Arriving at CSA’s homepage, you clearly see their quote engine in the “sweet spot” of web design, the top left corner. They ask for very basic information: State of residence, trip cost, trip dates, trip type, and ages of travelers. This takes less than a minute to fill out:

On the quote screen, you will see one column with some of the plan details. Notice how the benefits are stated in actual dollars, based on the trip cost you enter to get the quote. For example: with a total trip cost of $3300, the 150% trip interruption benefit shows $4950 (150% of $3300).

All the standard coverage is here: trip cancellation/interruption/delay, baggage lost/delayed, medical/dental emergencies, medical transport, and air flight accident.

CSA also lists some of their specialized coverage towards the bottom. You will notice some benefits such as pre-existing condition waiver are not available. They do offer an upgrade, to Freestyle Luxe, which will add these additional features as well as higher medical limits. Check the “View Upgrade” box to see the additional benefits and cost of the Freestyle Luxe upgrade:

You can compare the standard Freestyle plan with the upgrade option, Freestyle Luxe. The upgrade includes a pre-existing condition waiver, coverage for supplier financial default, and higher limits on baggage, medical and dental, medical transportation, rental car damage, and the addition of travel accident (AD&D)

Summary: CSA is a very simple, consumer focused company. By making their policy selection easier and removing confusing choices, CSA makes travel insurance a lot less painful.

They also have policy features that are very attractive to everyday travelers, such as higher baggage coverage, and identity theft protection. These are both great selling points.

Go to CSA Travel Protection to get an instant quote

Travel medical insurance for multiple trips provides annual medical coverage for multiple trips throughout the year.

All annual multi trip travel insurance policies have trip length restrictions of either 15, 30 or 70 days, depending on the company and plan. This represents longest period any single trip may be.
Some annual multi trip travel insurance policies include coverage for evacuation, flight, accidental death, limited baggage, and trip interruption. Buying multi-trip insurance will save you thousands of dollars a year in insurance costs.

These policies are travel medical insurance coverage, not “package” plans (trip cancellation). Companies offering annual multi-trip insurance include:

• HTH Worldwide
• International Medical Group
• FrontierMEDEX
• MultiNational Underwriters

One of the nation’s premiere big game outfitters and sport fishing resources, Bluewaterbiggame.com has begun to offer the Air Rescue Card for hunters and anglers.

Travel Assist Newtork’s Air Rescue Card provides emergency medical transportation for cardholders, in the event of an injury or illness while traveling.

The product is perfect for Blue Water Big Game due to their specialized travel packages, which allow sports-lovers to enjoy world-class fishing and hunting.

Some of the best hunting and fishing takes place in very remote locations. Good for sport, bad for medical attention.

These activities also include a certain level of risk. Due to the nature of these sports, those taking part are at higher risk of injury or accident.
From the PR.com Press Release:

According to International Hunter Education, since the year 2000 over 900 men and women world wide have died as a direct result of hunting accidents.

Over 24,000 hunters required medical emergency assistance during that same time span.

Anglers have also experience a high rate of accidents, deaths and emergencies as well. Fishing remains the single most dangerous occupation in the US and world wide. An astounding 24,000 boats require assistance and over 400 fishers die or will go missing in ponds, lakes and oceans each year.

Trip or travel insurance provides some coverage for medical transportation, but oftentimes it is limited to the nearest suitable medical facility.

Members of Travel Assist Network’s Air Rescue Card are eligible for additional transportation benefits, including:

• 24-hour emergency medical hotline
• Worldwide medical evacuation
• Medical monitoring/consultation
• Transport service to specialty hospital
• Trip cancellation
• Visa, passport and immunization requirements
• Loss or theft of baggage, documents recovery and compensation
• Emergency cash for medical or dental expenses
• Lost prescription replacement/shipping
• Guarantee of hospital admission
• Language translation

Related Links
Previous post about Medical Evacuation
Travel Assist Network website
What is TravelInsuranceReview.net?

As usual, the earlier you buy the better, as to ensure you are covered in the case of  an act of nature. Those purchasing insurance now that they know their vacation is in trouble will have problems…that would be a pretty bad bet for any insurance company.

First, from the Mercury News, an overview of new types of policies being offered by different companies, and the helpful benefits they feature. They include:

• Cancel for any reason clauses
• Customized policies, pick and choose your coverage
• Work-related cancellation (i.e.,boss made me work)
• Specialized coverage (greens fees for golfers, kennel fees for pet owners)

The second article, from the Hartford Courant, discusses mostly weather-related changes, including:

• Hurricane warning in destination city (as opposed to named hurricane only)
• Uninhabitable locales (i.e., your hotel heavily damaged, no utilities)
• Change fees (i.e., after Katrina, many travalers had to change cruise plans, and pay a fee)

These changes make travel insurance a better buy for travalers, giving them more coverage and better protection for their vacation

It’s good to see travel insurance companies listening to customers and making changes that benefit them. This added coverage will help more travelers cover the expense of cancelled vacations.

Of all the benefits of a travel insurance plan, this is one of the most comforting. It is good to know that your vacation is protected financially, and any possible medical emergencies can be taken care of, but having the support of a professional in the time of need can really save the day.

Always look for a travel insurance company with great 24/7 support
When comparing travel insurance policies, look for a company that promotes their 24/7 support lines. If you are on a trip, tour, cruise, or any vacation and run into problems, you will be much better off with someone to call.

(see How to Compare Quotes with a Travel Insurance Comparison Site)

I have followed this story from the beginning. There has been controversy regarding customer complaints, license issues, and even allegations of favoritism between Tennessee administration and Trip Assured owners.

Much of this stems from Trip Assured’s claim that they do not sell insurance, and therefore do not need an insurance license. Trip Assured sells protection plans for travelers. They collect payment for their product (a premium), and agree to pay for covered circumstances (claims). Sounds like insurance to me.

Trip Assured has been clever to design a site and brochures that imply insurance benefits without using insurance terms. It takes a moment to realize it while reading through their copy.

Why does all this matter?

If Trip Assured uses this loophole to sell “travel protection” without insurance licensing, they are not subject to State or Federal regulations. This might explain the number of consumer complaints, since there is no organization to regulate them.

It is important to purchase travel insurance from licensed, regulated, reputable organizations. You can have the best intentions in buying insurance, but buying from the wrong company can be very costly.

TravelInsuranceReview.net is a free and simple website that helps you pick the best travel insurance, get instant quotes, and sign up online.

First of all, if you are reading this and spending time researching travel insurance, there is a reason. Maybe the weather has you worried. You booked a nice week in Florida, but in the back of your mind there’s the thought of a hurricane ruining your trip.

Maybe you are concerned about your health while away from home. You know your insurance does not cover you outside the US, and you don’t want to risk an accident or injury in a foreign country.

There are also simpler concerns like lost baggage or delayed flights. Either one could be a major nuisance, and make your relaxing vacation a nightmare.

Here are a few “rule of thumb” situations where you probably want some travel insurance:

Expensive trips-The more potential loss, the more need for insurance. If you are planning a big trip, consider the total costs and ask yourself if you are willing to lose that amount.
Trips planned several months in advance-There is more potential for something to happen and cancel you trip. In the time leading up to the trip, you can get sick, lose a job, have a home fire, etc. There are also added benefits to purchasing close to the time of initial trip payments, such as Pre-existing Condition Coverage and financial default of travel companies.
Extended trips-For a week in Europe you might not worry about travel medical coverage, but imagine a month spent in South America without any coverage. Longer trips or certain destinations require travel medical coverage.

As the travel date approaches, you watch the Weather Channel, hoping to see clear sky forcasts in your vacation town. You’ve been waiting all year and the last thing you want is a rainy vacation.
You can’t always be so lucky, however. Many travelers like to take advantage of travel deals, but oftentimes the trip takes place during “hurricane season”. No hurricane, no problem. You have a great time, relax, get some sun, and get a good deal too.

But if a hurricane is in the forcast, things aren’t as good

With no coverage at all, you are at the mercy of the weather. If your trip is cancelled, you could be out a lot of money. Any non-refundable deposits or payments would be lost. With a bad hurricane, you could spend a few thousand dollars watching the storm from your couch at home. Not a great vacation.

If you do purchase travel insurance, many plans will provide coverage for trips cancelled for named hurricanes

This means that a storm must be upgraded to an actual hurricane by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration National Hurricane Center.

Some companies have expanded the coverage to even include hurricane warnings

Again, the warnings must be issued by the NOAA, but this additional coverage can be a big moneysaver. If the threat of hurricane makes you worry about a cancelled vacation, consider a plan from these companies. Their added coverage for hurricane warnings could make your vacation much, much more enjoyable.