Travel insurance provides benefits and assistance services to protect your investment should you need to cancel your trip, or to protect you from a wide variety of other mishaps such as baggage loss, illness, emergency medical transportation, and supplier default. Travel protection can help provide peace of mind for your trip.
Here are some scenarios that you may want to consider:
-
It's 10 p.m. and your family arrives at the airport for a connecting flight, only to find that your flight has been cancelled. How do you get your family home?
-
Your traveling companion's bag was lost with his insulin inside. He needs help to locate his bag as soon as possible and his emergency prescription filled. Who do you call?
-
Your first visit to Russia, and your passport and wallet are stolen. Where do you turn for emergency cash, and how will you get your passport replaced?
-
Your spouse is involved in an accident and adequate medical treatment is not available. Who will help arrange and pay for a medical evacuation?
-
If your sister-in-law becomes seriously ill and you choose to cancel your trip, what happens to your non-refundable deposits or pre-payments?
-
You arrive in Moscow and your luggage doesn't. If it's lost, who will help you find it? If it's delayed, who will pay for your necessities? If it's stolen, who will pay to replace it?
-
Your cruise line, airline or tour operator goes bankrupt. Who will pay for your non-refundable expenses? Who will help get you to your destination?
-
You're walking down a street in Saint Petersburg and twist your ankle. Who can help you find an English-speaking physician?
-
Three weeks before your
scheduled arrival, a terrorist incident occurs in the
city to which you are planning to visit. Who will pay
if you want to cancel your trip?
|
|
|
(08.05.04)
Travel Insurance can cover theft and illness Q:" We are getting ready to leave the country on a tour to Russia My question is this: Is travel insurance necessary? We have plenty of life insurance, etc., but we've heard it's a good idea to purchase travel insurance, too. Can you let us know what the experts say?" Anna
P. FL
A:" The first thing you should do is check your homeowners and/or medical policies to avoid overlap. For example, your homeowners may or may not cover your laptop computer, jewelry or camcorder.
However, if there are circumstances that could cause you to cancel your trip, return home early or seek emergency medical treatment, you may want to consider purchasing travel insurance.
Some of the types of travel insurance available include:
Trip cancellation/interruption
"This insurance will cover you if your trip is cut short, but it will only reimburse you for reasons on the insurer's acceptable list such as injury, sickness, death of yourself, a family member, a travel companion or business partner. Some policies will cover only medical reasons, but will not cover pre-existing conditions. Read the fine print and conditions.
Emergency medical evacuation
"This insurance is important if you are going on a vacation to an area far away from modern medical facilities. If adequate treatment is not available at a local hospital, you would be transferred to the nearest adequate medical facility."
Baggage loss
"This insurance reimburses you for lost, stolen or damaged bags. Before packing, be sure to make a list of everything in your bag. You may be reimbursed for some contents - but not all."
Payless Russia
|
|
|
|
|
Travel Insurance Tips
Check your credit card. Your card might provide some insurance coverage if you pay your airline ticket with it.
It's safer to buy from an insurance company. A cruise line, airline, or other travel company may go out of business, and your insurance may not be honored.
Understand the different policies for different travelers. There are single-trip, annual, backpacker, worldwide, ski and winter sports, and other specialty insurance policies. When you decide on a policy, make sure you know what activities it doesn't cover, such as certain sports (e.g., bungee jumping).
Make sure you understand the medical coverage. Does it cover repatriation to your home country, if necessary? Does it cover ambulances? If you are getting a policy for your family, make sure all members are included, as some policies have limits on the number of people.
Make sure you know the reimbursement amount. Many policies limit the amount of money paid to you in case of theft or damage. Also find out if everything you plan on taking with you, from jewelry to high-tech camera equipment, is
covered. Make sure you know if you will be fully refunded if the trip is cancelled or cut short.
Know your deductible. Most policies require you to pay something first, so make sure it's not more than the value of your luggage.
Know the terms. Finally, make sure you understand whether the insurance will require you to pay for medical or other bills upfront and then reimburse you, or the policy will kick in immediately.
|
|
