, vehicles and transfers ourselves. |
| Who is on the ground, on local time? | Our own Morocco team, plus your driver, as well as a licensed local guide in each city. |
| What is your emergency plan, and will you know where I am? | A plan is in place. And yes, since your itinerary tells us where you sleep every night, we always know where you are. |
| Do you recommend travel insurance, in writing? | Always. It is in the quote, the booking and the pre-departure notes. |
If an advisor hesitates on any of these, then that pause is your answer. For more on how we run a trip day to day, see About SaharaTrek and our terms, which spell out who we can and cannot serve.
Travel Advisor Insurance: Quick Answers
What does Maryland’s new travel advisor insurance law require?
From October 1, 2026, any travel provider selling to Maryland residents must carry at least $1 million in professional liability and errors-and-omissions insurance. It is a financial-protection rule. In other words, it does not test an advisor’s experience or emergency readiness.
Is SaharaTrek licensed, bonded and insured?
Yes. SaharaTrek is a registered and bonded Florida Seller of Travel (#ST43790), IATAN accredited, ARC verified, BBB A+ rated and veteran-owned, and it carries insurance. It has arranged private Morocco tours since 1999.
If my advisor has insurance, do I still need travel insurance?
Yes. An advisor’s policy covers the advisor’s mistakes. Travel insurance, on the other hand, covers your cancellations, medical care, evacuation and lost luggage. SaharaTrek recommends it to every traveler, every time.
Sources
SaharaTrek is a US-based, licensed, bonded, and insured Morocco tour operator with 25+ years of experience. All tours are 100% private with dedicated drivers, licensed local guides, and private vehicles. Details of the Maryland law are as reported by Luxury Travel Advisor on October 1, 2026; this article is not legal advice.
