Thousands of tourists to other parts of the Caribbean could be affected by the Haitian earthquake, warned Squaremouth.com, a comparison website for travel insurance.

Squaremouth cautioned that travel insurance for upcoming trips in the region may not cover all destinations near the earthquake zone, including the Dominican Republic, which shares a land border with Haiti.

"If you bought travel insurance after Jan. 12, it’s quite likely you won't be covered if something happens while you're traveling to an area affected by Haiti's earthquake," warned CEO Chris Harvey.

Travel insurance policies generally do not cover events related to natural disasters in progress or that have just occurred. Even an approaching hurricane wouldn't be covered if officials have already given it a name, Harvey explained.

The exception is "cancel for any reason" coverage, a catch-all policy that if purchased 14 to 30 days of an initial deposit payment, allows for cancellation of a trip without explanation. Cancel for any reason benefits typically add about 40 percent to the price of insurance and reimburse a maximum of 80 percent of the trip cost.

Customers who bought travel insurance before Jan. 12 should also scan the fine print of their policy for key phrases including "mandatory evacuation," involving an official evacuation order preventing the policyholder from arriving at their destination or forcing an early end to their trip.

Other terms include "complete cessation of a common carrier," referring to an airline, cruise line, bus, rail company or any other travel supplier that has completely halted service to a disaster zone. Another catchphrase includes "accommodation at destination made uninhabitable," applicable if a hotel is destroyed by an earthquake or other natural disaster. Often, the disaster has to happen within a set time frame prior to departure to qualify for coverage.

The wording in those three instances can radically affect the payout of a policy. For instance, an airport needs to be out of service with flights entirely shut down for 24 to 48 hours depending on the policy before reimbursement kicks in. "You could spend a harrowing 48 hours trying to get in or out of a country that’s dealing with a disaster, and it’s all on you," Harvey said.

Travelers to the Dominican Republic and neighbouring countries should check their policy's wording as well.

"If you're a certain distance away from the earthquake zone, you may not be covered," Harvey cautioned.

Some benefits that don't even specifically refer to earthquakes or natural disasters could apply in this case. Emergency medical and medical evacuation coverage, for example, may be available to people who traveled to Haiti and were injured during the disaster. There may also be reimbursement available to travelers who were in Haiti during the earthquake, but couldn't continue their trip because of injury, for example.

Harvey recommends buying travel insurance policies that come with diverse, overlapping benefits.

"It's the best way to ensure that after a disaster, you'll be covered in some form or another," he said.