trip insurance
 

Does anyone buy trip insurance from an company that just does that an if so which one? We are going to Paris and London in early June (I hope)and I just wondered what others did and who they might recommend.

Yes..I bought this for the first time for a(n) (expensive) trip I will take this fall. I bought a TravelGuard policy through this wwebsite:

www.insuremytrip.com

I recommend a TravelEx Lite policy.

Travelhorizons..would you tell us why you recommend that particular policy and why it is better than others that might be similar?

Check out insuremytrip.com
Lots of options. Also: do check out what you already have.... Homeowners; medical etc. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Thos e policies will nned have the all-important trip interruption/cancellation coverage, tho.


READ THE FINE PRINT OF ANY POLICY... and call them if you are unsure of its interpretation.

Those policies will NOT have the all-important trip interruption/cancellation coverage, tho.

~~ pressed "post" too soon! ~~

ttt

TravelEx has a 21 day pre-existing condition window. Travel Guard's is only 14

Children 16 and under are covered for free.

In the experience of my colleagues, they are very good at paying claims.


OTOH, Travel Guard has better converage for weather, so if you're traveling to the Caribbean in hurricane season, it might be a better bet under those circumstances.

OK...I had a question along these same lines so here goes. I leave for Italy next week and am still debating about trip insurance. My medical policy has a short (rather vague) paragraph indicating that eligible charges incurred while outside the US will be considered in-network. I keep meaning to call to ask for details, but I'm so swamped at work (trying to tie up loose ends so that I can go on this trip) that I haven't made the call. I also have not checked my homeowner's policy, but I don't know that it would be any help.

So far I am out of pocket only for the plane fare. I have B&B's secured with a credit card, but have not actually incurred charges. They do have penalties of 1 night for the most part for last minute cancellations. I've checked both insuremytrip and travelguard, but I'm a little confused about how to determine the value of my trip. I mainly want emergency evacuation coverage, but I wouldn't mind some sort of trip cancellation if it's not outrageous. Since this is not a tour or a cruise where I've paid in full up front, what suggestions can you experts give me.

Do you just want to insure your trip or do you want medical insurance also?

That's the rub...I'm a little confused. It kind of depends on the cost and whether it seems reasonable. I don't know whether to do just catastrophic medical or trip cancellation also. And if so...what should be included in the amount I determine for coverage?

If you want medical evacuation, you might also check out MedJet Assistance. They evacuate you home, not just to the nearest facility. Their coverage is much more comprehensive than the others I have checked so far, personally. The web address is www.medjetassistance.com.

I buy my airline tickets using a Westpac Visa Gold credit card, and automatically get free travel insurance. Does such a routine not exist in the USA?

Hi Deb,

> I mainly want emergency evacuation coverage, ....<

Read the fine print on any evacuation plan verrrrry carefully.

They usually say that they will pay to have you taken to the closest facility that can handle your problem.

They also usually say that their medical staff decide if you have to be sent home.

In the UK and France, that means that you will be in hospital in the UK or France, not sent home - unless you die.

((I))

Thanks Ira,
I obviously don't want to have to die to be sent home. :-)

I did see that the different levels of coverage have different rules regarding the evacuation destination. Obviously I need to do more research, but back to my question about out of pocker expenses...how to you determine cost of your trip since the bulk of my expenses have not yet been charged?

Hi C,

>how do you determine cost of your trip since the bulk of my expenses have not yet been charged?<

If you have to cancel a hotel, you'll be charged 1-2 nights.

Airfare and train tickets might be rufundable.

You won't have to include meals and incidentals, because you won't be billed for them.

((I))

Ira,
Good...sounds like I was on the right track with this. My airfare is nonrefundable, and I have not purchased any train tickets yet. Two places I will stay have a 1 night penatly for late cancellation and the first place is a full stay if canceled at the last minute. So I guess that is the extent of what I need to cover.

Deb, make sure to check with your credit card company to see what kind of cancellation insurance they offer. I took out insurance based on land costs only, because my VISA card offers cancellation coverage of up to $1500 for my flights.

Also check into the airline policy as far as cancellation. Although the official policy may state that no cancellations are allowed, many airlines will cancel with no penalty if you or your family member ( you may have to be legally married if the family member is a husband or wife) is unable to fly due to medical reasons. (This happened to me two years ago; I provided a doctor's letter and Alitalia refunded the total cost of my tickets). So having insurance for the flights would not have been necessary, which is a good thing since I did not have it!