As with most travel medical policies, it looks as though the DAN insurance will normally evacuate or repatriate you only to the nearest capable medical facility. For most of us that would be an ambulance ride to a hospital wherever we are travelling.

From their website:
Emergency Evacuation means that, due to medical necessity, the Member or Family Member requires immediate transportation from the place where such person has a medical emergency to the nearest
appropriate medical facility.

Repatriation means that, due to medical necessity,
the Member or Family Member requires transportation to either:
• their primary residence as listed in the DAN
database; or
• the region where they are currently living and/or working at the time of the injury; or
• the appropriate medical facility for care or evaluation, whichever of these is nearest.

I would love to hear the definitive answer as to which travel insurance is "the best."

I thought STA was for students..no??


Last year I had an African trip planned. Everything was booked and paid for including RT coach air tickets from JFK to SA.

Six weeks before the departure date, one of the two people I was traveling with was hospitalized for a pulmonary embolism that had begun with a leg clot. We all had insurance from TravelGuard. The doctor told my friend she could go, but should fly business class so that she could have more leg room. (she also needed to get a blood tests in SA to check about the Warfarin levels in her blood)

She wanted to cancel the KLM coach flights and buy business class tickets. The insurance company would not reimburse for the cancelled coach tickets. She ended up buying the business tickets and taking a total loss on the non-refundable coach tickets..

Not sure why I am writing all this, but in a situation like this, for example, would another company have refunded the coach ticket price..do you think??

I, too, thought STA was for students until I contacted them. In my case, they were excellent. Paid for everything...no problem that my son-in-law had prepaid part of our trip. We got back the money and repaid him. I just called DAN and they will pay in case of illness not just accident. But they will only take you to nearest acceptable facility. I have no idea about airfare upgrades. I think STA would have paid for cancelling your friend's coach ticket. It was cancelled due to illness, but, of course, only STA could really answer that. I also asked DAN what would happen if (from the original example) broken leg. Did not need to be flown out but couldn't do much. They would pay for the ticket change to a time the person could fly (no info on upgrade) but not pay for new hotel, but if you had bought trip cancellation/interuption insurance, they would pay for your prepaid stuff. Don't know what is best, but my feeling is unless your have bought really expensive insurance, you will probably take a loss somewhere. We were just lucky with STA and our circumstances. Now we should rebook our Africa trip and get more insurance.

You do need to know exactly what a policy covers. DAN membership covers only med evac. It is not a more general travel policy. And, like most med evac policies it covers transport to the "nearest
appropriate medical facility." An ambulance ride to the local hospital or clinic is not med evac.

Rufus, I don't know where you travel, but I travel mostly to Asia these days, and mostly to third world countries. If I had broken an ankle in Nepal, the "nearest
appropriate medical facility" would have been Bangkok or Singapore, not a clinic in Kathmandu.

Some people object to getting treatment at a hospital outside their home country. If that's you, you need to get a policy that will fly you home after medical stabilization.

There is no "best" travel insurance. Everyone's needs are different. I buy just what I need, so never buy a whole package policy. Right now, I'm not looking for cancelation insurance or for medical insurance, I just need med evac insurance.

Eks, I don't know if another insurance company would have reimbursed your friend for her tickets or not. It seems to me that it falls outisde the usual travel insurance policies I've seen.

I am really surprised this was published by the NYT - doesn't seem that much of a story, a bit hyped up for the paper? I thought the report recently about the accident in Bali was far better written and illustrated the same points - does anyone agree?

I also cannot believe that the writer is a travel expert - perhaps I am a victim of very effective insurance company marketing, but I wouldn't dream of travelling without really comprehensive travel (inc medical) insurance.

We get very comprehensive travel insurance from Amex as part of the 'deal' for being card holders - but we are UK card holders. Is it different in the states? The writer seemed to have some cover from Amex but nowhere near as much as we get. The cover is good as well and we don't have to use our Amex at all in booking the holiday to get it. My sister's bf was on holiday when he got DVT - the ins would have paid for them to stay on (inc accommodation, travel and medical expenses - not food though) or for the medical evacuation to the UK (across europe in an ambulance - no flying of course). Luckily for him (given the state of our National Health Service), his doc recommended staying put and they stayed on for an extra few weeks.

Bella, the insurance regulations are different in the states. One of the regulars here, Leigh, said that in the UK they can buy a whole year of comprehensive travel insurance... not available in the US.

I am looking for thread by the person who broke his leg in Bhutan. He got a walking cast flown in from Bangkok, I think. I went back 500 items and could not find it. Anybody note it??

that's right Kathie - you can get a really comprehensive worldwide annual multi-trip policy for a family of 4 with medical coverage for up to £10m starting from about £85 (just had a quick scoot)

I too felt the NYT article was a shameful advertisement incognito.

Elainee, I remember the post, searched for it but also couldn't find it.

Kathie--that's why I said "for most of us."

I am bringing this up again in case anyone has something more to add. Even with the new forums, I could not find that thread about the accident in Bali and the discussion that followed.

The InsureMyTrip site is overwhelming!

We are 3 persons looking to purchase insurance that will cover cancellation and medical evac and treatment. My two friends want to buy a policy that will also allow them to cancel if I cannot go for any reason. (They would not want to go themselves).

Any thoughts here before I make some calls?

Let's get this straight. You have two friends that want to insure against your unreliability? Who would have thunk it? How is such a thing possible. We Fodorites can assure your frinds that you are completely reliable, if glacially slow.

I believe that trip cancellation insurance (which I never buy myself) usually covers cancellation due to the illness of family members or traveling companions, but you have to read the individual policies. I always have medical evacuation coverage from tenweb.com, but nothing else. However, if I were buying a really expensive tour of some kind (like the Pandaw boat, lol), I would.

Well at least I do not have to worry about you, Panda! (See Shanghai thread)

Yes, these two misguided souls have decided that they will not be able to take this trip if ekscrunchy has to bail out due to incarceration or other misfortune.

Do you buy travel insurance and if so, please give me a hint?

Did you notice that a certain trip report is all but complete, lacking only the mudane details of the airport transfer and plane trips back to base?

I know that there is trip cancellation insurance available that allows for cancellation for any reason, but it is expensive and must be purchased within two weeks of booking the trip. I've never purchased such insurance. Like thursdays I only carry med evac.

Thanks, Kathie. I am looking into both Ten Web and MedJet Assist. I will pass along the related info to my friends since their needs, and their ages, are different than my own.

http://www.tenweb.com/ (less expensive; trying to figure out the difference between the two)

http://www.medjetassist.com/ (why twice the price?)

We never buy trip insurance. On our seven Asia trips, but not doing so, we have essentially paid for the eighth trip. We do have DAN evacuation insurance.

Perhaps your unsuspecting "friends" will accept your assurance that you will actually carry through in ONE of your commeittments?

You'd better watch out Mr. Snarky Panda! There are dastardly deeds that I can pull on my captors!

Have you not heard the news that the report in question is just about complete?

Ok--here is how I will forgive you. You have to tell me why the Medjet is more expensive than the DAN evac insurance. And make it snappy! No time wasting or dragging out a simple chore!

http://www.medjet.com/

Don't know about medjet. I've just followed Kathie's sage advice and signed up with DAN.

BTW, I am not your captor. Merely a snide observer. If there wasn't so much ammunition, I wouldn't fire so often.

Pandas do not seek forgiveness, ever. We proceed forward at all times. To paraphrase on old "hill Street Blues" line:

We ain't got no back-up genes.