Travel Insurance recipes
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
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.
How Travel Insurance Can Save You Money
Travel insurance can definitely save you money, but only if you have taken the time to research a policy that suits your needs! Anytime you are planning to travel, be it for business or for pleasure, you need to purchase a travel insurance policy before your trip begins. Those who are unfamiliar with travel insurance tend to think that it is a waste of money. Seasoned travellers who are familiar with travel insurance, but want to cut corners so that they can save money on their holiday, are making a mistake they will deeply regret if something should go wrong while they are travelling.
A good travel insurance policy could save you hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars. Many people travel with some valuable items, such as laptop computers, jewellery, and certain types of mobile phones and iPods. Would you have the money to replace these items if you should lose them while you were travelling?
On the other hand, what if you reach the airport and discover that your suitcase became lost somewhere en route to your destination? You would have to go out and purchase a couple of new outfits as well as the necessary undergarments and toiletries in order to continue your trip. Travel insurance can reimburse you for valuable items that you lose, or that are stolen from you. It may also reimburse you for any items you bought because of your luggage becoming lost.
Comparing Travel Insurance Policies Online
You have decided that you are going to purchase a travel insurance policy online for your next holiday. Congratulations! You have joined the league of smart travellers with your decision. Buying travel insurance is the best way for you to protect the monetary value as well as the time element you will invest on this holiday.
The time you spend online reading and comparing travel insurance policies in order to decide which one is right for you is truly time well spent. No two travel insurance policies are the same, and the type you choose can vary, depending on what you are planning to do on your holiday.
Do you travel several times over the course of a year, on business as well as on holiday? You would want to look online for a multi-trip travel insurance policy. This type of insurance would protect you for 12 months, no matter how many trips you took. Multi-trip insurance will save you money compared to the cost of taking out a separate policy every time you travel. Perhaps you only travel once a year. In that case, a standard travel policy would serve you well.
Let’s say you are planning a wonderful skiing holiday. While you are comparing policies online, you’ll want to look at insurance companies that are able to offer coverage for expenses that are related to snow skiing. Just in case you have an accident on the slopes, you will want to make sure your travel insurance policy has medical coverage for skiers. A big medical bill after taking a tumble could very well spoil your entire holiday! Of course, you also will want coverage in case something unforseen happens and your trip is cancelled or you crash into someone on the slopes and they decide to sue you. Hopefully, you will not have to make a claim for any of these reasons, but it will be a comfort knowing that you are protected.
Basics of Travel Insurance
The first thing most people who buy travel insurance online do when they are planning a business trip or holiday is to think about what they want a travel insurance policy to do for them, should they have need to make a claim. Since there is more than one type of travel insurance, and many options that can be added to a basic policy, the wise traveller sits down and figures out exactly what kind of insurance will be needed.
Standard will cover you and your family members for one trip only. This policy usually comes as a package deal that includes coverage for trip cancellation as well as coverage for medical/health services. You can add coverage for medical evacuation, dental, and pre-existing medical conditions, accidental death coverage, baggage and personal effects coverage, rental car and flight accident coverage as well as coverage for certain types of sports and winter sports, backpacking, and other options, too. The optional coverage you can add depends on the travel insurance company you choose.
Annual multi triptravel insurance can be a money saver for people who take more than one holiday each year, or who frequently travel on business. With this type of insurance, one policy will cover you for an entire twelve-month period, no matter how many separate trips you may take. However, this kind of policy usually has some restrictions in place that state how long any one trip can be. The same optional coverage you are able to choose to accompany standard travel insurance is often available for annual travel insurance.
Long Stay or Long term travel insurance This type of insurance is often used to describe a policy for travellers expecting to be away from their home on a trip for an extended period, such as a gap year.
Travel Insurance For Your Children
For any family travelling overseas, their number one concern is to make sure that if anything should happen, their children are covered for any medical or other emergency. A family holiday is supposed to be a time of family bonding and fun. Buying cheap family travel insurance will ensure that you really can rest easy. Children have a way of injuring themselves and getting sick, even at home, so when overseas in a strange environment, just imagine the damage they can do to themselves. Just make sure you have adequate travel insurance so taking your kids on holiday doesn’t damage your wallet too much!
When thinking of a family travel insurance policy, it’s essential to consider some important features of family travel policy.
Definitions of the age of a “child” can vary. The most common upper age limit is 18, but higher ages are possible – again you have to check the fine print. Admittedly, a lot of 18-year-olds don’t want to be considered the “child” of the family – but despite their tender teenage feelings, the family may find the savings worthwhile!
Travel Insurance – Because You Just Never Know
Although we don’t like to plan for it, the reality is that not every holiday goes as well as we hoped for or as well as the TV holiday shows would have us believe. Usually, it is something outside of your control, such as a flight being cancelled because of a mechanical breakdown. The result can be lots of additional costs as you have to rearrange connections, accommodations, and car rental bookings. What if you have an accident, such as breaking a leg in an accident in Bali?
For most people, you will never think of your travel insurance again once you have made the initial purchase. But if the worst does happen – wouldn’t you want a number that you can call and get the support and advice that you need in an emergency in a strange land?
Travel insurance can mean a lot of different things to different people, and as with all insurances, it’s a good idea to read the fine print. Check out exactly what the travel insurance policy you are considering covers. Big-ticket items that a good travel insurance policy should include are:
- Travel accident insurance, which will cover emergency medical expenses if you fall sick or get injured when overseas. This is important for anywhere in the world but absolutely essential in the U.S., where even a brief hospital stay can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
- Luggage insurance, which covers delayed luggage cover and items that are lost, damaged, or stolen when you are overseas. Remember that some high-priced items, such as cameras, may need to be separately specified and paid for.
- Rental car excesses: Anyone who has ever hired a car knows how expensive it is to reduce the excess to something reasonable. If you are planning on hiring a car look out for this cover
- Trip cancellation or curtailment. If you or a close family member gets ill before you leave on your trip, you may lose all of your pre-payments and more if you have a non-refunable ticket – travel insurance would normally cover this, which is why you should get insurance cover when you make your bookings and pay your deposits. Also, if you need to return home early because someone becomes ill at home, insurance can pay for these additional costs.
- Flight delay – depending on your itinerary, a single simple fight delay can have disastrous consequences for your carefully planned holiday. Make sure you take a policy that provides compensation if you miss a connecting flight because of a flight delay. Also look out for the small print here. Some insurers cover just the first outbound flight. There are others such as insure4less that provide cover for missed connections at any point on the pre-booked itinerary
Travel Health and Travel Insurance
You probably have health insurance in Australia, right? So, shouldn’t you make sure that your health and emergency medical costs are also covered when you travel abroad? Travel health insurance covers your medical costs when you travel overseas. Your Australian health cover and Medicare are unlikely to cover you for overseas travel and medical costs overseas can be a lot higher than those you are used to in Australia.
Even if you don’t have regular health insurance at home, you should consider travellers’ insurance to cover you for a medical emergency or accident. The reality is that even normally healthy people often get sick or even worse on holiday. Ever noticed how as soon as the pressure comes off and you get to relax, you come down with the flu or worse? Overseas holidays for Australians generally start with a reasonably long flight. Flying is a great way to pick up a disease before you even reach the resort’s poolside bar!
Having arrived at your holiday destination, there is, of course, the usual risks of a climate you are not used to and local food – again, food poisoning is not just a cliché; it can result in a serious medical emergency if you get unlucky.
Often, your average holidaymaker gets into trouble when they go from a sedentary office job in real life to deep sea diving or skiing on holiday. It seems that we all feel invincible on holiday, and in some cases, the joy of the moment overcomes common sense safety precautions. Or our unfit body is just not up to our athletic ideals!