Patty

I think the difference is that Larry used his air to return home. I believe only unused air is eligible for reimbursement.

ann_nyc

Yes, I think it is different for every provider. My roommate on my recent safari told her story about here experiences last year, when she fractured her kneecap in Prague, and had major surgery and was in the hospital 8 days. She was VERY pleased with her travel insurance. They not only covered the surgery and hospital, they called her every day to see if she had everything she needed, offered to fly a family member to escort her home, or to send a nurse on the flight if she needed one, arranged for an ambulance to take her from the hospital to the plane, and truly took care of everything. I didnt' specifically ask her if they also reimbursed her for the lost vacation.

simbakubwa

It seems from many other posts that travel insurance is just a waste of money.

I guess it buys "peace of mind", but for anyone who's ever actually tried to collect on it...good luck!!

If you want to start a great business... open a travel insurance company!!!

matnikstym

simbakubwa~I had no problem getting my claim taken care of. sent them the documents and in a week I was reimbursed fully for my losses. more than paid for the cost of the insurance.

Patrissimo

We too,have been confused as to what to do regards travel insurance. Now we are 3 weeks away with none. Today, I just called and will probably get the med-vac. I am rolling the dice for 4 people. I guess that it is true--you do learn from experience. So far ,so good!

afrigalah

I've just had the importance of travel/med insurance rammed home to me. My mother, who is 89, had a fall in Dubai on her way to the UK with my sister a couple of weeks ago, and had to undergo a hip replacement in a Dubai hospital. She will be flown home in the next day or so. Her insurance paid for everything. OK, so she's elderly, but the unexpected can happen to anybody.

John

cary999

It has been my life long experience (60 plus years) that no insurance of any type covers what you think it does. It always covers less.
Now a question please - I have been using the travel insurance from Travel Guard (travelguard dot com). I have never made a claim with them. Can anyone kindly tell me their experience in having a claim with Travel Guard?
regards - tom

cybor

Hi John,
Too bad about your mom - I would expect that Dubai has excellent medical facilities and she got good care. Scary though, being so far from home.
Question;
Did you get your last travel policy when you paid your provisional deposit or wait til you put your larger deposit down?
Thanks;
Sherry

Cdnfolks

We certainly bought the full package through Travel Guard. This is the first major trip that I did not use a travel agent, so felt it was extra important to cover our deposit and airline tickets. Having elderly parents, one never knows when plans must change....

afrigalah

Sherry,

Thanks for the thought about Mum. She and one of my sisters arrive back home tomorrow. I'm hoping the long flight Dubai-Melbourne-Adelaide is not too stressful but it won't be easy.

I always pay for my travel insurance with my first (and only) deposit, which is when I confirm my plans with my agent. I think it's 20 percent deposit, with the balance paid 60 days before departure.

Incidentally, although I've never had to use my travel insurance (unlike my poor mother), I've never been disappointed by any insurance payout in any other field...medical, car damage, household property loss or damage; indeed, when my house was demolished by a tropical cyclone, the assessor came out and said to me, 'You haven't claimed enough. Go back and do it (fill out your claim form) again." Maybe I'm not such a grumpy old man as I sometimes make out to be

John

afrigalah

Sherry,

I forgot...excellent medical care in Dubai. Couldn't have been better.

John

afrigalah

Contrary to tom's experiences (and I'm just as old as he is), I've just completed yet another quite satisfactory experience with insurance in the wash-up to my mother's accident in Dubai. The travel insurance company not only paid everything we expected they would pay (and it was a rather complicated claim involving many thousands of dollars), but they bent their own guidelines and met a couple of our claims which we thought they would knock back. In fact, they did reject them to start with, but we rather optimistically appealed with a reason-based rather than rules-based argument and they changed their mind within the day. Perhaps it was Christmas goodwill, but the experience reinforced my belief that if you choose a reputable company, examine the fine print closely and cross all the Ts and dot all the Is when taking the policy out and when making your claim, you won't go far wrong.

John

atravelynn

John, what a happy ending, at least financially with your mother's insurance.
Do you know what carrier it was? Thanks.

afrigalah

Lynn,

A fairly high profile Australian company, Mutual Community Gen Ins.

John

amolkarnik

I wouldnt dream of travelling without insurance. Its inexpensive compared to the cost of most holidays. My wife and I are covered under a joint policy that covers worldwide holiday of up to 30 days duration, including cancellation, medical evacuation, liability, lost property, hospitalisation etc for about £100 per year.

Its the proverbial 'no-brainer' as far as I am concerned.