Archive for December, 2011

Getting the Right Travel Insurance December 22nd, 2011

Admin ISK

Finding the right travel insurance policy is a lot like getting a new pair of shoes. Actually, it’s not really very much like choosing a new set of footwear at all but let’s see if we can run with the analogy for a bit anyway.

Know What You Want

If you want to make an impression at an important interview or if you intend to dance the night away at the disco you will be looking at completely different shoes. The same applies with travel insurance, as you need to be sure that you know what type of cover is most important to you. Do you want to be covered for your holiday cruise in Alaska for example, and do you need a full annual policy of just a policy for one trip? Most travel insurance policies are similar in scope but there are some differences you need to keep your eye out for too.

Price Matters But It’s Not Everything

Have you ever bought a really cheap pair of shoes? I remember when I was in my first job I needed a new pair for work and could only afford ones which looked like they had been made from the world’s cheapest and least resistant plastic. Of course, they turned out to be a disastrous purchase and remain to this day my only shoes which have ever literally fallen apart on me. I didn’t suddenly start buying £500 shoes after this but it did make me realise that you only get what you pay for. With travel insurance the cover is generally reasonably priced but you should be sure that it is of better quality than my old footwear.

One Size Fits All

This is really a difference between travel insurance and shoe purchasing but wouldn’t it be great if you could buy shoes in just one size and then adjust them? It would certainly save all that hopping about in the shoe shop and might even mean that I could avoid ripping my heels to shreds with every new pair. While we are on the point, do I just have particularly delicate heels or what? I never see anyone else suffer with new footwear like I do.  Anyway, with travel insurance policies one size really does fit all. Unless you want something out of the ordinary like the sports cover we mentioned earlier then you can just grab an off the shelf type of cover and use it. This means that it is quick and easy to find a policy and get it set up.

Don’t Take Bad Advice

A so called friend once advised me to get a pair of white boots for going out to a party. They were horrendous, uncomfortable and only got worn once. Sometimes friendly advice is made with the best of intentions but turns out to be pretty useless. When it comes to insurance cover a lot of people see it as being a waste of money and might tell you so. You shouldn’t listen to them if you want to enjoy your trip with real peace of mind.

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Zero Interest Credit cards December 21st, 2011

Admin JHS

Spending money on interest can be expensive, especially when we are talking about credit cards. Credit card interest rates can be a minimum of zero per cent; however, this does not happen for long. Let’s take a look at what it means to have zero interest credit cards as opposed to some of the other deals that have existed over time.

A 0 interest credit card means you do not have an interest rate for a specific period of time. The period of time may be three months or 24 months. There are some credit cards on the market right now offering up to 22 months of free interest on balance transfers and purchases. The minimum you usually see is 3 months on purchases and 6 months on balance transfers. The average is generally 3 months on purchases with 12 months of free interest. After this time period is over you are charged the typical APR. This APR can be 7.99 per cent to over 30 per cent. The typical APR at the moment is 17.99 to 19.99 per cent. This is a rather high interest rate, but if you can use the credit card in your favour then you do not have to worry so much about interest. Before talking about that let’s look at more details with regards to zero interest credit cards.

Balance transfers may not be in conjunction with a zero rate on purchases. Balance transfer credit cards with zero interest are meant to help you pay the balance off without being charged high interest. Usually there is a fee of 2.9 per cent to 5 per cent. This is a balance transfer fee which is charged when you move a balance from one card to another. The fee is set by the new credit card with the zero interest. In certain circumstances you may find this fee is waived, but it is not always possible. (more…)

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Don’t Forget Your Camping Travel Insurance December 20th, 2011

Admin ISK

A camping trip is a wonderfully relaxing way to get away from the stress of normal life, or at least it should be. The last time I went camping everything went smoothly but my accident prone nature means that camping travel insurance is a must for me.

I started thinking about the kind of thing which could happen to me on my next camping trip and found that the list was pretty long.

The Bad Weather Ruins My Stuff

I do a lot of my camping in Scotland, so bad weather is just par for the course. I am usually pretty careful with my delicate belongings when the heavens open but I guess I could get taken by surprise one day. Can you imagine being caught in a big storm in the Scottish Highlands and then realising that you forgot to take out insurance for the trip?

A Thief Grabs My Stuff

The people I have met while camping have all been really friendly. Well, there was that one guy who tried to convince me that the world was about to end but to be fair he was quite polite about it. However, it isn’t impossible to imagine someone stealing my gear, is it? Actually, it once happened to me when I was travelling but not camping. The heartless fiend only got a rather manky old t-shirt or two but it still made me see that you have to be careful with your belongings.  I never take a lot of expensive things with me on my trips but some thieves set themselves low standards it seems.

I Get Sick or Hurt

My notoriously dicky tummy is liable to play up at any time while travelling, I had a rotten episode why on holiday in France.  The worst type of accident I have suffered while travelling was a sprained ankle, and I don’t think I would have to claim for that somehow. However, I hate to think what could happen to me if I suffered some major illness or accident while I was abroad. My camping trips don’t actually involve a lot of extreme sports or anything but that doesn’t mean that I won’t come a cropper at some point. I am starting to worry myself so let’s move on to the next point.

I Cause Damage

I have never had to claim in on public liability cover but it could happen at some point, couldn’t it? A lot of these types of cover give you up to a couple of million pounds of liability coverage. I can’t imagine what I could possibly do while camping to cause such damage. I am really quite careful when I set up my tent, so causing multiple car pile ups and bringing tower blocks crashing down seems a bit unlikely. However, I think I better stay on the safe side and make sure I am covered anyway. This way I can travel with a light heart and without any fear of returning home bankrupt. That’s just the way I like to feel on a holiday really.

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Great Cruise Travel Insurance Tips December 6th, 2011

Admin ISK

Will I ever get to an age in which I no longer get excited about the simple things in life? I certainly hope not. Despite being an apparently sober and respectable member of adult society I still squeal inwardly with delight at the thought of making a trip somewhere interesting. Sometimes I squeal outwardly as well.

Perhaps the big difference over time is that I have become more careful about making the arrangements and trying to ensure that nothing could possibly go wrong. I don’t consider this as being an approach which takes away any of the pleasure of the journey. In fact, having the security of knowing that everything has been properly planned out means that I can relax more and have more fun when I finally get going.

This is why I decided to check out the most important cruise travel insurance tips before heading off on my cruise holiday. Here are main ones to bear in mind.

Find Out What Is Covered

Maybe this sounds kind of obvious, but it isn’t really. You see, we tend to think that all insurance policies are essentially the same but they aren’t at all. You won’t want to spend hours ploughing through long and boring documents, so you should look to make sure that the most important details are fine. This means checking the situations in which you are covered in the event of cancellation, what personal belongings are covered and what personal accident and medical expenses clauses are included. You might not know what to look for at the beginning but if you compare two policies together you will see pretty clearly what differences there are. You can then decide whether those differences are important to you, and if so how important.

What Isn’t Covered?

I used to work for an insurance company a while back, so I know that what is covered is only half the story. You need to be sure that you are also comfortable with the exclusions. This will generally mean that you won’t be covered for things like hurting yourself after you’ve had a few drinks or if you take part in any dangerous sports. Most of the exclusions are pretty much common sense ones but it still pays to take the time to read them.

Who Is Covered?

Cruises are a great way of enjoying a family break together but you can’t forget to get travel insurance sorted out which covers all of them while you are away. I am planning to give my daughter her first big trip soon and the idea of us seeing a lot of places on one relatively short journey sounds brilliant to both of us. However, I certainly want to make sure that the whole family will be covered in the event of anything untoward happening to any of us. Having done that I can relax and make the most of the cruise. So if you see a young girl and her rather older Dad squealing with delight somewhere in the Caribbean soon then you will know that you have found me and that I got my insurance sorted out.

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