Mexico is a great place to get away for spring break (or “Spring Break!”), or for a winter escape from the office. It offers sunny destinations like Cozumel and Cancun that seem like they’re just what the doctor ordered for relaxation and escape. That’s why it’s important to make sure you get maximum relaxation out of the trip and avoid some of the potential problems that might arise with travel to Mexico. Travel insurance for a trip to Mexico can be a good first step to avoiding these bumps.

Mexico travel insurance can cover you if any of your belongings are lost or stolen. Furthermore, if you come down with a nasty stomach virus or other illness or injury, you may require medical evacuation so that you may be treated at home.  While you’ll probably be one of the many thousands of tourists who enjoy a trouble-free vacation in Mexico, it’s always good to prepare for adverse situations.

Also, considering some of the happenings at locations like Cancun during spring break it’s good to have insurance that covers accidental injuries, whether you are at fault or not.  If you are a student, you should be able to get short or long term student travel insurance depending on the length of your stay in Mexico (for instance, if you are spending a semester there to learn Spanish, you’ll need longer-term insurance).  Remember, of course, that even though spring break might feel like one giant party, bad things can still happen. Take appropriate precautions like staying with trusted friends and knowing your limitations.

Be aware that travel insurance may not cover injuries received from risky activities such as scuba diving or bungee jumping.  In some cases, you may be able to obtain a rider that will provide coverage if you do plan to engage in any of the more adventurous pastimes available in Mexico. Mexico can be a great place for outdoor activities, such as exploring archaeological sites, snorkeling, climbing volcanoes, caving, and sailing; remember that it’s imperative to choose coverage that will still work even if you have injury or loss resulting from one of these types of activities.

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To make the most of any trip, even if you’re going on a group tour, a good guidebook is a must. Fodor’s and Frommer’s are both good choices, geared towards travelers with a mid-to-higher range budget. Rick Steves, also a popular choice, offers books with more of an emphasis on getting off the beaten path. Dorling-Kindersley puts out beautifully illustrated travel guides that will make you drool and vow to go everywhere that they’ve written about, but these books can really weigh you down on a walking tour. Blue Guides are low on logistical info like hotel costs, but having one is like having a private tour guide for sights both great and small.

Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Moon Guides, and Footprints are all geared towards adventurous people with a variety of budgets. Lonelyplanet.com has a plethora of resources for travelers, including the ever-popular Thorn Tree, where you can get practically any travel-related question answered within hours (just search by topic first to make sure that the question is not an oft-repeated one.) Let’s Go guides, edited by Harvard students, are known for scouting out the cheapest possible accommodation and food, although they do include a range of choices. If you’ve traveled as a student, chances are you recall this yellow-spined favorite.

Your local library or bookstore will also have great, inspiring travel classics by such authors as Eric Newby, Bruce Chatwin, Pico Iyer, and Beryl Markham. For U.S. travel, Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon is a classic, and paints a compelling picture of an all-but-vanished America. For a humorous look at travel in the U.S. and elsewhere, check out Bill Bryson. For comedic and sometimes harrowing stories of travel gone horribly awry, search “travel humor” at Amazon. You’ll come up with a long list of anthologies devoted to travel. Some will make you vow never to leave your comfy chair again, while others may inspire you to quit your job and be a nomad. You have been warned.

For further inspiration, visit the National Geographic website, which has amazing photography and interactive features. TripAdvisor.com offers tremendously useful information on accommodation and dining, whether you’re traveling far or staying close to home. If you want to blog your own trip, Travelblog.org and Bootsnall both offer opportunities for you to stay wired to friends and family while you’re away. They can also be an excellent resource for trip planning, as you can read blogs and see breathtaking pictures taken by travelers all over the world. Even if your next vacation is months away, you can still plan for your next great adventure.

Photo by: malias

There are many ways to purchase travel insurance for your next trip, but there are many benefits to buying your travel insurance online. This article will go over the different advantages of purchasing travel insurance online.

Why should you buy travel insurance online?

1. Immediate and accurate quotes
2. Buying travel insurance online is instant
3. Access to your policy information

Buying travel insurance online give you immediate and accurate quotes
When you go online to purchase travel insurance, you benefit by getting immediate and accurate quotes for your specific trip. Whether you purchase the policy directly from the travel insurance company, or use a comparison engine, you are getting a real-time quote that is unique and accurate for your trip details.

Many insurance “quote” sites (home, auto, life, etc.)  ask you to enter your information, only to say that someone will contact you shortly with a quote. That usually means they have sold your “lead” information to several companies or agencies, and each one will call or email with a quote. Sometimes this happens the same day; sometimes it will take days or you will never get your quote at all.

Travel insurance is designed to be quoted and purchased online. Since it is a temporary insurance product, the “underwriting” process is simpler and immediate issuance is available. So, if you are looking for travel cancellation insurance, you enter your trip information, some personal information like age and place of residence, and they can give you an accurate quote to the penny.

Buying travel insurance online is instant
As mentioned above, the “decision” process for travel insurance is simplified because it is a temporary product. You aren’t buying a 30-Year Term Life policy, so they don’t need to know about smoking habits, etc. You simply provide your trip information, some personal information, get your quote, and buy right away using a credit card.

You heard correctly. You can use a credit card to purchase a travel insurance policy online. When you find the right policy, simply enter your card information on the secure payment page and purchase the travel insurance plan. You will typically receive an email confirming your coverage, and many companies will send an actual policy in the mail. (NOTE: A printout of the confirmation email is typically sufficient for proof of coverage, and it also will have emergency contact phone numbers and websites)

Access to your policy information
Another advantage of buying travel insurance online is having 24/7 access to your policy information from anywhere in the world via an internet connection. If you forget your printed policy at home, no problem. If you lose your policy because is was in your stolen suitcase (good thing you have travel insurance!), no problem.

Most travel insurance companies have a special log in area for policyholders where you can review your coverage and access emergency contact information in case on a claim.

Summertime is a very popular travel season, especially for golfers, sportsmen, and other adventure travelers. Many travel insurance plans have exclusions for loss of equipment and other risks associated with adventure travel, so Travel Guard has designed 3 different adventure travel insurance plans to cover those needs.

Tee, Tour, & Travel
This is a package plan that is perfect for travelers who love golfing. The plan includes standard travel insurance coverage such as trip cancellation, interruption, delay, and medical expenses; but it also includes coverage specially included for golfers, including:

• Lost, stolen, or damaged golf equipment
• Non-refundable golf fees if course is closed for bad weather
• Delayed golf equipment (purchase of essential items)

Travel Guard’s Golf Travel Plan features coverage for your lost, stolen or damaged golf equipment. Many standard travel insurance plans exclude coverage for this type of equipment, but golfers understand they have a lot of money invested in their gear. With this plan you are covered for $2,500 worth of lost, stolen, or damaged golf equipment.

Tee, Tour, & Travel also covers non-refundable golf fees if the course is closed within 24 hours due to inclement weather. The covered fees include green fees, cart fees, and caddy fees that are lost due to a trip being canceled for a covered reason.

Furthermore, the plan includes $750 worth of coverage allowing you to purchase necessary items if your golf equipment is delayed for more than 12 hours. So, if you arrive on a Saturday and are still waiting for your lost gear on Sunday, you would have coverage for purchasing necessary items like a bag of rental clubs, accessories, etc.

Sportsman’s Travel Protection Plan
The is a highly customized package from Travel Guard made that is ideal for travelers who love hunting and fishing. Similar to the Golf Plan above, the Sportsman’s plan includes  comprehensive travel insurance coverages like trip cancellation, interruption and delay, and medical expenses, but this plan also features coverage specific to outdoor sports enthusiasts such as:

• Lost, stolen, or damaged sportsman’s equipment
• Refund for a hunting or fishing license if your trip is canceled for a covered reason
• Additional expenses caused by delayed baggage
• Government closures of game reserves or hunting bans

Much like the Tee, Tour, & Travel above, this plan provides $2,500 of coverage for your sporting equipment if it is lost, stolen, or damaged. You have a good amount of money invested in your outdoor gear, you want to be able to protect it.

The plan also covers the cost of lost non-refundable fishing/hunting licenses if the trip is canceled for a covered reason. This is akin to the Tee, Tour, & Travel coverage for green fees, etc.

Again, like the Tee, Tour, & Travel plan, the Sportsman’s Travel Protection Plan provides coverage for the purchase of necessary equipment if your bags are delayed (more than 12 hours). So, if your equipment is delayed more than 12 hours, you would have $750 worth of coverage to purchase necessary items.

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Adventure Travel Protection Plan
This plan is ideal for the traveler looking for an extreme adventure anywhere in the world. This plan is designed with comprehensive travel insurance coverages such as trip cancellation, interruption and delay; medical expense and evacuation plus additional coverages unique to the thrill-seeking traveler. Think of it as an extreme sports travel insurance plan.

The plan is similar to the Tee, Tour, & Travel and the Sportsman’s Travel Protection Plan in that it provides coverage for lost fees, lost/stolen/damaged baggage, and delayed baggage essential item purchase.

The plan is unique in that it provides coverage for many adventure sports activities, from hang-gliding in Mexico to Colorado hiking travel, that are typically excluded in most travel insurance plans, such as:

• Adventure Travel Insurance
• Mountaineering
• Aviation
• Hang-gliding
• Skydiving
• Parachuting
• and Bungee-jumping

Here is a chart showing the standard package plan coverages for the Travel Guard Adventure Travel Insurance Plans:

Product	Tee, Tour, & Travel More Info	Sportsman’s Travel Protection Plan More Info	Adventure Travel Protection Plan More Info
Trip Cancellation
Cancel for Any Reason
Cancel for work Reason
Trip Interruption	150% of trip cost	150% of trip cost	150% of trip cost
Trip Interruption Return Air Only	$750 or 150% of Trip Cost	$750 or 150% of Trip Cost	$750 or 150% of Trip Cost
Coverage for Sickness, injury or death of an Immediate Family Member or Traveling companion
Offers PreExisting Condition Waiver*
Coverage for Financial Default*
Coverage for Terrorism*
Coverage for Unannouced Strike
Coverage for Inclement Weather
Coverage if home is uninhabitable by fire or weather
Coverage for military duty
Kids free
Travel Delay	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500
Missed Connection	$250	$250	$250
Deductible
Emergency Medical Transportation	$500,000	$500,000	$500,000
Optional Umbrella Package
Credit Card Protected
Baggage Delay	$750	$750	$750
Accidental Death and Dismemberment	Optional	Optional	Optional
Extra Coverage	Optional	Optional	Optional
Flight Accident Coverage	Optional	Optional	Optional
Car Rental Collision Coverage	Optional	Optional	Optional
Travel Medical Assistance
Emergency Travel Assistance
Worldwide Travel Assistance
Concierge Services
Business Assistant Services	optional	optional	optional
Roadside Assistance
Coverage for Termination of Employment of Layoff
Coverage for Felonious Assault
Coverage for Traffic Accidents
Fee Refund
Golf Course Closure
Coverage for Government Restrictions or Bans on Hunting Activities

As people in many countries live longer and retire with better health, more and more seniors are traveling farther and for longer periods than ever. Whether you are an experienced traveler, or you have been waiting all your life to take this one special trip, you want your trip to be as safe and enjoyable as possible.

The primary reason to purchase senior travel insurance is to protect themselves from highly expensive medical costs that can occur with a sudden illness or injury.

Our health is more at risk when we travel, not only because our bodies are exposed to a variety of unfamiliar germs and viruses, but also because we have the opportunity to do activities we might not engage in at home.

While a handful of countries have reciprocal health care arrangements with other countries (typically in those countries where health care is subsidized by the government) health care costs are more expensive in some countries than in others.

Furthermore, emergency health care is not covered without travel insurance. So, even if you have an adequate plan at home, it’s important to cover costs that can occur while you are traveling as well.
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As with most travel insurance plans, you can choose comprehensive benefits to cover everything from medical emergencies to lost baggage and concierge services. Or, you can stick with the basics and just obtain emergency medical and evacuation, depending on your needs.


Senior travel insurance coverage that you need to consider
Of course, every plan is different, but most travel insurance plans provide a basic level of coverage including the following benefits:

• Senior travel insurance should include emergency medical, including hospital room and board, and local ambulance services
• Emergency medical reunion to bring a family member to your bedside if you are hospitalized
• Acts of terrorism that occur in destinations on the traveler’s itinerary
• Trip cancellation, interruption, and delays that can occur for a variety of reasons
• Emergency medical evacuations and repatriation
• Return of minor grandchildren traveling without their parents with the insured
• Loss of baggage and personal effects
• AD&D
• Coverage for loss or damage to rental cars
• Pre-existing medical conditions*

Senior Travel Insurance Coverage Matrix

The following table lists the providers who offer travel insurance plans to seniors. Most plans that are designed for seniors offer the same travel protection as the company’s plans for younger travelers, but in some cases with slightly reduced maximums or higher deductibles.

Millions of travelers will attend the summer games in Beijing, China
Later this summer, millions of travelers from around the world will descend on the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China with hopes of seeing Gold medalists and exploring a fascinating new country. This can be a great adventure for travelers young and old, but there are a few things travelers need to be aware of before they go.

Olympic-bound travelers must consider their health and medical safety
Anytime you travel, your health and safety are a concern. Many travelers like to try new things; whether it’s new exotic foods, unusual activities, unfamiliar sights, and various other “foreign-land” adventures. If you are heading to Beijing to see the 2008 Olympics, you will absolutely experience a variety a “new things”. Some will be harmless, but some will increase your risk of getting sick, injured, or ill. New foods, unfamiliar surroundings, or a day-trip adventure could result in any sort of accident.

Health insurance from home won’t cover medical expenses while abroad
When traveling in your home country, a slight mishap won’t cause too much trouble as long as you have health insurance. Your insurance from your home travels with you as long as you are in your home country.

Travelers are surprised, however, to learn that the same coverage that protects them at home will not always travel with them overseas. In fact, most health insurance from the US does not provide coverage once you leave the US, including Medicare. That means that when you leave your home country, you are left with no medical coverage to protect you in case of accidents, illnesses, or sicknesses. An unexpected visit to a foreign hospital can be a scary (and expensive) experience.

Transportation to get an injured traveler home can cost $50,000 or more
The costs of having an accident or getting sick while overseas doesn’t end with the emergency medical care costs. The other downside of needing medical care while abroad is the problem of getting back home. In many cases, an injured or sick passenger cannot simply fly on a commercial airline. They might need a specially equipped medical flight, or even an emergency medical evacuation.

Travelers going to the Olympics in China need travel insurance
The answer is to purchase travel insurance for your Olympic trip to China. A travel medical insurance plan is a temporary policy that covers you for the length of your trip. A good travel medical policy will provide:

• assistance in finding a hospital
• transportation if needed
• translation assistance
• payment for covered expenses

Important! Most travel medical plans even provide coverage that pays for emergency medical evacuation and transportation costs, which can be staggering. Make sure the one you choose provides this!

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In this recent article about travel insurance and bankrupt airlines, I discussed several key elements to consider when purchasing a plan. I have a bonus tip to add, and I think it deserves a stand-alone post.

Why you should never buy travel insurance from an airline, cruise line, or tour operator

When you decide to purchase insurance for your trip, you are entering into a contract with an insurance company. You are promising to pay a certain amount of premium, and they are promising to pay you under certain circumstances (a claim).

In the case of travel insurance, you should always purchase from a third party. Even though your cruise line, airline, or tour operator offers you insurance, it is not the same as purchasing it independently.

Insurance purchased from a travel supplier may not cover financial default (bankruptcy)

There has been a string of airline bankruptcies recently, causing many travelers to shop for travel insurance. For travelers who purchased a plan through their travel supplier, however, there might not be coverage for this situation. Many insurance plans offered by travel suppliers do not cover bankruptcy and financial default.

Always purchase travel insurance from a third party source

It is always wise to purchase travel insurance from a third party source who will provide coverage in the event of bankruptcy, when airlines or other travel suppliers stop service. Don’t be left without coverage when you need it.

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With the rapid increase of airline bankruptcies and cancelled flights, many travelers are relying on travel insurance to protect their investment. Travel insurance provides many benefits, one of which is coverage for the bankruptcy or financial default of a travel provider; including airlines, cruise line, or tour operators.

This travel insurance coverage will provide reimbursement for cancelled travel plans when a travel supplier declares bankruptcy.

Not all travel insurance policies provide this coverage, it depends on the plan. Some provide great coverage for this, some have several conditions that must be met, and other do not provide coverage at all.

Here are 4 essential steps to buying financial default coverage

1. Check your policy to make sure financial default coverage is provided
There are many different travel insurance companies, and each company has several products. Financial default (or bankruptcy) is not covered by all travel insurance policies. Read the policy brochure carefully, or even better the actual policy certificate. Look for a section regarding coverage for bankruptcy or financial default.

The best way to find the policies with the best coverage for financial default is to use a comparison engine. At the end of this article, you will find a table outlining the financial default coverage for all major travel insurance companies and their products.

2. Check the list of “Covered Suppliers” to make sure your airline or tour operator is covered.
Some travel suppliers might not be covered for financial default reasons. Travel insurance companies will define the specific travel suppliers that they will cover for financial default. Look for a “Covered Supplier List” when purchasing travel insurance, and check it to make sure your airline, cruise line, or tour operator is listed.

The travel insurance company must define the specific companies due to the shear number of different providers, and the questionable stability of some of them. It isn’t hard to start a “tour company”, and many of them go out of business.

3. Buy travel insurance as soon as possible
Regardless of the financial default coverage, it is always recommended that you purchase your travel insurance policy as soon as possible to take advantage of all the coverage. This means buying it when you make you first trip payment. There are many reasons to purchase your travel insurance plan as early as possible, and it is specifically important with financial default and bankruptcy coverage.

Most companies require that you purchase the policy within a certain time period; often within 10-15 days of your first trip payment, or within 24 hours of you last trip payment. Check the details of your policy, or consult the table at the end of this article.

The travel insurance company does this to make sure travelers don’t buy coverage after they know about the bankruptcy.

4. Be aware of the “waiting period” for financial default coverage in many travel insurance plans.
Another line of fine print refers to the “waiting period”. This is a period of time after the purchase of your policy when a financial default would not be covered. For example: if a company has a 10 day waiting period, but the travel provider declares bankruptcy 6 days after the effective date of the policy, you would not be covered.

Again, this is done to prevent uninsured travelers from buying coverage after the fact. Oftentimes, the imminent bankruptcy of a company is known to the general public. Without this waiting period, you might hear that your provider is about to declare bankruptcy, and you could buy the insurance hoping to be covered. The purpose of trip cancellation insurance is to cover sudden, accidental, and unknown events. This is why insurance should be purchased as soon as possible, so you can be covered for the longest period of time.

Financial Default Coverage Matrix

Here is a listing of most major travel insurance companies and their individual plans, as well as the financial default coverage provided. Note: It is also important to double check your policy when purchasing; simply use this table as a starting point (see How to Compare Quotes with a Travel Insurance Comparison Site)