Travel Insurance? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Travel Insurance! (Do We?)
Should you have travel insurance? An interesting question. Butif you question the need for travel insurance, perhaps you arethe same person who questions the need for any kind ofinsurance. Most people have auto insurance, health insurance,homeowners' insurance or renters' insurance, and maybe even lifeinsurance or disability insurance - so I ask you: Why not havetravel insurance? Insurance is for "What if's"Insurance is protection for that unwanted and unexpectedchallenge. Your auto insurance protects you from shelling out$2,000 for that unexpected fender bender that wasn't even yourfault. Travel insurance does likewise. Have you ever had luggage"misplaced" by an airline and been left with no clothes to wearon your trip? Have you ever had to cancel a trip that was fullypaid due to some unforeseen incident that arose before you evenhad an opportunity to leave? Or have you had to cut short thatcruise because of something that happened at home? Ever gottensick on vacation?These are all travel problems that can be covered by travelinsurance. One company I reviewed will reimburse your trip costfor covered (always read the small print) cancellation, and 125%of the cost due to an interruption of the trip. They will alsopay $500 for your accommodations if you missed your connectingflight and can't get another until "tomorrow morning, at theearliest." Ever slept in an airport on behalf of yourAtlanta-based flight crew, who were very happy to serve you, butcouldn't manage to get the airplane to your connecting airportby the time they said they would? A $500 hotel room might notget you to your destination, but it sure could be a sweet wait.Can you say "honor bar?"Here's another swell deal: your travel insurance could pay you$1,000 for lost luggage, or $200 for delayed luggage. That'ssome pricey underwear and deodorant, but I'm not arguing.Travel insurance can also be purchased to cover emergencymedical treatment or "medical evacuation and repatriation." Or,if you prefer, you could just click your heels together threetimes and say, "There's no place like home. There's no placelike home. There's no place..." Yeah, but how much is it going to cost me?The cost of travel insurance is based on the number of peopletraveling and the value of the trip. Time away can also be afactor if you will be gone for more than a month. For example, afamily of four taking a trip valued at about $3,000 could expectto pay in the neighborhood of $250 for all of the coveragementioned above. Is it worth it? On the website of one travelcompany it stated, "If you can't afford travel insurance, youcan't afford to travel." Can I ask my uncle?Sure. Uncle Sam says medical evacuation from a foreign countrycan cost $10,000 and up. And in his inimitable way, he warnsthat Social Security Medicare does not provide coverage forhospital or medical coverage outside of the US. If you have aprivate insurer, you might want to check on what out-of-countrycoverage you have if your trip will take you outside of the goodol' USA. OK, OK, you've convinced me. Any last bits of advice before Ileave for Katmandu?I am so glad you asked. Here's a little extra for you - at noadditional charge:1. Take all your travel insurance documentation with you - DON'Tput it in your luggage! 2. Put all of your policy numbers on aseparate piece of paper in a separate location from the actualpolicies in case of loss or damage to your policies. 3. Leave acopy of your policy(s) at home with next of kin, or whomeverknows your whereabouts. 4. To expedite service in case of anaccident, fill in all of your vital statistics on theinformation page of your passport (name, address, phone number,etc.), or carry it on a card that you keep in your wallet orstuffed into the sleeve of that tag that says Hello My NameIs_____.In a coconut shell...Travel insurance can help you with: · Reimbursement of yourtravel investment due to cancellation or early termination ·Reimbursement of unexpected travel expenses (delays, loss ofluggage) · Covering emergency medical assistance and medicalreferrals · Obtaining medical assistance abroad Bon Voyage!© 2005 Travel Insurance Directory
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