Travel Insurance

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Don46
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Travel Insurance

Post by Don46 »

My wife and I are going to Europe for a month in July 2015. She has a 94 year old mother whose health is frail, and this led me to look into travel/trip insurance.
It is not cheap, not when considered as a percent of the money at risk. I figure that our plane tickets, about $6400 (business class over), nonrefundable but postponable within a year from date of purchase (yesterday), and deposits on apartments in Paris and Rome, about $2500, both partially refundable depending on time of cancellation, and whatever other expenses would be involved in interrupting a trip all expose us to maybe $8k or more at risk.
My travel agent tells me full coverage will cost about $560.

I looked into a policy at Allianz, a reputable company in this line, and they sell an annual policy for $918, down to $498 for lesser coverage. That would cover all travel all year and I'm thinking it might be smart going forward as we plan to do a lot of travel during retirement and my wife's mother is not going to get any younger.
http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/a ... mpare.aspx

Any advice or thoughts are welcome.
mbres60
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by mbres60 »

Check out tripinsurancestore.com. Call them up and discuss your situation. They are a reputable firm (as far as I read on the internet on a big cruising site :D ). We used them for our upcoming cruise and for another one in 2016. Do so asap as you might need to be covered for pre existing conditions which means that you need to purchase the insurance within a certain time frame from making your first deposit. Allianz is a reputable company but it is always best to compare companies , prices, and coverages.
cherijoh
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by cherijoh »

mbres60 wrote:Check out tripinsurancestore.com. Call them up and discuss your situation. They are a reputable firm (as far as I read on the internet on a big cruising site :D ). We used them for our upcoming cruise and for another one in 2016. Do so asap as you might need to be covered for pre existing conditions which means that you need to purchase the insurance within a certain time frame from making your first deposit. Allianz is a reputable company but it is always best to compare companies , prices, and coverages.
Good advice - there is usually a 10 - 14 day window from 1st deposit for pre-existing conditions. I would do some comparison shopping. Some policies are strictly based on the cost of travel. Others factor in the age of the travelers and/or the level of coverage (e.g., silver, gold, platinum). The policy quoted by your travel agent has a 7% premium ($560/$8000), but I know I have gotten policies in the past for a 6% premium from reputable companies. I have used Travel Guard and I can attest that they are easy to work with. I had to get a payout when I sprained my ankle about 2 weeks before a scheduled walking trip.
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wassabi
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by wassabi »

I have used Travel Guard multiple times and it has been cheap and effective. Easy to deal with (all online), clear policies, no gimmicks or sketchy behavior. Lots of reviews on travel forums from people who have used them.

http://www.travelguard.com
Thatthatisis
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by Thatthatisis »

I second the recommendations to shop on line. Not only are the online sites easy to use and understand, trip insurance often excludes claims resulting from the bankruptcy of the travel agent. In other words, let's say you pay money to a travel agent for either the deposit or final payment on a group tour or cruise. The travel agent goes bankrupt and does not forward your money to the tour/cruise line. There's a strong possibility the trip insurance won't reimburse you, if you bought the insurance through the travel agent. (I'm not a professional in this area, so please double check your actual policy options for what they say.)

Secondly, if (God forbid) you had an accident or illness during your travels, the travel insurance may reimburse you. When we all get to the point of having 94 year old moms, we're usually pretty vulnerable ourselves!
bberris
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by bberris »

Maybe you are already insured and don't realize it. Did you check your credit card benefits? Mine covers up to $10,000.
Laura
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by Laura »

Make sure your travel insurance covers medical care and evacuation all the way home. Many policies only provide medical coverage to get you to the first acceptable hospital. If it is serious and you still want to get home it could be a few hundred thousand dollars out of your own pocket to pay for a medical air ambulance. Like with all of this, the devil is in the details. The cost of a trip interruption is very small compared to a medical evacuation. Make sure you are covered for the big items.

Laura
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The Wizard
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by The Wizard »

I'm to figure how the 94 yo mother fits in here.
She's not going with you on the month long trip, but if she passes away while you're over there, you will want to return home early?
Is that the main concern?
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Gill
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by Gill »

The Wizard wrote:I'm to figure how the 94 yo mother fits in here.
She's not going with you on the month long trip, but if she passes away while you're over there, you will want to return home early?
Is that the main concern?
...and, if so, is that a risk normally covered by travel insurance?
Gill
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cherijoh
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by cherijoh »

bberris wrote:Maybe you are already insured and don't realize it. Did you check your credit card benefits? Mine covers up to $10,000.
I'm pretty sure that usually only covers stuff like the tour gets cancelled or interrupted. Not that you need to renege because your elderly parent is in the hospital.
cherijoh
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by cherijoh »

Gill wrote:
The Wizard wrote:I'm to figure how the 94 yo mother fits in here.
She's not going with you on the month long trip, but if she passes away while you're over there, you will want to return home early?
Is that the main concern?
...and, if so, is that a risk normally covered by travel insurance?
Gill
Yes, I think that is typically covered by a good plan. Here is a quote from the Travelguard Gold Plan specs. (I took this coverage for my last oversees trip):
100% Trip Cost Trip Cancellation & 150% Trip Cost Trip Interruption
Reimburses nonrefundable, unused payments or deposits if you must cancel or interrupt your trip due to an illness, injury, or death of you, a family member, traveling companion or business partner or other covered reasons.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by ResearchMed »

cherijoh wrote:
Gill wrote:
The Wizard wrote:I'm to figure how the 94 yo mother fits in here.
She's not going with you on the month long trip, but if she passes away while you're over there, you will want to return home early?
Is that the main concern?
...and, if so, is that a risk normally covered by travel insurance?
Gill
Yes, I think that is typically covered by a good plan. Here is a quote from the Travelguard Gold Plan specs. (I took this coverage for my last oversees trip):
100% Trip Cost Trip Cancellation & 150% Trip Cost Trip Interruption
Reimburses nonrefundable, unused payments or deposits if you must cancel or interrupt your trip due to an illness, injury, or death of you, a family member, traveling companion or business partner or other covered reasons.
Yes, absolutely call the folks at TripInsuranceStore.com, as suggested by mbres60, at 888.407.3854.

SPEAK with them, don't just "compare policies online", as there are many differences when it comes down to the nitty gritty.

We are in the same situation with a 94 year old parent, still very alert and active, but at 94.......

And we can recommend both TripInsuranceStore,com AND TravelInsured policies, as we had a large claim on our first use of travel insurance (it was also our first "large $$" pre-paid/non-refundable trip).
We had taken the recommendation from the folks at TripInsuranceStore,com in terms of which insurer to use and which policy, not really thinking it would matter, as "what are the chances that we'd need to cancel...?"

With less than 2 weeks to go before we were to leave home, DH was suddenly taken ill.
Once the health situation settled down and we submitted the claims, from the time the final documentation was submitted, it was about a week until we got a call that "the check is in the mail". It was, and it arrived in a few days.

It would also have covered us exactly the same way if MIL had taken seriously ill (or worse) shortly before we left, and it would have paid to help us return mid-trip in the same circumstances. That latter can cost far more, as one is out the entire cost of the trip AND must purchase short-notice return airfare, etc.

We "won't leave home without it" for any major trips.
In fact, we are at a hotel in Miami, looking out at the harbor. Tomorrow morning, our ship should arrive, and we'll be on it mid-day :happy

One other suggestion: We get the annual policy of MedJetAssist.
This will cover us if we are more than 150 miles from home and either of us is admitted as an inpatient (not just ER treatment). In such a case, MedJetAssist will have us transported (medevac flight if necessary) to OUR CHOICE OF HOSPITAL in our home country. Importantly, there is no need to put a local medical team (or bean counter somewhere) in a position of declaring the local medical care "inadequate".
So this would cover us for regular business trips as well as major vacations, etc.

The TravelInsured policies we've gotten require payment within 21 days of the INITIAL deposit, if one wants to have a waiver of pre-existing condition exclusions. (That's relevant only for the people traveling, not the relatives at home. Ask Steve and colleagues about this, as it is your main concern.)
They let you purchase the coverage only for the amount actually paid thus far, and up the coverage as more non-refundable costs are added. (Some policies require you to estimate the full cost and pay for full coverage, even if you aren't traveling for a long time, and don't have to make final payments yet.)

Good luck, and hope things go well for all!

RM
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Topic Author
Don46
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by Don46 »

The Wizard wrote:I'm to figure how the 94 yo mother fits in here.
She's not going with you on the month long trip, but if she passes away while you're over there, you will want to return home early?
Is that the main concern?
Or falls ill or whatever one of a dozen things can go wrong with a 94 year old.
Yes, that is the main concern but of course there are other things that can come a cropper before or during a trip.
Topic Author
Don46
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by Don46 »

Gill wrote:
The Wizard wrote:I'm to figure how the 94 yo mother fits in here.
She's not going with you on the month long trip, but if she passes away while you're over there, you will want to return home early?
Is that the main concern?
...and, if so, is that a risk normally covered by travel insurance?
Gill
There are different levels but the higher premiums cover medical problems of close family members, yes.
Topic Author
Don46
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by Don46 »

This is very helpful to hear from people who have lots of experience.
I was asking in particular about getting an annual policy. It costs more but if one is going on several trips, including domestic, it seems like it would be good value and give one more bang for the buck.
I'm going to call and ask about this tomorrow. But if any of you have experience w annual policies, or know of a good carrier for this, I would appreciate your advice.
thanks
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ResearchMed
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by ResearchMed »

Don46 wrote:This is very helpful to hear from people who have lots of experience.
I was asking in particular about getting an annual policy. It costs more but if one is going on several trips, including domestic, it seems like it would be good value and give one more bang for the buck.
I'm going to call and ask about this tomorrow. But if any of you have experience w annual policies, or know of a good carrier for this, I would appreciate your advice.
thanks
We looked into this, and at least for the policy we were considering, we decided it wouldn't work.

For one thing, the annual total was a bit low, but there may be other coverage levels (?).

More importantly, IF it turned out that we needed to use some of the coverage for one trip, then it might be too late to get coverage for later trips that year, if we wanted the waiver of pre-existing condition exclusions.
Without coverage for problems related to pre-existing conditions - the most likely to be an issue - travel insurance probably wouldn't be particularly useful for a "big ticket" medical situation.

But again, do ask Steve or his colleagues about what types of annual coverages are possible, and also how it might fit with your own specific travel plans and needs.

RM
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mbres60
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by mbres60 »

Don46 wrote:This is very helpful to hear from people who have lots of experience.
I was asking in particular about getting an annual policy. It costs more but if one is going on several trips, including domestic, it seems like it would be good value and give one more bang for the buck.
I'm going to call and ask about this tomorrow. But if any of you have experience w annual policies, or know of a good carrier for this, I would appreciate your advice.
thanks
One thing to ask about annual policies is if you use it for trip #1 because of something then are you still covered for the other trips you have during the year. If you use up some of your limits you could have issues with the other trips as it would be too late to cover pre-existing conditions if you already put down a deposit. I have always bought insurance but "knock on wood" have never needed it. However, I have read about many people who have used it. Call tomorrow tripinsurancestore.com and they will help you out and answer your questions.
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DonCamillo
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by DonCamillo »

I have been insuring our vacations for over 30 years. Cost of travel insurance rises with age. It is a much higher percentage of the cost now that I am 70 than it was when I was in my 40s. I have never had a claim, so I have no idea what benefit I have had.
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celia
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by celia »

I used TravelGuard when I went to Europe with kids and an elderly aunt who had just recovered from cancer. I was wary of taking her but she was a real trooper while I was in the ER and she took the kids around! With a sprained ankle I couldn't walk for a few days, so we all missed the train and the next hotel we were to stay in, so the hotel deposit was gone. TravelGuard reimbursed us when we got home. But on another trip, an discount European airline was asked by France not to fly one day due to a traffic controller work slow down. To get to our destination on time, we paid for last minute tickets from Rome to Paris for over $1,000 a person expecting to be reimbursed. TravelGuard's rep was very supportive and told us how to file the claim, but it was rejected. (They claimed there was no "strike" since no union voted to strike--even though that was not part of THEIR DEFINITION of "strike".) I appealed twice but it was still rejected. So I worked with the state Insurance Commissioner's office to file an appeal. After they contacted TravelGuard, they paid promptly.

Note, that per their contract when you buy insurance, you must allow 3 hours, I think it is, for layovers. If you book connecting flights too close, the missed flight will not be covered.
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jdb
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by jdb »

Had a bad experience with travel insurance in similar situation several years ago, though maybe my fault. My wife and I never buy travel insurance, but a few years ago decided to buy before we went on a trip out of country since my mother, then aged 92, was living in an assisted living facility and though she seemed to be in relatively good health, had a minor stroke about three years earlier, from which she seemed to be recovered, and we were concerned about something happening to her. But never discussed her situation with travel insurance company, though saw that the insurance covered major health issues with immediate family. Forgot which travel insurance company but it was one of national ones. Sure enough, few days before trip she suffered major stroke, passed away a few weeks later, travel insurance refused to pay, claiming pre-existing condition because of the earlier stroke. Also said the fact that she had a pacemaker, which had for past 10 years, was disqualification. I will never buy travel insurance again, think it is a rip off based on our experience. Would suggest that you to do Google search as to claims against company before purchasing, I suspect our experience was not unique. And talk with insurance company about your spouse's mother's situation before purchasing. Good luck.
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ElJay
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by ElJay »

I have used Trip Mate a few times.

They paid out some money after I missed the beginning of a tour in Europe after weather cancelled our flights over. The "travel delay benefit" of $150/day/person did not completely cover our expenses that we had incurred from the delay.

It did refund the day of the tour we missed and covered our transportation from the airport to our hotel in Paris (that otherwise would've been included in the trip). The benefit max on this part of the coverage ("missed connection") was $1000 per person. I could've easily seen us going over this if we had needed to take a train to meet up with our tour.

Trip insurance is not perfect but I wouldn't go without it.
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sperry8
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by sperry8 »

Check out insuremytrip.com. They compare many companies - and I found lower prices than going direct to websites like TravelGuard and Allianz. Same companies though - just more easily compared.
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HIinvestor
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by HIinvestor »

Agree that some credit cards do provide general travel insurance up to $5000 per person and $10,000 per occurrence, or whatever their terms are. Also jetassist is a program I have read good reviews of and am planning on looking into for our upcoming trip to S.Korea. If you are an AARP member, you get a significant discount. The program provides medical evacuation from hospital to the hospital of YOUR choice. The evacuation can be the costliest medical or trip expense and the program is one of the few giving the insured power to determine where insured is flown to--not insurer choosing closest hospital. We plan to join AARP and buy Medjet Assist, as well as paying with our CCard that provides travel insurance.
bberris
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by bberris »

cherijoh wrote:
bberris wrote:Maybe you are already insured and don't realize it. Did you check your credit card benefits? Mine covers up to $10,000.
I'm pretty sure that usually only covers stuff like the tour gets cancelled or interrupted. Not that you need to renege because your elderly parent is in the hospital.
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Carl53
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by Carl53 »

My daughter just got an all inclusive one year travel insurance from Bupa.

http://global.ihi.com/travel+insurance.aspx

$360 for anything and everything that comes up in the next 12 months. (her comment)

Thank you for purchasing Bupa Global Annual Travel. Your credit card has been authorised and your payment is now being processed. Bupa Global will contact you if the payment is not successfully transferred. Please find attached your confirmation and insurance card.

Your cover
Bupa Global Annual Travel covers all your trips abroad for up to 1 month per trip.

Insurance card
Please remember to take the card when you travel abroad. This is your proof of cover and will secure an efficient service. The card also includes information about how to contact Bupa Global in case of an emergency.

Extension of your cover
If the trip lasts longer than expected, you can extend your insurance period as many times you wish, up to 12 months (including the 1 month covered by the Annual Travel insurance), as long as your insurance has not expired. You can extend your insurance online at http://www.ihi.com and save 5%.

Online customer registration
You are registered as an online customer. All your documents are available on myPage on http://www.ihi.com You will be notified by e-mail whenever we have updates to your insurance policy.

If you have any queries, or if you need assistance in any matter, please contact our office.

Yours sincerely,
Bupa Global
white_water
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by white_water »

My wife and I buy travel insurance for expensive trips where out of pocket loss would be too large to ignore. In addition I've purchased special air evacuation/recompression chamber insurance for SCUBA diving trips to 3rd world destinations, luckily never used.

Having said that I've had two poor experiences with travel insurance companies denying claims for elderly parents who were unable to continue out of country travel due to injury or illness. Both insurers blinked when I suggested litigation as a solution. If you have a claim, expect some hassle. One tactic they'll use is denial or of claim delay, or papering you with duplicate forms to process, hoping you'll go away. Don't fall for it.

As other's posted earlier, you might check your credit card issuers who may offer travel insurance at good prices or no extra charge.
Topic Author
Don46
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by Don46 »

After visiting my mother-in-law at Christmas, and seeing her so frail, I decided to go ahead and get some travel insurance. I did contact Steve at TripInsuranceStore.com and spoke with him, twice. He is very helpful, knowledgeable, and helped me get what i needed.
An annual policy did not work for me. That will not cover pre-existing conditions for an ill or hospitalized family member, and it is very likely that my mother in law will succumb to one of many pre-existing conditions, including congestive heart failure.
Seeing her as she now is, struggling to get up in the morning, made me want to travel and enjoy my good health while I have it, but it also made me realize that she could go anytime and at least the financial blow would be lessened if she does. We could take that vacation later if it is well insured.

So, I bought a one trip policy to cover the non refundables, and of course it covers all kinds of other calamities one would rather not think about when planning a great vacation. I wound up with a TravelSafe classic policy that seems to cover my needs.
One tip Steve gave me is to go ahead and pay for all of my apartment in Paris so that the whole amount will be covered by the insurance.
I don't think I followed every detail of this, but I did feel I was in the hands of an honest and capable broker who does know the ropes.
On to Paris, on to Rome! :D
itstoomuch
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by itstoomuch »

side bar:
I was talking to a friend last night who travels extensively as a consultant. He says that there will no longer be Discount Airlines. He has built into his contract to fly 1st class seating. He will only fly on national carriers. The HR says it's cheaper to fly the Discounters- and he tells them for what they are paying him, are they really concerned about the extra $100-200 for him to fly on the National carrier, 1st class, with well maintained equipment and trained personnel vs a discounter with cheap 1st class fares?

18 years ago I was working at a GPS - Airplane navigation company. The technology was being tested then. The question then as is today is who's going to pay for the plane upgrade and system implementation? The Question is always the same. And the Answer is always the same. Only the will of the people flying will make it happen- besides the airlines is discovering that the tangible and intangible cost,of a single lost plane, far exceeds the cost of tracking technology.
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PugetSoundguy
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by PugetSoundguy »

The topic of travel insurance came up inadvertently over the holidays in a discussion with an executive of a Megacorp insurance company. I was asking his opinion on why anyone would use hedge funds since they seem in general to be such poor deals for investors. He said, "My company uses them and I think it's insane." He said he tried to get through to his colleages in a way he thought they would understand: "I asked my colleagues what they thought of travel insurance. 'Great product,' they said. 'We make millions on it.' Well, would you ever buy it? 'Of course not. We make millions because we never pay any claims!'" He then explained to the numbskulls that hedge funds in his view were the travel insurance of the financial industry.

The point is that it appears that lots of travel insurance, perhaps most, is a huge ripoff and depends on uneducated and impulse purchases. The profit margins apparently can be enormous. This is not to say never to buy travel insurance, but to shop around exceedingly carefully if you are convinced you really need it. I think it pays to be even more Bogleheadish than usual when evaluating travel insurance.
HIinvestor
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by HIinvestor »

Have gotten full refunds several times with NO travel insurance.

We did NOT buy travel insurance when I was arranging a trip in 2010 to go to Europe. I booked and paid for air tickets for 4 of us as well as hotels at all our stops in Europe. The volcano erupted in Iceland and I got a bad lung infection. My lung doc advised us that we (all asthmatics) should NOT go as the trip could cause us all to have serious health problems and in light of my bad lung infection. I forwarded a letter from my lung doc basically saying what I wrote in prior sentence and was able to get 100% cash refunds on all of our deposits, pre-payments and reservations. We had been toying with the idea of purchasing travel insurance but hadn't bothered. The credit card company that we charged many portions of the trip stood ready to help us get refunds as needed or have the travel insurance kick in and help us get refunds. I did have to make several phone calls and emails, but was very pleased that the companies were willing to understand and work with us, including several that said the payments were "nonrefundable."

My sister similarly had a trip planned using miles and as she was at the airport departing one of her best friends had their D call her at the airport telling her that the friend was doing very poorly and not expected to survive long. They cancelled the trip and were able to get all their miles back, as well as reschedule with no or little financial loss. She also had no insurance. It did take a few phone calls.

On the other hand, a friend's mom broke her leg badly (in several places) in Las Vegas. She had to be flown to Hawaii and transporting her cost 5 figures because of how badly the leg was broken. The D had to pay cash up front for her to be able to fly. In that case, having travel evacuation insurance thru MedJet would have been able to avoid that cost.
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wassabi
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Re: Travel Insurance

Post by wassabi »

One thing to keep in mind when considering travel insurance is that the real expense comes from illnesses and accidents while away. A plane ticket or lost luggage is a small expense compared to an accident that results in a broken back. My health insurance has limited coverage overseas so the minimal expense on travel insurance helps me to rest well knowing that I am covered up to $1M (or whatever the amount) in the case of an accident. This coverage also includes medical transportation back to the states. When considering travel insurance, I recommend thinking about the health coverage before the coverage for trip loss/interruption, or luggage loss.
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