3 reasons to buy insurance for your last-minute trip

December 14, 2006 By 5 Comments

3 reasons to buy insurance for your last minute trip

You can get some great deals on airfare and hotels by taking advantage of last minute offers. Oftentimes, airlines and hotels have not sold out and are willing to offer huge discounts just to fill the empty spots. This is great for travelers who have some spare time or flexible schedules. But why would you want travel insurance for a last minute trip?

1. Last minute trips are very cheap to insure because you don’t need cancellation coverage

Since it is last minute, you’re pretty sure there is not going to be an accident or illness that causes the trip to be canceled. Trip cancellation coverage is one of the most popular reasons for buying trip insurance, but is also a major factor in premium (cost of insurance). Last minute trip insurance provides a lot of coverage for a little money.

2. Medical emergencies, delayed flights, and lost baggage can still ruin a last minute trip

It is also important to think of medical emergencies. Even on a short, last-minute trip, anything can happen and you could end up in the hospital. In many cases, travelers end up needing medical evacuation requiring special flights, equipment, and personnel. Medical evacuation can easily cost up to $100,000, and is paid out-of-pocket without insurance coverage.

Medical emergencies and evacuation account for some large claim amounts, but there are other reasons to insure last-minute trips.

Lost, damaged, or stolen baggage can also cause plenty of headaches. With the current TSA rules about carry on baggage, more people are checking their luggage and taking less aboard the plane. That means if there is a lost or delayed bag, you are without clothing and other personal items that you might need. Insurance can pay for you to buy some new clothes and other necessities, and ensure a lost or delayed bag does not ruin your trip.

Missed connections and travel delays can also make your relaxing trip turn terrible. If you are forced to stay overnight because of a missed flight, or change flights and pay extra money, that money is paid out-of-pocket. Travel insurance can help you in this situation, and pay for extra expenses. It will definitely give you some extra peace of mind as you travel.

3. Buy today, fly tomorrow

With easy online quotes and purchasing, you can compare policies and find the best deal, buy online with a credit card, and receive an email confirming your coverage right away. This email will have your policy number and some other information. Print it out and you’re set to go. The insurance company will probably send you an actual card in the mail as well, but once you have confirmation of coverage you are set to fly.

Where can I find last-minute travel insurance?

Travel Guard offers several travel insurance plans including their Pack ‘N Go plan made specially for last-minute trips. It provides coverage for medical emergencies, evacuation, and baggage. Visit travelguard.com to read about Pack ‘N Go and other Travel Guard insurance policies.

SCUBA diving on vacation? Discover which travel insurance is right for you

December 7, 2006 By Leave a Comment

screenshot_3.pngScuba diving guarantees an exciting adventure on your tropical vacation, but comes with risks

Many vacationers who head to the warmer weather decide to take up S.C.U.B.A.(Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving. Many destinations specialize in scuba diving, offering many tours, equipment rentals, and guides.

With the adventure of scuba diving comes additional risk. Any time you are dealing with activities such as this, you are at a higher risk for injury. Even with proper training and diving conditions, it is still riskier than sitting in a chair reading a book (for instance).

Travel insurance is available, but make sure your policy covers scuba diving

Travel insurance is a good idea for most trips, whether you are insuring against the cost of a canceled trip or for medical emergencies while away from home. But how do you know if your travel insurance will cover scuba-related incidents?

All travel insurance policies have a list of exclusions. These are situations in which the policy would not pay. For activities, travel insurance typically excludes injuries resulting from:

• Mountaineering requiring ropes/guides
• Hang gliding
• Parachuting
• Bungee jumping
• Horse, vehicle, or motorcycle racing
• Snowmobiling
• Water skiing
• Snow skiing
• Snow boarding

For scuba diving, different companies have different policies. Some cover scuba diving completely, some cover scuba diving in certain conditions, and others exclude scuba diving all together.

Some travel insurance companies will cover scuba divers. Discover which ones in the table below

Here is a helpful table listing major travel insurance companies and which plans provide coverage for scuba diving. Two companies offer complete scuba diving coverage, Travel Guard and Travel Safe.

Company Product Name SCUBA Diving coverage
Access America All products If accompanied by a dive master and not more than 130 feet deep
CSA Travel Protection Freestyle Not Excluded*
HTH Worldwide TravelGapTrip Protector Limited coverage amounts, must be PADI or NAUI certifiedNot Excluded
IMG Patriot Extreme Covers recreational diving up to 50 meters
M.H.Ross All products Not Excluded*
SRI Liaison Covers scuba diving if PADI or NAUI certified
Travelex All products Must be PADI or NAUI certified or accompanied by a dive master
Must not be more than 130 feet deep
Travel Guard All products Covers recreational scuba diving
Travel Insured All products Not Covered
Travel Safe All products Covers recreational scuba diving

*Not listed under “exclusions”, also not specifically addressed as being covered
Where can I get travel insurance quotes for my scuba diving trip? (see How to Compare Quotes with a Travel Insurance Comparison Site)

Are you prepared for the worst-case scenerio?

December 4, 2006 By Leave a Comment

This story from The Electric New Paper Singapore details an horrific set of circumstances.

A young woman traveling with a group slipped and fell down some stairs at a train station. Since she was towards the rear of the group, it was not discovered until they were on the train and realized she was not with them.

The group was able to exit the train in time and find their friend. She was taken to a hospital for treatment, where she remained for two months.

Her distraught family flew to Japan to take care of her, where she remained unstable in a coma. After two months, the family paid $90,000 for a medical evacuation flight to take her home for further care.

After two additional months of care, she died last Wednesday. She had just turned 33 years old.

Even though money is of no importance to the family after such a tragedy, there is also no need for the additional stress. Their thoughts should be with each other in this difficult time. In the end, that is what is important.

This story truly illustrates that anything can happen.

Family of dead Irishman get a huge Thai hospital bill

November 19, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Here is a story of a family receiving a 50,000 euro hospital bill for their family member, who died after a fall. The hospital will not release the body to be flown home until they pay the bill, and even the repatriation of the mortal remains will cost an additional 5,000 euro.

The man did not have travel insurance, so the family is stuck with the bill.

This is a perfect example of the need for travel medical insurance. Travel medical, also known as international medical, is cheaper than trip cancellation insurance and can provide very basic medical and evacuation coverage.

As you can see in the example above, the costs can be huge. The last thing you want to worry about in such a terrible situation is how you’re going to pay the bills.

Get a quote for travel medical insurance at Insuremytrip.com.

Refund policy lets travelers buy with confidence

November 10, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Can I return my policy for a refund?

So you are planning your trip and researching travel insurance. After browsing a dozen plans, you think you’ve found the right one and are ready to buy. At the last minute though, you get that little hint of hesitation.

It’s natural to have a little anxiety; you want the right policy that will protect your trip, you don’t want to make any mistakes.

Free-look period allows travelers to check out the policy and return for a refund

Package plans from many different companies offer a free-look period. This means you can purchase the plan, get the actual policy and read through it, and return it for any reason for a full refund (minus a small admin fee, usually only 3-5 dollars)

The free-look refund only applies if you have not departed on your trip, and if you have not filed a claim.

The free-look period is usually 10-15 days

Buy the plan and read all the small print. Take your time because most companies offer the free-look period for 10-15 days. This allows plenty of time to look at all the details and make your final decisions.

Check out the free-look policy before buying

Most policies will clearly state the length of the free-look period. Also look for exceptions and fees, such as the small administrative fee stated earlier.

Related links
Look for “real time” travel insurance purchasing
2 Reasons to buy travel insurance when you book your trip
How to find out if pre-existing medical conditions are covered

Here’s a quick way to see if you’re covered on the slopes (for skiers)

November 3, 2006 By Leave a Comment

screenshot_7.pngAs winter approaches, many of you will head to the slopes to do some skiing, snowboarding, or cross-country. Here in New England, Vermonters are getting ready for a great season and everyone is hoping for some early snow.

Does travel insurance cover skiing accidents?

It depends. I know you hate hearing that because it means searching the small print of a dozen insurance policies.

You can use a comparison site that lists policies side-by-side, and can see the coverage provided by each. Look for something called “hazardous sports coverage”.
The problem with this, however, is the different wording of each policy. A general term like “hazardous sports” is not specific enough. Does that mean jumping out of a helicopter on top of a mountain to ski down, or just hitting the green bunny slopes for some casual skiing.

What is the best way to find out what’s covered…quickly?

Here is how you look through all the policies and find out what skiing coverage they offer, without going crazy:

  1. Go to the product page You can do this through a comparison site (see How to Compare Quotes with a Travel Insurance Comparison Site)
  2. View the certificate You should see a button to click and read the certificate, or actual policy wording
  3. Do a search for “ski” Whether you are viewing the policy online, or need to download the PDF, you can search the document for and word. On a Mac, hold Command+F, type in “ski”, and it will search the page for that word and highlight it.

This should take you to the “exclusions” portion of the insurance policy. You should see a section about professional sports, motorsports, sky-diving, etc.

Read within this section to see if skiing is excluded. Some some policies state that all skiing is excluded. Others state that recreational skiing is fine, as long as you are skiing within official boundaries.

The specifics are important here, so check out a few policies. If you are buying the policy specifically for a skiing trip, take the time to read several policies.

If something is not totally clear, call the company and ask specific questions.

« Older Posts
Newer Posts »