Travel Insurance Destination Report: Africa
Africa – one of the most exotic and fascinating locations on the planet. The continent is home to lions, tigers, and bears … and giraffes, elephants and humans that live in a very different way from us in the West! Travellers to Africa have to be mature, bold, well-planned, tolerant and willing to bend to local ways. They also have to have quite a high level of travel insurance, in order to have a chance of enjoying the vacation rather than spending it worrying. Today we look at the health and safety issues of a few popular destinations within Africa, and the recommended level of travel insurance for them.
Ethiopia
Health
Health is always an issue in Ethiopia. The population is poor and little ‘herd immunity’ exists, so the risk of developing a disease is quite high. The usual issues of travelling in less developed countries are also present in Ethiopia, including:
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Travel Insurance Destination Report: South East Asia
South East Asia is an enormously popular tourist destination. The combination of relatively weak local economies compared to the West, a beautiful climate, delicious food and picturesque settings mean that almost every Western overseas traveller makes it to South East Asia at least once. However it is also a relatively wild place in terms of health and also safety. Today we look through the risks inherent in travel to popular South East Asian countries, and how they should impact on your choices about travel insurance.
Bali
Health
Crime-Related Travel Insurance Claims: What is Paid?
Many Western countries are very fortunate, enjoying a high level of social stability. Terrorism is a faraway thought for most rather than a daily reality, and the divide between rich and poor is not so great that people must steal simply to survive. Being the victim of crime is not pleasant – and even less so when you are overseas. This is the very reason travel insurance was created – so that people would have the peace of mind to do things that they otherwise might feel too risky. Overseas travel is so rewarding, there is no need to let distant possibilities prevent you seizing the day. Today we are looking at victim of crime travel insurance claims, and how much you are covered for in the case of specific events.
Baggage and personal effects cover
Claims relating to your baggage and personal effects may be the result of a crime – or simple mismanagement of your baggage by a travel carrier. There are sub-limits per item within this cover in standard policies, so if you are taking any individually very expensive items, it is wise to contact your travel insurance agent and check if they are covered.
Logistics-Related Travel Insurance Claims: What is Paid?
Logistics problems are (fortunately!), more common than the serious medical events that induce many people to take out travel insurance. What is not fortunate is that many people don’t realize that insurance cover even exists for these sorts of problems, and will simply chalk these events up to bad luck. Even the most basic travel insurance policies cover a wide range of logistics-related events, usually circumstances like cancellation and curtailment, missed connections, travel delays, and the additional cost of getting to non-delayable events. Here we take an in-depth look at the monetary levels of cover you can expect if you need to make a logistics travel insurance claim.
Cancellation and curtailment
If you’ve ever read the fine print on a hotel booking form or the terms of service for a flight, you might have had second, third and fourth thoughts about actually going! The cancellation fees can run into the thousands on long and extended trips, and you may be liable for quite a lot of money, through no fault of your own. You can make a logistics travel insurance claim under cancellation and curtailment if you have expenses incurred from cutting short or completely cancelling your trip due to illness, injury, death, jury duty, pregnancy, witness service or employment redundancy. You’ll find standard levels of cover range up to: Click Here To Read More »
Medical-Related Travel Insurance Claims: What is Paid?
The fear of being stuck overseas while you are ill, with little understanding of the local language and bankruptcy as your only way to be treated or get yourself back home, is the main reason that many people take out travel insurance. If you are wondering about the fine print on medical travel insurance policies and exactly how much they pay for adverse events, we’ll be looking at several policy types from a popular travel insurance agent today to give you an idea.
Overseas medical expenses
This is the cornerstone of most travel insurance policies – there aren’t many available that will omit this vital cover. The key words in the policy are usually ‘necessary and reasonable costs’ – so the treatment must be reasonably priced and necessary to your immediate health. Typical cover levels are:
- $5,000,000 at the basic level of cover
- $5,000,000 at the intermediate level
- $10,000,000 at the highest level of cover
7 of the Strangest Travel Insurance Claims
‘Stranger things have happened’: for some it is a catchcry to tell you that anything is possible. Few people have as good an understanding of just what those stranger things might be than the people who process travel insurance claims! If you have an overseas trip upcoming, you have probably purchased travel insurance against common events like losing your luggage, missing a flight, or getting ill while overseas and needing medical assistance. What you might not realize is that it isn’t only the boring events that travel insurance helps you out with. The unexpected does happen – and it happens to single group more than travellers. Here we look at some of the weird and wonderful travel insurance claims from around the world.
1. Bikinis break man’s nose
In Athens, a young man had to file a claim on his medical travel insurance for a broken nose. He wasn’t watching where he was going and walked into a bus shelter … because his eyes were taken up with a passing group of bikini clad women. Such pleasure followed by such pain! It’s like his mother was exacting revenge…
2. Free skis for lack of snow
A British lady claimed on her travel insurance after purchasing a new set of skis for a holiday, and finding that the slopes were completely dry once she arrived there. Not dry powder – just no snow. Her insurance company refunded her the cost of the skis – she mustn’t have had the option to ask for a refund from the company.
What You Need To Know About Medical Evacuation Insurance
Medical evacuation insurance is often thought of as being rarely necessary, if needed at all. This could prove to be a fatal financial mistake. When you are travelling anywhere, access to the proper medical facilities can be difficult during any portion of your trip, so it is always a great idea to get medical evacuation insurance.
This is not all. If you are going to require specialized medical care that is not available in your area then you will need it too. What kind of medical care will you need if something happens?
Medical Evacuation Insurance Explained
Medical evacuation insurance is insurance that covers the transportation costs if you fall ill or are injured while you are travelling. If you become sick or get injured then you may have to be transported to suitable medical facilities to receive the care you need. This type of transportation service can be quite expensive. It becomes even more expensive when you realise that you may need to pay for trained medical personnel to be on the medical transport with you as you head to the actual medical facilities.
Why Travel Medical Insurance Is A Necessary Part Of Every Trip
You know that you need medical insurance. Doctors, hospitals, and all types of medical care don’t come cheap. If you experience one significant health problem then you could easily rack up medical bills that could take a while to pay off. This is why there is travel medical insurance. If you do not want your finances to be wiped out by one medical problem on your overseas trip then you definitely need travel medical insurance.
Types Of Travel Medical Insurance
There are several types of travel medical insurance. All of them help to cover the expenses you incur when you need medical treatment when travelling. These costs may be for the medical treatment itself, or they may come as a result of other related expenses. You already know that treatment costs can be staggering all by themselves, but you also have to consider the costs of repatriation, having a family member stay with you while you are treated, medical evacuation, and other possible costs that go along with medical situations.
For example, you may require medical transport to suitable treatment facilities. Having to be flown to the right medical facilities can raise your medical bills even higher. This will be necessary if you are in a remote location at any point during your trip. This is just one special situation where medical bills can far exceed the cost of basic treatment.
How Much Coverage Is Necessary?
How Travel Insurance Can Give You A Stress Free Holiday
Everyone wants to have a stress free holiday. You go on holiday to get away from the usual challenges and annoyances of life so that you can just relax. The problem is that travelling can bring about stresses that you would not even find in your daily life. This does not mean that you should cancel your holiday or that it will be filled with stress. It only means that when you do go on holiday you should take along travel insurance.
But What Could Happen?
So what could happen on your holiday that would require travel insurance? Basically, what could go wrong when you are on holiday? To begin with, you could fall ill before you even get to go and you may have to cancel your entire trip. This would certainly interfere with your travel plans.
You could have a medical emergency or some sort of accident in the midst of your travels, interrupting your holiday or cutting it short. Depending on where you are, you may need to be airlifted to the appropriate medical facilities. On a smaller scale, your bags could get stolen or could be lost somehow, and these are just a few of the things that could happen.
What Can Travel Insurance Do?
Travel Insurance is Necessary
When you are travelling, you probably let your mind go right to all the good times and activities you have planned or the business matters that you will be handling during the course of your trip. You probably aren’t thinking about what could go wrong. While you don’t want to dwell on what could go wrong, you do want to be prepared for it. The way to be prepared is by having travel insurance.
Why Is Travel Insurance Necessary?
You’re probably thinking that most leisure and business trips go off without a hitch. Nothing happens and nothing goes wrong. Why should you buy travel insurance if nothing has happened before?
No one ever thinks that something will go wrong until it does. Most people think that holidaydisasters will never happen to them. The problem is that they have to happen to someone, and on your next trip it could be you.
So what could happen? You could lose your luggage or other valuables. You could become ill and have to cut your trip short or not be able to go at all. Plus, you would have lost all the money you had already spent on plans or plane tickets because refunds can be hard to come by.