Travel Insurance Review

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Can you make a call from a cruise ship?

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cruise ship phoneAt times, when you’re on a cruise, you may need to make contact with folks back home – or those at your destination. Of course, just like the old long-distance calling, making a call from somewhere as remote as the middle of the ocean can be pricey.

Calling from your cellphone

Major cell phone providers offer cruise coverage options that charge a higher-than-normal per minute cost for a voice call from a cruise ship.  Of course, every company and plan is different, so you’ll need to check with your service provider. Often, they’ll have an option that is pro-rated for only those days you plan to be at sea, so you can save money by not adding the service for an entire billing cycle for example.

One caution: stories abound about travelers who’ve been slapped with unexpected roaming charges even when they aren’t using their phones. Be sure you understand how to use the features on your phone to prevent high data charges.

Direct dial from the ship

The cruise ships themselves often have direct dialing options via satellite and many include phones right in your room. Of course, the per-minute charges can range from $6.99 per minute up to a horrifying $15.99 per minute!

Internet access and voice

An alternative – especially on ships where there are pre-paid Internet access options – using Skype’s VoIP service may very well be your cheapest option. Again, it’s important to understand what options your ship offers and ask lots of questions about what charges you will accrue if you do make contact.

Cruise calling tips

USA today recently ran a list of tips for keeping in touch while on a cruise. They include:

  • Calling from the port instead of the ship – it’s cheaper
  • Establish guidelines with those back home – including pesky business partners – on how often you’ll be available
  • Consider establishing rules with your teenager too – especially if you’re still paying their phone bill
  • Remember that in an emergency, contact can always be established, so relax

How are we doing so far this hurricane season?

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hurricane preparationThe National Weather Service Hurricane Center recently released an update on hurricane Emily indicating that she’s having trouble maintaining activity over the mountains of Hispaniola and may soon be downgraded to a tropical storm very soon.

So far, this hurricane season has been rather tame, which is great news for travelers. See the NHC’s 2011 Tropical Cyclone Monthly Summary for the hurricane season to date.

Hurricane Emily update

Let’s not get complacent however!

As you make travel plans between now and the end of hurricane season, which is November 1st, be sure to remember that hurricanes can affect your travel plans by causing airline delays even in areas that are far from the hurricane. You cannot purchase travel insurance with trip cancellation or interruption coverage for hurricane-related travel disasters after the hurricane is named, so it’s important and recommended that you purchase your travel insurance coverage soon after making your travel arrangements.

Check out our Hurricane Resource Center 2011 for questions about hurricanes and how they relate to travel insurance protection.

Travel insurance that includes your furry friends

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traveling dogWe recently found a couple of Travelex plans with unique benefits for loving pet owners who travel with their cat or dog (or both). If your cat or dog accompanies you on a trip, and becomes ill or is injured on that trip, these plans will pay up to $1,000 in emergency medical treatment. This benefit amount is subject to a $50 deductible.

The benefit amount is an aggregate limit for all pets that accompany you on a covered trip, so the coverage amount applies to all the pets you have along with you.

In addition, and just like the return of minor children, these plans will also return your cat or dog back home if they are left unattended due to your hospitalization. This benefit provides up to $10,000 for transportation expenses only. It does not cover kenneling your pet instead if you are hospitalized.

Next time you want to take your furry friend along on a trip, check out our post on safe vacationing with your pet, and take a look at the Travel Select plan or the Travel Max plan by Travelex to ensure your pet is just as safe on your trip as you are.

A travel insurance plan that’s perfect for green travelers

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green travel insuranceNo, we’re not talking about Kermit the frog, we mean all of you who have vowed to make your personal travel more sustainable.

Green travelers have the most trouble with air travel, which has the largest environmental impact. Specifically, a flight from New York to Denver can produce as much carbon dioxide – per passenger – as an SUV produces in a month of regular driving.

Green travelers work to be carbon neutral – even when they travel – and we recently ran across a unique travel insurance plan that’s perfect for all the green travelers out there.

The International Medical Group, or IMG, travel medical insurance company has a unique plan for green travelers. It’s called Patriot Green, and it’s the first we’ve heard of its kind.What’s ‘green’ about it?

  • carbon offset donations
  • paperless invoicing
This plan is available to both U.S. and non U.S. citizens and for individuals and families.
You can read all about the Patriot Green plan from International Medical Group, widely known as IMG, which we’ve only recently begun reviewing here on Travel Insurance Review. Take a look and let us know what you think about it!

Snag a last-minute travel deal? Travel Guard has a great plan for that

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travelguard-pack-n-goYou’ve been working all summer and watching the travel notices every week – hoping for a last-chance summer vacation. Finally, the deal that works for you comes through and you snap it up. A perfect late-summer getaway.

Yes, you are packing to leave immediately, but even last-minute travelers need the essential protections provided by a travel insurance plan and you can have them too! Here are some of the coverages you may find useful:

If you think travel insurance plans are only for those vacations planned months in advance, you’re wrong. Travel Guard has a plan that’s perfect for these spontaneous trips – the Pack ‘N Go plan. It includes all the essentials necessary to keep you safe, and none of the stuff you don’t need – like trip cancellation coverage, because you’re getting on the plane in less than 30 hours!

A few details about this plan:

  • Pack ‘N Go can be purchased anytime before you depart.
  • The list of covered reasons provide adequate coverage for that impromptu getaway.
  • Missed connection and travel delay time frames are short and will help you get to your destination.
  • Plenty of evacuation coverage (just in case) and a good amount of medical coverage too.

With Travel Guard’s unique travel assistance services, you’ll also have emergency travel help if you need it. Read the full Pack ‘N Go plan details here.

This is only a brief description of the coverage(s) available.

The Policy will contain reductions, limitations, exclusions and termination provisions. Insurance is underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., a Pennsylvania insurance company, with its principal place of business at 175 Water Street, New York, NY 10038. It is currently authorized to transact business in all states and the District of Columbia. NAIC No. 19445. Coverage may not be available in all states.

Hints of summer labor strikes as the European summer travel season continues

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summer labor strikesIt’s the summer travel season in Europe and doesn’t it always seem to coincide with a bunch of airport strikes? The union of German air traffic controllers recently cancelled a threatened strike which could have affected thousands of flights. In a separate action, Air France also began advising passengers to verify flight times before they travel since maintenance workers are extending their industrial action over pay disagreements.
Air France was also recently forced to scrap a number of flights due to a separate pilot walkout, which ended on August 1st.So, how does travel insurance protect travelers in the case of labor strikes? Striking workers can affect air travel on a much wider scale than just a single country because what affects one airport causes a ripple effect to others.
Typically, benefits for strike actions are focused in the trip cancellation and trip interruptioncoverage.Let’s take a look at how a couple of travel insurance companies define this benefit. In the Gold plan by Travel Guard, the wording reads:“Strike” means a stoppage of work:
(1) announced, organized, and sanctioned by a labor union and
(2) which interferes with the normal departure and arrival of a
Common Carrier.
This includes work slowdowns and sickouts. The Insured’s Trip
cancellation coverage must be effective prior to when the Strike
is foreseeable. A Strike is foreseeable on the date labor union
members vote to approve a Strike.

In the Select plan by Travelex, we found this wording:

3. arrangements canceled by an airline, cruise line,
motor coach company, or tour operator, resulting
from inclement weather, mechanical breakdown
or organized labor strikes that affect public
transportation.

So, for some travel insurance plans, the effects of a strike can reach into public transportation such as trains and buses as well. Many times, the description of coverage for a travel plan will allow reimbursement benefits for travel delays and missed connections for the same covered reasons listed in the trip cancellation and interruption sections.

The key, however, is that the strike must not be a known event before your travel insurance’s effective date. It’s important to purchase your travel insurance soon after you make your initial travel arrangements so that you have plenty of time to get the policy in effect for instances like this.

Travel disasters and your credit card

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Travel and credit cardsFinancial experts often recommend traveling with your credit card – not your debit card – along with some cash. It’s important to note that not all countries are as card-savvy as others and in some places cash is the only way to go. Either way, traveling without a credit card can spell disaster, and here is why:

  1. If you get sick, your credit card can speed treatment. If you’ve purchased a travel insurance plan with travel medical coverage, sometimes that travel insurance company will guarantee payments to the medical facility to get your treatment moving along, but if not, your credit card will and you can later claim reimbursement from the travel insurance company, depending on the circumstances and your policy’s description of coverage. If your travel medical coverage is secondary to your home health insurance (this is especially true if traveling within your home country), then your credit card can fill the gaps until you can make a claim on your travel insurance policy.
  2. If your wallet is stolen, only the credit cards can be easily replaced. If you’re mugged on the streets of Italy, your first call should be to the local authorities, but your second to the bank issuing your credit card. The best credit card companies will send you a replacement via your lodging address and make sure you are safe for returning home or continuing your trip – that’s part of their customer service. With a debit card, if you contact the bank quickly (typically within 2 days is required), you may get the money the thieves cleaned out of your account back, but you won’t see it the next business day. This could mean sleeping on a park bench for a night or two.
  3. If you’re making foreign purchases, the credit card exchange rates are better. True many credit cards charge you a foreign transaction fee, but it’s still usually cheaper to pay the fees than to convert U.S. dollars to foreign currency because the credit card purchases are exchanged on the interbank exchange rate and currency exchanges are out to make a profit.
Look, credit cards may have a bad rap sheet, but they simply make it easier to rent a car, get cash, secure a hotel room, get medical treatment, and book a flight when traveling.

At least one travel snag where travel insurance really can help

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Flight delaysBudget Travel magazine recently released an article titled “8 Common Air-Travel Snafus (And How to Beat Them)” and we found one of the most interesting and most common problems travelers still face is canceled flights.

Now, when you have to cancel your trip, you could be out loads and loads of money without travel insurance coverage, but if the airline cancels a flight you’re not likely to get a lot of comfort from them.

In fact, in the U.S., if the flight is canceled for a reason that is within the airline’s control, which may include mechanical failure of the aircraft, then you’re likely to receive some compensation – perhaps a meal voucher for one of those airport food vendors. If the flight is canceled for a reason that is not within the airline’s control – say, inclement weather – then you’re on your own.

This is one place where travel insurance really can help – especially for families.

If the delay is caused by a reason that is covered in your travel insurance plan, then you’ll be entitled to reimbursement for meals, additional lodging, and transportation expenses. In some cases, you’ll even be reimbursed for a movie rental to help settle the kids down. In many cases, travel insurance plans provide a daily limit from $100 to $300 per day for a certain number of days (usually up to 5) if your travel plans are delayed more than a certain number of hours (anywhere from 3 to 12).

So, when the airline can’t help, you’re travel insurance can. See our description of travel delay coverage, and a chart that defines the coverage – company by company, plan by plan.