One Way Ads Travel

Archive for November, 2011

What would everybody want after a long period of work? Yes, it is indeed a travel vacation. A vacation would help anybody, be it parents or kids, to relieve their stress and refresh themselves. However, for your travel vacation to be a memorably and fun-filled one, you should choose the best travel destination.

Choosing the best travel destination can be a long and cumbersome process, but it certainly pays-off when you enjoy every part of the stay over there. But how can you choose the best travel destination? This article lists some guidelines that would help one understand how to choose the best travel destination.

Life is often a balance between good and bad, positive and negative, yin and yang, glass half full/glass half empty – whichever way you choose to look at it. When caught up in the excitement of planning your next trip or holiday the last thing on your mind may be the possibility that something could go wrong – and it can be easy to forget about travel insurance. Positive thinking is definitely a good thing – and in the majority of cases everything will go to plan, but you just never know.

There is no question that everyone should have travel insurance, and the cost should be incorporated into your holiday budget. However, before you press the ‘Buy’ button when purchasing a policy online, always look beyond the quote to see whether it suits your needs and covers all your planned activities. For the relatively small cost of travel insurance you could potentially get quite a lot for your money.

Travel insurance may not cover every single eventuality that could occur, but it certainly covers most of the common – and often costly – travel-related problems. There is a lot more to it than can be covered here, but to get you started here are five important reasons why you should have insurance:

1. Cancellation and Curtailment A typical policy will include Cancellation and Curtailment. Cancellation means cancelling before your trip begins. Curtailment means cutting short your trip. This provides for you and your travelling companion if a covered event occurs, such as:
Illness, injury or death of you, your companion, a close relative or business associate, or the person with whom you plan to stay Being made redundant Being called for jury service Being posted overseas (armed forces) or called for duty if you work for an essential service (fire, nursing, ambulance, police, etc.) A Foreign Office (or other government) advisory against travel to a certain part of the world (as long as this was not in effect at the time you booked the travel) Failing a university (or equivalent) exam and having to re-sit

2. Scheduled Airline Failure We live in uncertain times, unfortunately, so why not have this cover in place – just in case. This is especially important for travellers who like to put together their own trips or holidays by booking flights and accommodation separately, the so-called DIY holiday. (A package holiday should include protection against airline failure if booked through a bonded company).

3. Medical Expenses and Hospital Benefit In most cases travel will go smoothly, but medical emergencies are usually beyond our control. For example, traveller’s tummy often strikes no matter how much care is taken with eating and drinking. Taking ice in a drink in some parts of the world could be all it takes to pick up a nasty gastrointestinal bug.

A comprehensive travel insurance policy should include Emergency Medical Repatriation. This may be something you have never heard of, but it is certainly something to be aware of. If you are just taking a short trip to a neighbouring country you may think there is no need to worry. However, if you should be involved in a serious accident or become very ill or even fatally injured in any part of the world it may be necessary to transport you home by air ambulance with a medical escort. Additional seats may have to be purchased on a flight to accommodate a stretcher. Imagine the cost if you did not have insurance. Also, contrary to popular belief, your embassy does not pay these costs!

4. Catastrophe Insurance for natural catastrophes is a matter of concern for many travellers these days. Policies may vary in what they do or do not cover, and insurance may not cover any and all types of catastrophes. However, if a catastrophe should occur (such as earthquake, hurricane, flood, fire) insurance may cover additional travel and accommodation expenses to either continue your trip or return home.

5. Personal Effects and Luggage This is probably the issue that most people think of when they hear the term travel insurance. Having your luggage lost, stolen or damaged may not be the worst thing that could happen when travelling, but it could certainly cause inconvenience and disrupt your relaxing holiday.

Imagine the cost of having to go out shopping to replace all the items you had so carefully chosen to purchase and pack for your trip. Travel insurance provides reimbursement for these costs up to a certain amount, depending on the policy. Remember that it is important to keep all receipts!

This article is a general guide only, intended to point out some important features. Policies vary from company to company, so always check to see what is or is not included.

Be wary of ‘free travel insurance’ included with offers or promotions, or a very cheap quote on a comparison site. Always check the levels of cover (especially medical) as well as the Excess (also known as Deductible – the amount you pay towards a claim). Cuts are often made somewhere to be able to provide such a cheap quote.

Thinking positively is a good thing in most areas of life, but when it comes to travel it may be best to err on the side of caution. Why not change your thinking slightly and hope for the best – but be prepared for the worst!

Many of us will take out travel insurance when going on holiday but do you know what to do when something goes wrong? Knowing upfront can save a lot of heartache down the track. Read the following tips so that you can be prepared.

Proof of ownership

Travel insurance companies will often refuse to pay for lost or stolen items unless that you can prove that you own them. The best way is with the original receipt. We might keep receipts for the expensive items but who has a receipt for every item you are taking away with you!

Now, travel insurance companies are not all evil and will cover you for general things like clothes, toiletries, and luggage but without proof of brand or value you’ll often only get a fraction of the true replacement cost.

Digital cameras are cheap and most people will be taking them on holidays. So you should take a photo of everything that you are taking. Get the brand and style where possible. Detail all this in a spreadsheet as well. Scan all receipts, manuals, warranty cards, or tags. You can claim when you get home but I’d suggest emailing all the photos, scans and spreadsheet to a free email site like Gmail or Hotmail so you can claim while away if needed.

Replacement value

It has become common now for car or home and contents insurance to offer new for old replacement. This is generally not how travel insurance works. You’ll usually be offered the value of the goods minus depreciation. This should mean that the money you are offered can buy a replacement item second hand. Some items hold their value really well and you actually won’t be able to buy a replacement one for anywhere near the money the travel insurance company gives you. You should always lodge a complaint if this is the case. Provide proof of the true market value (e.g. from classifieds, second hand shops, or eBay). If the travel insurance company still refuses to cover the real cost then take it to the ombudsman.

Stolen goods and police reports

Travel insurance companies will generally not just take your word for it when something is stolen. They want some sort of proof. This is generally best in the form of a police report but can be a statement from the airline, cruise ship, etc if it happened there.

Police reports can be a tricky thing to obtain in some countries. You may be asked to pay a fee for this service. If the amount is small then just pay as it probably isn’t worth the hassle. If it is larger then you may want to consult your guidebook or the internet to see if this is normal. If not then your embassy or consulate should be able to help. Some countries have special tourist police who are the best to approach in regards to this.

If you have trouble speaking the local language and the police can’t understand you then you could try an online translation service (e.g. babelfish) or finding a local or fellow traveller who speaks English and take them along (a tip is generally appreciated).

Unattended luggage

A major area in which travel insurance will not cover you is when your bags are left unattended. This may seem like it would rarely happen as you normally don’t leave your luggage just lying around but unattended is usually defined as being left in an unlocked environment or with someone you don’t know. Common scenarios are left luggage at hotels or hostels, with doormen, or with tour companies.