Posts Tagged ‘travel insurance’

Tour Group Travel Insurance Coverage

Monday, March 1st, 2010

More and more people are booking their international travel in larger groups now, so as to offset the rising cost of plane tickets and hotel accommodations. For travelers looking for other ways to save money, the group travel insurance plan provides not one but two ways to save money.

First off, you can save wit group medical insurance by splitting the overall cost of medical insurance amongst the members of your party. It can be expensive for every person in the party to buy their own insurance policy. But with a group plan, everyone can get a discounted unit price by purchasing one single policy that covers everyone you are traveling with.

You can also save money when you actually use your group trip insurance policy. Since the insurance policy you currently posses probably doesn’t cover international activity, you’d face very high medical costs when traveling as an uninsured person.

Group medical insurance saves you from those high costs. It uses the same model you’re used to with your own insurance policy, paying out 100% of expenses incurred above and beyond your deductible. You’ll choose your deductible level (anywhere from $0 to $2,500) based on personal preference and how much in premiums you’re willing to pay.

In addition to the great savings, another benefit for your group is the range of services that are covered. Not only will you be able to get coverage for standard doctor’s visits and medical needs, but rare occasions like terrorist attacks and natural disasters are covered in your international travel group insurance policy.

Age plays an important role in determining your coverage level. Groups where all travelers are below the age of 70 will have a maximum of $1,000,000 in coverage, whereas groups with members between 70 and 75 will have a maximum of $50,000. Groups with members 80 and over will be limited to $10,000.

The length of your international travel group insurance plan can be adjusted as well. If you’re planning a shorter stay, plans are available for as few as five days. Plans of up to 12 months are available for those staying longer.

If you’re traveling in a group and want to save money on your overall costs (and who doesn’t?), group medical insurance offers a unique opportunity to save in multiple ways: both at the time of purchase, and then after using it. Protect your group’s health and your own financial interests by signing up for a group travel insurance policy.

Dan Miller often writes about travel insurance.

Is Travel Insurance Necessary?

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Paying a one-time fee for travel insurance with the promise of having all of your yearly travel protected from accidents and illnesses sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? In most cases it is; however, the time to find out your coverage isn’t complete is not after you experience an illness in another country.

With the growing number of reasons to travel, travel insurance policies morph into a various number of forms to appeal to a wider audience of borrowers. As will be covered in this guide, some policies are more suitable for certain trips than others, such as winter sports insurance for a winter holiday vacation. The winter sports package covers various winter activities, from skiing to snowboarding, as well as injuries to yourself or to equipment. But be careful: With less than 60 countries contracted with the UK to provide healthcare, injuries in a remote country may cost you more than desired.

You may not know that fewer than 60 countries have a healthcare agreement with the UK. If you have an skiing accident in Swizerland, for example, the associated healthcare costs can cost you a fortune and will certainly ruin your holiday. Taking out a winter sports policy will cover any unfortunate injuries that may happen when skiing or snowboarding, as well as covering the theft or breakage of sporting equipment.

If your holiday is likely to involve you taking part in adventure activities such as bungee jumping or white-water rafting it would be advisable to take out a form of adventure holiday insurance. Many of these adventure behavior may be exempt from a traditional travel insurance policy so failing to take out appropriate cover could mean you facing a hefty bill should a little go wrong. When purchasing adventure holiday insurance always ensure your planned activities are covered by the policy.

If throwing on a backpack, sticking out your thumb or buying a train pass is your idea of a great holiday – well, there is an insurance policy for you too. Backpackers insurance will cover injuries and accidents in multiple countries. However, before purchasing one it’s important to double-check that these the countries you plan to visit are covered – many third-world ones are not. This type of policy is is also long-lasting: many last for’ months, which is perfect for the wayward backpacker.

If your work requires you to travel abroad you should consider taking out business insurance. This type of policy can cover business equipment such as laptops and PDAs and business documents. Some policies also cover the travel expenses if you are taken ill and another member of staff has to fly out and take your place. Something that insurance provided by your employer may not.

Before taking out any kind of policy, it’s important to let the insurance company know of any health concerns or pre-exisiting medical conditions you may have. While disclosing this information may raise the price of the policy, the costs of illness while on holiday can be ruinous – it’s a small price to pay in the end. One other thing to consider is that many standard insurance policies have an age-limit – often this is 65. If you are over this limit, this throws you into the high-risk category. But, you’ll be happy to know that there are insurance companies that have policies that specialize in affordable insurance for the older traveler. Whatever type of travel you plan to do, or whatever your age, there is a travel policy for you that will give you peace of mind and allow you to enjoy your holiday.

Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African Insurance Provider who specialises in Travel Insurance.

Ensure Wonderful Sights on Safaris with Insurance

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

An African safari is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Safaris, however, are dependent on many factors, and your safari operators often require you to be prepared for changes in the schedule of the safari, with appropriate trip cancellation insurance.

Trip cancellation insurance is not the only insurance that you will need when planning an African safari. You will also require a plan that covers medical expenses, should the occasion arise. While most safari operators will offer some trip cancellation insurance and medical insurance plans, coverage may not be adequate.

Generally, trip cancellation insurance offers other benefits such as baggage safety against loss or theft, in addition to safari cancellation and rescheduling. Baggage safety remains a major problem at African airports.

While most African safaris are held on time, it is not rare for the weather to necessitate change in the safari schedule. Other reasons for the cancellation or postponement of a safari include the lack of the optimum number of participants on the safari, and baggage delay. Trip cancellation insurance can be extremely handy in such a situation.

In case of medical insurance, ensure coverage for all major medical problems, as well as emergency evacuation and repatriation benefits. Usually, trip cancellation insurance can be bundled together with travel medical insurance. Shop around for plans until you receive a suitable trip cancellation and medical insurance plan that works for an African safari.

The safari is not the only thing that your trip cancellation insurance will cover. The non-refundable portions of your travel tickets, accommodation, and any other travel-related expenses are also covered. To make a successful claim, the trip cancellation insurance company will require you to display proof that you have indeed lost that money with the help of receipts and proof of the actual reservation.

One of the hitches in the emergency medical evacuation clause is the fact that most areas that safaris cover are remote and not well connected by phone. So when an emergency actually occurs, getting prior permission or organizing it through the insurance company may not be an option. The trip cancellation and travel insurance company selected must be able to still accept claims.

To get the best deals, you must purchase your travel cancellation insurance no later than a week from buying your tickets. Carefully check the plan you have chosen, it might feature the one-week purchase limit as a prerequisite for coverage, or as a prerequisite for extra benefits.

Dan Miller often writes about travel insurance.

Why And How To Choose International Travel Medical Insurance

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Got a big trip coming up? Chances are you are excitedly planning your itinerary around Canada or mapping out your European driving vacation, but don't forget about one very important thing: international travel medical insurance. Most overseas vacations are very successful and you do not need to make a claim, but if disaster strikes you want to make sure that you are covered.

So you know that you need to find some travel insurance, but choosing a policy can be confusing. There are different companies and options and they each have differing inclusions, exclusions, premiums and gap fees. Before selecting a policy, you should compare what each is offering and make an educated decision based upon your health needs and those of the other people that will be covered with the plan.

Work out roughly what level of coverage you require and from there choose a few different companies' products to compare. Look at what they cover and the amount that they will cover you for, check how long it takes them to make payment and what happens in the case of emergency. It is no good having the insurance if the company is slow to respond in times of emergency. Also compare the prices of the policy, but the cheapest is not always the best.

There are a few basic types of travel insurance that you can find: short term coverage for a single trip, open ended or longer term coverage and coverage for multiple trips. If you are planning to live overseas there are expat policies that can cover you indefinitely.

The tricky part of choosing between insurance policies for your Canada trip is comparing the different policies that are available. There can be a lot of difference between what is covered by travel insurance and what is not. The pricing of what is covered and the amounts you are covered for can also be quite different.

There may be some policies that charge more for some featured inclusions that are not relevant to you, so it may be possible to save money with a less comprehensive policy. Some of the elements that may be included in travel medical insurance are: emergency medical care, emergency dental care, medical removal from the country to the nearest appropriate facility, trip cancellation and delay, lost luggage that may pay out for lost items up to a set limit.

There do tend to be some exclusions with medical travel insurance that you may need to be aware of. The more common ones are – prior medical conditions, pregnancy, adventure sports such as diving and mountain climbing, self caused injury or mental illness.

Before you pick the international travel medical insurance that you are going to go with you should look carefully at all the options. Most vacations go smoothly and you do not need to make a claim. But, and this is a big but, if something does happen or you get sick overseas you want to have the support and backing of your travel insurance to give you peace of mind.

Dan Pucher Insurance is an independent Travel Health Insurance Broker offering personal and corporate solutions. When looking for Visitors to Canada Insurance and information on Canada Travel Insurance please give us a call.

Travel Insurance Quota: Tips On How To Earn Double Your Present Salary

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

As a sales person selling insurance to travelers you will want to at least meet your allotted travel insurance quote if not exceed it. The best way to achieve your objectives is to follow whatever useful tips you are able to find that should hopefully point you in the direction that will help you earn considerable amount of money. Only those sales persons that know the art of making a sale will be in a position to earn double what they normally earn. In fact, one point of curiosity for each travel insurance salesman is whether they can through dint of hard work learn how to earn in six figures.

The first step that they will need to take in order to achieve their travel insurance quota is to learn how to get plenty of appointments with targeted clients and then be sure about how to close the deal. If you are determined to meet and even exceed your quota you must understand that there is a certain kind of psychology that has to be used in order to succeed in getting customers to buy your travel insurance plans.

Without a doubt, most sales persons that sell travel insurance are known to be more confused than clear about how to improve their selling abilities. Unless the fine art of salesmanship is mastered there is not much hope of achieving and exceeding quotas set by the management. This in turn means that you must be careful that you always let your client know how much you care for their well being and that you are not just a salesperson out to make a quick sale.

This means as a committed sales person you must ensure that you bring to the client all the promises that they have read about in the company brochures and also in the billboard advertisements. You should even consider selling your travel insurance policies in the same way that a fast food restaurant makes their hamburgers or to do the same things as are applicable when manufacturing widgets.

As a person with the job of selling travel insurance it is important that you do not succumb to the pressures that your seniors will be exerting on you to make more sales and that too in the shortest possible time.

There are fortunately many effective ways to increase your sales and so you have to look beyond simply handing your business cards to clients and ensuring that you are punctual in meeting with the client. These are obvious sales methods that will help you achieve a few minor successes but will not give you that six figure salary.

What you need to do is to do things in a way that you like and which helps in closing a deal. You should even use software that will help show you how to make more effective presentations and which helps to teach you how you can illustrate the benefits of the travel insurance policy that you are selling.

Once you get the hang of it, you should easily meet your travel insurance quota and also exceed it by a wide margin.

Dan Pucher Insurance is an independent Travel Health Insurance Broker offering personal and corporate solutions. When looking for Visitors to Canada Insurance and information on Travel Insurance Canada please give us a call.

Choosing Travel Medical Insurance For Safe Travel

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

As the globe becomes more interconnected, people have been forced to travel much more often than generations past. As traveling across borders increases, so do the risks that travel insurance can protect people from. As this type of insurance continues to grow in popularity, so will the features available to the every day traveler.

You’ll have two options when buying travel health insurance: medical only or comprehensive. Medical only will provide affordable medical coverage if you or a family member becomes sick or injured. Comprehensive offers this coverage as well as reimbursement for cancelled flights, missed connections, and lost luggage. If you’re paying the full suite of travel expenses yourself, then you’ll definitely want to consider a comprehensive travel insurance plan.

Any traveler can get the help they need if they have travel medical insurance. This is true regarding both emergency and non-emergency assistance. It can help fix situations like lost passports, emergency evacuations, and even locating a quality doctor. The best part is that you can get help whenever your need it, day or night.

As you consider different providers, consider buying travel insurance online. This method will allow you to quickly and easily get multiple estimates and to compare them at your convenience. You may be able to find consumer reviews of different insurance packages online as well, which can help you make a more educated decision.

Many people have already chosen to carry some sort of personal insurance, but it may be limited in scope and an additional travel insurance plan. A large percentage of standard health insurances will cover none of the expenses occurred during a trek outside the country. By purchasing additional travel insurance, travelers will never be surprised by a medical emergency.

Many people do not realize that a travel insurance policy protects against much more than just medical and health problems. These policies can even help with flight cancellations and lost luggage. Preventative steps must be taken in order to ensure a successful trip. If there is no protection in place, travelers can quickly have their plans destroyed.

Basic medical needs are the minimum of what travel health insurance can provide. It is normally grouped with several types of protection such as accident insurance, flight insurance, and even loss of limb compensation. This type of protection may come at a premium, but will go a long way in creating peace of mind and a relaxing trip.

Travel health insurance has continued to standardize as more people are requiring similar coverages for all of their trips outside their home country. This has propelled this form of insurance to become extremely popular to have anytime someone decides to travel internationally.

Dan Miller often writes about travel insurance.

Travel Insurance Coverage Information

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

You may be offered a travel insurance policy at the time of booking your travel. There are many people who refuse it because they are unclear as to what it is or what it covers. The travel insurance is to cover any medical expenses or financial losses such as money for non refundable payments made as well as many other items you may not expect. Travelers who are travelling internationally or within their own country can purchase travel insurance.

Travel insurance can be purchased to cover your trips exact duration or you can get a more extensive continuous policy from your travel agent, travel insurance company, or travel supplier such as a cruise line or tour operator. Be careful when purchasing a policy through a travel supplier as their policies are less inclusive than the ones from the travel insurance company.

There are a variety of travelers that use travel insurance such as the student traveler, leisure traveler, business traveler, cruise traveler, adventure traveler, as well as the international traveler. There are several options that can be included in the travel insurance that will make the policy unique to each traveler who purchases it and allow them to reduce the cost of the policy.

Travel insurance covers many things, including medical expenses, emergency evacuations, injury or accidental death, disablement benefits, curtailment, delays in trip time, legal assistance, lost luggage and replacement of emergency essentials, damage, theft or loss of personal items such as money and travel documents, trip cancellations, overseas funeral costs, and also will usually include liability for rental car damages.

The policies can be quite different from travel insurance companies and from travel suppliers. The price can be affected by the amount of coverage the traveler chooses to have. Some travel insurance policies will even cover additional trip expenses.

You can purchase a separate policy to cover a pre-existing medical condition such as diabetes or asthma as well as one to cover any high risk or dangerous sports such as sky diving, skiing, parasailing or scuba diving. A separate policy can be purchased as well for travel to a high risk country that is known for their terrorist acts, war status or natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, or volcano activity.

On your basic travel insurance policy you can expect that certain things will be excluded from coverage. Pre-existing medical conditions, injury or illness that was caused by alcohol or drug use, and war and terrorism will most likely be excluded. You can purchase separate policies for war and terrorism from some insurance companies.

During the first trimester of pregnancy most insurance policies will cover the related expenses. Depending on the company the policy and their guidelines it can vary between trimesters as to what is covered and what is not.

Travel insurance offers services that operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Emergency assistance and the concierge services are the most common to be used. You can expect to pay about 5-7% of your total trip cost for your travel insurance policy.

Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African Insurance provider who specialises in Travel Insurance.

Health Insurance For Tourist Policy Advantages

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Buying tourist insurance is a great choice and is a must because of the numerous facilities and benefits it offers to tourists. Tourists can chose from a wide variety of choices based on deductibles ranging from $0, $100, $250, $500, $1000 or $2500.

If the customer opts for treatment within the PPO network and in the States or Canada, then a great amount (90%) of the entire medical costs, up to a maximum limit of $5000 and 100% up to the policy maximum is paid.

If treatment is taken from providers outside the PPO network, then the international health insurance plan pays for about 80% of the medical expenses, up to a maximum of $5000 and then pays for 100% up to the policy maximum.

The various aspects that the health insurance for tourist plan covers are outpatient medical, local ambulance, prescription drugs and emergency room accident , hospital room and board ( up to policy maximum for an average semi-private room rate ), intensive care, medical expenses and emergency illness with in-patient admission.

Emergency evacuation( up to $500,000 lifetime maximum),emergency reunion, return of mortal remains, returning minor children and political evacuation, emergency illness without in-patient admission (up to policy maximum with additional $250 deductible), dental injury due to accident and sudden dental pain are also covered.

Additional benefits include a benefit period up to six months, incidental home country coverage ( up to a total of two weeks), end of trip home country coverage (one month for every five months of coverage purchased), common carrier accidental death.

Terrorism coverage and identity theft insurance ($500 per period of coverage), Sports and activity coverage (up to policy maximum for basic sports), accidental death and dismemberment ($25,000 principal sum) are also covered.

These are a few of the numerous benefits provided by the international medical insurance plans for tourists.

Dan Miller often writes about tourist insurance.

Health Insurance For Tourist – A Review

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Visiting America is a dream for many people from over the world, and when it does come true, it is really exciting! In these times of cheap air travel and block buster holiday packages, it is not really difficult to get there, and it is not too expensive either!

Generally, in the zeal of visiting this land of dreams people give the issue of health a miss and health insurance for visitors is the last topic on their to do list. But this should be the other way round as the tourist insurance needs a careful planning and execution lest there is always a risk that you might end up paying a whopping sum meeting up with unprecedented events related to health.

It is surprising to know that tourist even get flight insurance and luggage insurance and not their health. Which do you think is necessary?

But that is not due to non-availability of competitive tourist insurance options. There are some real good options, which include the entire works ranging from hospital charges to emergency medical evacuation, to repatriation of remains!! While it may sound ominous, it means that everything is covered in the policies, and it is unwise for tourists to step into the United States without comprehensive insurance coverage. Some policies even have additional coverage for hazardous activities and athletics!

Especially if older people are traveling, a tourist health insurance policy is almost as important as their passport and their visa. And we found that visitors health insurance is available to people of all ages (the premium will differ based on age), Some plans are available even for visitors over age 80.

Yes, and coming to the most important part of the visitor health insurance which is the payment of the premium. There are number of plans which give a lot of coverage on various aspects and the premium that you have to pay is a mere $50 per month. So, whenever you are planning a vacation or intending to visit the US, do cover yourselves well under the visitor health insurance scheme.

A holiday has to be enjoyed to the fullest and in its true sense. Let not these factors like ill health or accidents (of course! These are not in our hands) mar the pleasure of your trip. With sufficient coverage under the medical insurance for tourists scheme you will be able to manage through any kind of tight situations mentioned earlier.

Just as excited we may get at the thought of going to the US, getting the visitor health insurance should be a person’s top priority.

Dan Miller often writes about tourist insurance.

Validity Period Of Travel Insurance

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

When you plan to travel there are many uncertainties. To protect one from them is always an excellent plan. You could need it anytime. It could be however quite exasperating to come to a decision in choosing the right policy for yourself. An important factor is the length of time you want to remain covered. The type of policy you choose will decide as to how long you will stay covered. There are principally three types of travel insurance policies which are single trip, annual multi-trip and extended stay. It is useful to have an understanding about all the three types so that you may decide which policy fits you best.

Travel insurance policy for single trip covers you for a single return journey. For children insurance these policies also offer discounts. Children are covered for free also. The only condition to be fulfilled is that they should be traveling with an adult, who has also insured with the same policy.

For those of you who have to travel more often the best choice to be considered is Annual multi-trip policy. This enables you to travel frequently, even covering travel times of 24 to 90 days. It actually save you a good amount of money by avoiding extra cost. When you see that children are also covered without any charge and you are saved the trouble of buying policy each time you travel the advantage is obvious. It saves you from extra costs and is inexpensive.

Extended stay policy is most suitable to those who are students, backpackers, or those looking for career change or break. Such travelers risk the loss of some personal possessions and hence need protection for them. Being flexible it is light on your budget. This allows you to choose the accessories and equipments you want to insure. There is a shortcoming also that you cannot get insurance for everything. By not insuring your every thing – except some of those which you consider important or essential ? you can save your expenses. If you travel plans include working also during your stay then this is not covered by the policy. Such cases are covered by gap year policy which includes your work.

All travel insurance policies cover you for a certain amount You may be covered for medical expenses up to $20 million, luggage loss up to $16,00, trip cancellation up to $3000 It all depends on your unique situation. For hospital expenses the policy will give coverage depending on your medical emergency. Only if your condition is exceptionally critical you will be given policy coverage.

Before buying the policy proper you should give a serious thought to the number of times you have to travel in a year and your baggage. A right evaluation will enormously help you to make right choice. Do not compare your case with others as requirements differ from case to case. What works best for someone else may not be of any or much use to you and vice versa. With a correct picture of your needs you will be in a better position to choose the policy which tailors to you needs. Also read all the information given by the policy as all travel insurance policies differ in their terms and conditions, rules, and standards.

Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African Insurance Provider who specialises in Travel Insurance.