Que Sera, Sera...but with insurance you will probably sera a bit better.
If you, like, Doris Day have a of "Que sera, sera, what will be, will be" attitude you may not ever feel like you need insurance. But most of us feel a little better is we have some backup for those, “just in case” moments. We strongly recommend all of your travelers to purchase some sort of travel insurance so that you will "sera" a little bit better when you face the unexpected. Here are a few tidbits to help you find your way through the maze of options.
Insurance for travelers falls into a handful of different categories.
(1)Trip Interruption or Trip Cancellation: This type of coverage deals with issues regarding the inability to go on a tour after the reimbursable date due to serious personal illness, or serious illness of a loved one. The trip interruption coverage is similar but relates to early departure from the tour. Generally this type of coverage will offer reimbursement for the cost of the tour or the missed portion of the tour. This is sometimes offered by credit card companies if you purchase the tour and the air flight with said credit card.
(2) Medical Insurance: This type of insurance is particularly valuable if you know you have some health issues and there is a chance of a flare up while you are abroad. Policy coverage varies widely in this area. Please consider asking the questions at the end of this section when deciding on whether this would be of benefit to you. Also, your personal insurance policy or credit card company may already cover you in this area. Special Note: Medicare does not apply to medical emergencies outside the US. I would recommend this type of coverage if you have concerns just to give you peace of mind. Many policies cover hospital stays and treatment as well as transportation in the event of death. It is important to get specifics at the time of purchase to know the exact coverage.
(3) Baggage Insurance: This is very limited insurance but may be of interest to you. It is generally bundled with one of the other types of insurance listed here.
(4) Flight Insurance: While Lori Ann’s World Tours, LLC is not involved with the flights themselves this is worthy of note. You generally can purchase this through your airlines or your consolidator such as Travelocity or Expedia.
A few important questions to ask are as follows:
Prepared with those questions, here are a few companies that you may find helpful.
Insuremytrip.com (800-487-4722) sells insurance but also provides the service of comparing their coverage to that of other companies. This website can be very helpful for comparisons.
Allianz (800-284-8300)
Betins (866-552-8834 or 253-238-6374)
Travelex (800-228-9792)
Travelguard (800-826-4919)
Travel Insured International (800-243-3174)
Insurance for travelers falls into a handful of different categories.
(1)Trip Interruption or Trip Cancellation: This type of coverage deals with issues regarding the inability to go on a tour after the reimbursable date due to serious personal illness, or serious illness of a loved one. The trip interruption coverage is similar but relates to early departure from the tour. Generally this type of coverage will offer reimbursement for the cost of the tour or the missed portion of the tour. This is sometimes offered by credit card companies if you purchase the tour and the air flight with said credit card.
(2) Medical Insurance: This type of insurance is particularly valuable if you know you have some health issues and there is a chance of a flare up while you are abroad. Policy coverage varies widely in this area. Please consider asking the questions at the end of this section when deciding on whether this would be of benefit to you. Also, your personal insurance policy or credit card company may already cover you in this area. Special Note: Medicare does not apply to medical emergencies outside the US. I would recommend this type of coverage if you have concerns just to give you peace of mind. Many policies cover hospital stays and treatment as well as transportation in the event of death. It is important to get specifics at the time of purchase to know the exact coverage.
(3) Baggage Insurance: This is very limited insurance but may be of interest to you. It is generally bundled with one of the other types of insurance listed here.
(4) Flight Insurance: While Lori Ann’s World Tours, LLC is not involved with the flights themselves this is worthy of note. You generally can purchase this through your airlines or your consolidator such as Travelocity or Expedia.
A few important questions to ask are as follows:
- “If I am injured and cannot enjoy the tour, will the cost of the tour be reimbursed?"
- “Does the policy cover hospital stay, doctor’s fees, medicines, ambulance transport, related services?”
- “If so, is it complete coverage or only partial coverage?”
- “Is this coverage primary coverage or secondary coverage?”
- “Will I need to pay first and then get reimbursed?"
- “Will my home policy cover my trip?”
- “Will this cover the cost of the tour should I not be able to go after the refund date offered by the tour company?”
- “Am I already covered through my credit card insurance offerings-considering that was the method of payment for the tour package?”
- “Does the policy cover all injuries or illness regardless of the cause or only specific ones?”
- “What specific procedures need to be followed in order to receive coverage?”
- “Will the policy cover special transportation arrangements for my return home should they be needed?”
- “In the case of death, will the preparation and transportation of my body be covered?”
- “If someone needs to stay with me, will their hotel stay be covered?”
- “Does the policy cover any injury during flight or just during my stay abroad?”
- “Does the insurance cover transportation accidents that may occur to and from the city where the tour is? … i.e. to and from the airport before and after the tour.”
Prepared with those questions, here are a few companies that you may find helpful.
Insuremytrip.com (800-487-4722) sells insurance but also provides the service of comparing their coverage to that of other companies. This website can be very helpful for comparisons.
Allianz (800-284-8300)
Betins (866-552-8834 or 253-238-6374)
Travelex (800-228-9792)
Travelguard (800-826-4919)
Travel Insured International (800-243-3174)