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How Can I Find a Doctor in a Foreign Country?

October 10, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

doctor-foreign-countrySometimes travel plans can be subject to change because of unexpected occurrences, and travelers who become victims of such circumstance may not be able to enjoy themselves, or have to cut their travel plans short. Some travelers may experience health problems or sustain injuries while they are traveling in a foreign country, and may feel considerable discomfort or pain. If their injuries or illnesses are serious, they will have to find a doctor immediately.

It may not be easy for travelers to find medical attention in a foreign country, because they may not be able to converse well due to a language barrier and the traveler may not know where medical facilities are located. Before traveling abroad, it is important that the traveler research their destination and locate medical facilities in the event of an emergency. Hotel employees are usually more than willing to suggest a doctor, but their recommendation may not suit one’s budget and medical needs; but do not be afraid to ask for help, most locals are happy to point travelers in the right direction. Depending on the area of travel, the cost of medical care may fluctuate. Therefore, it is important for them to have a connection with a person who can make suitable recommendations.

One of things that travelers can do to ensure that they will not experience financial troubles when they become sick or injured in a foreign country is to get travel medical insurance. A travel insurance policy does not only provide reimbursement for medical expenses incurred during travel; it also ensures that travelers will have access to reliable assistance during times of emergency. A good travel insurance company provides policyholders with information about how to get the best medical and emergency services in almost every country around the world. It also has dedicated multi-lingual representatives who can understand the needs of travelers and help them locate suitable doctors in foreign countries.

When you are searching for a travel insurance plan, you should find out if the insurance company of your choice offers medical referral and provides coverage in the area of the world you would be traveling. Most of the leading insurance providers offer this service, and it is a good idea for you to obtain insurance from these companies. Also, make sure that the policy that you are planning to purchase provides adequate compensation for medical expenses, so that you will not end up having to use your own money to pay for your medical treatment.

Filed Under: Learning

Does Flight Insurance Cover Helicopter Flights?

October 9, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

flight-insurance-helicopterIf you are vacationing in a place where helicopter tours are available, you may want to take the opportunity to experience the thrill of riding in a helicopter. A helicopter tour is fun and exciting, and it offers a spectacular bird’s eye view of the wonderful sights that can be found in your travel destination. Helicopters are considered a safer generally a safe form of transportation. Nevertheless, when helicopter accidents do happen, the consequences can be tragic. Therefore, you should make sure that you are properly insured against helicopter accidents if you are planning to go on helicopter tours during your vacation.

One thing you have to know is that ordinary flight insurance only covers air travel, and it does not provide protection against accidents that occur during helicopter flights. There are very few insurance companies that offer helicopter flight insurance, because most vacationers do not go on helicopter tours. If you spend some time searching on the Internet, you should be able to find a travel insurance provider that has a special coverage for helicopter tours. Before you decide to purchase helicopter flight coverage, you should find out from the helicopter tour operator if it provides insurance for its customers. Some helicopter tour companies carry public liability insurance, and their insurance companies will provide compensation for all customers who are involved in accidents that happen during their helicopter tours. Nonetheless, you should ask your helicopter tour company how much compensation they will be paying in case of accidents, so that you will know whether it is necessary for you to get extra coverage.

If you are planning to obtain helicopter flight insurance from an insurance company, you should make sure that the coverage offers sufficient compensation. Helicopter accidents can result in very serious injuries, and victims may have to undergo extensive medical treatment. In an affluent country that has high medical costs, treatment for serious injuries, such as fractures or brain injuries, costs at least thousands of dollars. If you do not have a travel insurance policy and you get involved in a helicopter accident, you may have to pay your hospital bills up front. This can turn a fun and wonderful holiday into a nightmare. If you are well insured against helicopter accidents, you can get partial or full reimbursement for your hospital bills.

Filed Under: Learning

Does Cruise Insurance Cover My Belongings if the Ship Sinks?

October 8, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

cruise-insuranceSpending several days or weeks onboard a cruise ship is a wonderful way to relax and have fun. Cruise vacations are usually safe, and it is almost unheard of that a cruise ship sinks. Nonetheless, you should still take the necessary precautions to ensure that you are protected against any incident that may happen during your trip. As such, you should obtain a cruise insurance plan before you leave for your cruise trip.

A cruise insurance policy for cruise-goers will give you protection against many different types of misfortunes that may occur onboard a cruise ship. In the event that you become injured or sick during your cruise vacation, you will need to get treatment on the ship. Onboard medical service is usually more expensive than medical care offered by normal hospitals, and you can get reimbursement for money that you spend on medical treatment if you have travel insurance. If the cruise ship sinks and you lose your baggage and other belongings, the insurance company will pay you compensation amount that is close the total value of your lost possessions. Your cruise insurance may also include benefits such as trip cancellation and emergency evacuation. If you feel that the compensation amount that is offered by your insurance provider is not sufficient, you can pay a little more to raise the level of coverage.

You can find numerous insurance companies that provide coverage for cruise travelers on the Internet. It is advisable that you make comparisons of offers from a few different companies first before you make a purchase. Look at the prices, coverage options, compensation amounts, travel assistance services, and reputations of the companies, and then decide which policies are most suitable for your specific situation. You should be careful if you are planning to buy cheap travel insurance policies, because such policies may not give you the level of protection you need; the best policy is one that offers good value for your money. Make sure that you are buying from a reputable provider. Leading insurance companies offer plans that cater to the specific needs of cruise travelers, and they are capable of processing claims efficiently and providing very good travel advice and emergency services.

Filed Under: Learning

How Close To Date to Buy Travel Insurance

October 7, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

how-close-to-date-buy-travel-insurancePeople make extensive plans and invest considerable amounts of money to make their trip a success, and they expect everything to go as smoothly as possible. As long as flights arrive and depart on time and travelers follow their itineraries closely, it is likely that they will have a positive travel experience. Nevertheless, not every vacation turns out that way. Certain unforeseen obstacles may arise, and they can cause serious trouble for travelers. Such situations may include illnesses, accidents, criminal victimization, emergencies that result in cancellation or curtailment of travel. To prevent these situations from ruining a trip and incurring financial damages, travelers should protect themselves by obtaining a travel insurance policy.

Travel insurance is one of things that travelers should consider getting before going on a trip. If properly insured, travelers may receive substantial financial recovery for charges or damages that occur during travel. Most travel insurance plans feature coverage options such as medical expenses for the treatment of sicknesses and injuries, loss of vacation investment due to trip cancellation, financial damages suffered because of loss baggage or personal possessions, and expenses for medical evacuation. Depending on the type of activities planned, the place visited, the travel insurance provider, the coverage that is provided by a standard travel plan may or may not be sufficient. To make sure that you will have optimal peace of mind while you are traveling, travelers can add coverage options to a policy or upgrade existing ones.

Travelers can either purchase travel insurance from an insurance company in your neighborhood, or one of the many providers on the Internet. If you are planning to purchase a travel insurance plan online, all you have to do is complete an application form at the insurance company’s website and make payment with a credit card. It is advisable that travelers purchase their policy as early as possible; avoid waiting until the last minute. If circumstances do not allow you to make your purchase early, it is possible for you to buy a plan just before the day of your departure. Travelers will only be reimbursed for losses that occur after your travel insurance is in effect. In the event that you are caught in an emergency, you have to use your own money to pay for whatever expenses that are incurred first, and then reimbursement may be provided by the insurance provider afterward.

Filed Under: Learning

How to choose trip and travel insurance

October 6, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

choose-trip-travel-insuranceTo ensure that you have a successful trip, there must be adequate planning. Prior to your trip, you should already have finalized your travel itinerary, bought your air tickets, booked your accommodations, and most importantly, obtained travel insurance. Nowadays, there are so many different types of trip and travel insurance that it may not be so easy to choose the best travel insurance policy for your purpose. Here is a little advice so you know how to choose trip and travel insurance.

Firstly, you have to know what type of traveler you are. If you are going on a short trip for a vacation or an emergency trip, a single trip travel insurance policy will offer enough coverage for your purpose. For people who need to travel constantly due to their work requirements or any other reason, it is more logical to get multi trip travel insurance. It can be frustrating to buy 20 single trip policies in a year when you can easily buy an annual trip travel insurance, which covers all the traveling you do during the insured period. One important note is to ensure that you remember to renew the policy when it has expired.

Next, you have to decide the type of coverage you need. As many well-seasoned travelers know, the basic travel insurance does not offer very good coverage when it comes to medical or health matters. For instance, basic travel insurance seldom covers emergency evacuation, which can be extremely expensive. There is also the matter of long-term medical treatment in case you get involved in a serious injury; this is why many travelers choose to purchase travel medical insurance.

Some travelers will stick to their travel plans no matter what happens. Some travelers may have to cancel or delay their trips for one reason or another. Basic travel insurance will cover most of the usual traveling risks like lost baggage, cancellation of flights due to bad weather conditions or political upheavals, accidental death or injury. Sometimes, travelers may want to cancel a trip for some other reason, which may not be normally covered. For this purpose, it is a good idea to get any cancellation trip insurance that allows you to recuperate your losses if you want to cancel your trip for any reason.

There are many other types of travel insurance. Make it a point to discuss with your travel insurance agent to ensure you get the best coverage.

Filed Under: Learning

How to renew annual trip insurance

October 5, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

renew-annual-trip-insuranceWhen people go on vacations, they have to be prepared for certain unforeseen incidents to happen. Accidents, illnesses, and thefts are some of the things that can ruin vacations, and they can also cause serious financial damages. To protect themselves against unexpected financial losses, travelers should make sure that they are properly insured before they go on their vacations.

Some people travel more often than others, and they have to spend a substantial amount of money to get travel insurance for every trip they make. A better option for frequent travelers is to purchase an annual trip travel insurance plan. This type of plan offers the same benefits as a single trip travel insurance plan, but it is valid for any number of trips in a year. Instead of purchasing several single trip policies, travelers can save money by getting an annual trip plan. An annual trip policy is a more cost-effective option for those who are planning to travel more than two times every year.

Travelers who purchased an annual trip travel insurance policy have to keep track of the expiry dates of their policies. The plan will expire exactly one year after the time of purchase. Most insurance companies offer two renewal options for policyholders, and they are the auto-renewal option and the non-auto-renewal option. Those who choose auto-renewal do not have to take any action to renew their policies, because their insurance providers will automatically renew the policies for them and debit the premium amount from their credit or debit cards. They will also receive a notice of renewal from their insurance companies. This option is suitable for people who are certain that they will be traveling frequently for at least a few years.

The non-auto-renewal option gives policyholders the choice to cancel or renew their annual trip plans. A notice of cancellation will be sent to the policyholders 10 days or one month before the time of expiry, and they have to inform their insurance companies whether they want to renew their policies or not. If they fail to take any action before the date of expiry, their policies will be cancelled.

Some insurance providers require their customers to renew their annual trip travel insurance policies by mail or in person, while others offer the option of online renewal. If you are renewing by mail or in person, all you have to do is follow the instructions that are provided in the notice of renewal that you receive from your insurance company. For online renewal, you have to go to your insurance provider’s website and fill in an insurance renewal form.

Filed Under: Learning

Terror Alert Europe and Travel Insurance

October 4, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

terror-alert-europeWith the recent alert from the US Department of State regarding the terror alert in Europe, many travelers are unsure of whether or not travel insurance would cover such a situation.

Will travel insurance cover me if I cancel for the European terror alert?
If you have a standard travel insurance policy (without Cancel for Any Reason see below) a terror alert is not a covered reason for cancellation. Every travel insurance policy specifically spells out what is a covered reason for cancellation and what is not, and in general terror alerts are not.

Is there any type of travel insurance plan that would cover the terror alert europe?
As mentioned above, terror alerts and warnings are generally not a covered reason for cancellation with travel insurance. Many companies, however, offer policies with a special feature called “cancel for any reason”. This upgrade, which costs more premium, will allow the traveler to cancel their trip for any reason and receive the majority of their trip costs. There is usually a minimum time period prior to the trip in which you can cancel, such as 48 hours (which is meant to prevent travelers from purchasing the plan specifically to cancel).

What will travel insurance cover in regards to terrorism?
Even though a terror alert or warning is generally not a covered reason for cancellation, there is “terrirism coverage” included with many travel insurance policies. An actual “Terrorist Incident” is generally a covered reason for cancellation.

For example, here is the official language from Travel Guard’s Platinum plan: “Terrorist Incident” means an act of violence, that is deemed terrorism by the United States Government other than civil disorder or riot (that is not an act of war, declared or undeclared) that results in Loss of life or major damage to property, by any person acting on behalf of or in connection with any organization which is generally recognized as having the intent to overthrow or influence the control of any government.

Filed Under: Learning

How to buy lost unclaimed airline luggage online baggage center

October 4, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

Unclaimed Baggage CenterEvery vacationer hopes that they will have a smooth and enjoyable traveling experience, but sometimes, things do not turn out as they planned. Certain incidents can happen before or during a vacation, and they can result in a lot of frustration and significant financial loss. One of the unfortunate things that can happen to travelers is the loss of luggage. Many people who travel by air have their luggage misplaced and sent to incorrect destinations. While most of them manage to get their luggage back after some time, others have to accept the fact that they will never see their bags again.

Loss luggage can result from the incompetence of airline or airport staff, personal carelessness, or theft. Most of the time, the airline’s baggage handlers are responsible for loss baggage. They either mistakenly place the bags in certain places in the airport or send them to a wrong destination. When such errors occur, the airline will take measures to reunite the bags with their owners. Usually, a global luggage tracing system will be used for this purpose. If nobody shows up to claim the bags after three months, the airline will either donate them to charities or send them to a facility where they will be sold to the public.

Most of the luggage pieces that are permanently lost in the United States will be delivered to the Unclaimed Baggage Center, which is situated in the city of Scottsboro in Alabama. This center is a 40,000-foot facility that specializes in selling unclaimed baggage, and it attracts many people who are looking for a good bargain. The items in the store are sold at prices that are much lower than their original costs, and shoppers can be assured that they will get great value for their money. Shopping in this place is a wonderful adventure because many interesting items are available for purchase. In the past, the staff at the center had uncovered treasures such as a Barbie doll with a roll of bills worth $500.00 stuffed inside, a camera that was designed for the Space Shuttle, an F16 guidance system worth about $250,000, and others.

The Unclaimed Baggage Center does not offer customers the option of buying its products online. If you want to buy unclaimed luggage in the US, you have to travel all the way to Scottsboro. Nonetheless, you can be sure that the shopping experience will be worth the trip. Whether you are going there by air or road, you should make sure that you have the necessary travel insurance coverage. A travel insurance policy will give you the peace of mind you need to enjoy your trip.

Filed Under: Learning

How to find lost luggage with an airline

October 3, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

lost-luggage-airlinePeople who go traveling expect things to go according to plan. In most cases, vacations do turn out as planned, and most travelers have pleasant memories of their holidays. Nevertheless, unforeseen circumstances can occur during the course of a vacation, and they can cause considerable distress for travelers. One of the unexpected things that can happen during travel is the loss of luggage.

In recent years, airlines and airports have taken serious measures to reduce the occurrences of loss luggage, and their efforts have been very successful. Presently, only about 0.005% of all checked luggage pieces are permanently lost, but since the number of people traveling by air has increased dramatically in the past few years, the small percentage actually represents a significant number of luggage units. Losing luggage can be a terrible experience, because travelers may lose some personal items that are irreplaceable as well as valuable items that need a lot of money to replace. It is not surprising that a loss luggage can incur financial damages that are worth tens of thousands of dollars. Some travelers keep expensive things such as jewelry, laptops, electronic gadgets, antiques, and costly sports equipment in their bags, and they will suffer great financial loss if they lose their bags.

If you lose your luggage during air travel, you should report the loss to the lost luggage claim counter immediately. Most lost luggage pieces are only temporarily misplaced, and it may take the baggage claim staff a few hours or days to recover them. While you are waiting for them to locate your luggage, you may receive complimentary food and drinks from the airline. If you spend money on things such as clothes, toothbrush, towel, razor, and other necessities, which are related to the loss or delay of your luggage, you can get reimbursement from the airline. Meantime, the airport will check every lost luggage piece that is sent to its office. If your luggage is delivered to the office and it contains a tag or document that shows your identity, the airline will contact you immediately. Bags that do not have any identification will be kept in the office, and descriptions of them will be posted in an international luggage tracing system. If you have not received news about your lost luggage after a while, you can search for your luggage in the system.

In the event that a luggage piece is permanently lost, the airline will reimburse the owner, but usually, the compensation amount is far from satisfactory. As such, it is important for you to obtain a travel insurance plan that includes loss luggage coverage. With a travel insurance policy, you can be assured that you will receive adequate compensation if you lose your luggage.

Filed Under: Learning

How to file a travel insurance claim

October 2, 2010 By Damian Tysdal

Travelers have to be prepared to deal with certain unfortunate incidents that can happen during their vacations, and one of the best precautions that they can take is to buy a travel insurance policy. When insured travelers get involved in accidents that incur financial damages while they are traveling, they can file for compensation claims with their insurance companies. Filing a travel insurance claim can be a complicated process, and it involves substantial paperwork and extensive communication with an insurance company. Nevertheless, travelers can make compensation claims with greater efficiency and efficacy by following these tips.

Right after you have purchased your travel insurance, you should read through the entire policy to find out the types of coverage that are included in your plan, as well as the terms of the policy and the rules that apply to compensation claims. When you encounter an unfortunate incident during your vacation, you should inform your insurance company right away, so that you can start working on your claim sooner. In addition, you have to ask the company what kind of claim form you should use. There are different claim forms for different types of coverage in a policy, and submitting a wrong one will slow down the processing of your claim. Then, find out what information and documents you need to provide. Normally, those who file for claims have to submit information such as the name of the travel agency, travel date, mode of transport, and others, as well as documents such as purchase or reservation receipts. After you have submitted all the necessary information and documents, you have to work with the insurance company’s adjuster to verify your claim and calculate the loss. Lastly, you have to keep track of your claim status by monitoring it online or calling the company occasionally.

There are a few different types of claims that you can make, and each of them requires a different set of documents. If you are filing for medical expenses claim, you have to provide information about the treatment and prescriptions you received, as well as receipts for all medical expenses that were incurred. For flight delay or cancellation claim, you need to produce proof of travel, a copy of your airline ticket, and an estimation of the total amount of money lost. If you are claiming for loss of baggage, you have to submit a police report, list of items lost, and an estimation of the financial damages incurred.

Filed Under: Learning

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About this website

My name is Damian, and I started this website in 2006 to help travelers understand travel insurance.

The site features company reviews, guides, articles, and many blog posts to help you better understand travel insurance and pick the right plan for your trip (assuming you actually need travel insurance).

I am also a licensed travel insurance agent, and you can get a quote and purchase through this site as well.

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