Travel Insurance | Travel Insurance News

Archive for the ‘Travel Insurance’ Category

10 Reasons to Visit Brittany January 29th, 2012

Admin ISK

Are you considering taking a holiday in Brittany, but can’t make up your mind? Well, in this article, you will find 10 reasons to visit Brittany. Brittany is beautiful and there are many things you should see and places you should visit. It is also a great romantic get away destination. Here are ten reasons to visit Brittany.

#1 – Great Weather

One of the great reasons to visit Brittany is the weather. The weather is beautiful and stays that way year round. It’s never extremely hot, nor extremely cold. It is just beautiful and just right.

#2 – Relaxation Spots

There are many spas, massages, and other relaxation spots in Brittany. If you are going on a trip and want to relax, consider Brittany because they have some awesome spas, massage spots, and more.

#3 – Great Golf Courses

If you are a golf lover, Brittany will make your get away special. There are many golf courses to choose from and all of them are beautiful and fun to play.

#4 – Festivals and Events

There are a lot of festivals and events in Brittany. So, you should try and plan your trip so you can attend one of their great festivals and events. They are always fun and interesting.

#5 – Accommodation Options

There are many accommodation options in Brittany. They offer many things like campgrounds, hotels, motels, condos, and more. You can find just what you are looking for and is suitable for you, plus it’s not far so it means cheap insurance.

#6 – City Art and Culture

The cites and cultures in Brittany are historic and very beautiful. They all have a theme and are worth the trip alone.

#7 – Trails and Scenery

If you love to hike, you will love the trials in Brittany. There are plenty of trails to choose from and the scenery on the trails are gorgeous.

#8 – Biker’s Dream

If you are a biker, Brittany would be a great place for you. They offer many bike trails with breath taking scenery.

#9 – Prehistoric Buildings

There are many, many prehistoric buildings in Brittany and they are beautiful. You can visit a lot of the buildings and take tours of them.

#10 – Beautiful Ocean

The ocean in Brittany is absolutely beautiful and a romantic place to go. It is also peaceful watching and listening to the waves.

So, there are 10 reasons you should visit Brittany. If you are looking for a place to take a trip to, Brittany should be on the top of your list!

No Comments »

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.

1 Comment »

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…)

No Comments »

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.

1 Comment »

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.

No Comments »

Is Travel Insurance Worth It? June 24th, 2011

Admin 3

Travel insurance is not widely purchased. In fact, only one third of travelers buy it because they think it duplicates coverage or is too expensive. But, depending on the cost of the trip, travel insurance may pay off. Travel insurance combines trip cancellation or interruption coverage, personal effects insurance and emergency medical coverage. But, before deciding if the insurance is worth the price, you should understand what is covered.

Current Coverage
Check your existing insurance plans before investing in travel insurance. Several plans including health insurance, life insurance, credit cards and auto policies offer travel protection. Check for redundancy with your homeowner’s coverage for the loss of personal effects, since the amount of reimbursement for lost luggage dramatically reduces when you travel internationally. Most credit cards also provide additional travelers insurance that may protect you against car rental incidents, lost baggage and cancellation of services before they were rendered.

Price Check
Once you identify coverage gaps, shop around on sites like InsureMyTrip.com or TripInsuranceStore.com. Coverage plans and prices vary, so do your research to find what works for you. Figure about 5% of the total cost of your travel. But credit card protections or your travel agent may include some trip cancellation coverage. You should buy the insurance quickly after booking to protect yourself as early as possible.

What’s Covered
Travel insurance can include rental and lost baggage coverage, medical visits and trip cancellations due to natural disasters, weather problems or political unrest. But, it can be expensive. However, if you are taking a once in a lifetime luxury trip around the world, insurance can help to avoid high cancellation losses. Another reason to opt for travel insurance is if you intend to participate in high risk or extreme sport activities, such as rock climbing, diving, or snowboarding. Your existing health insurance may not cover emergency treatment abroad or cover evacuation costs.

This was a guest post by GoBankingRates.com, a site that provides daily updates on the latest CD rates, finance information and more.

No Comments »

What Are the Different Types of Auto Insurance May 22nd, 2011

admin

There are a number of different types of auto insurance that are available to drivers. In the United States, auto insurance is mandatory and not a choice. However, drivers can enjoy a number of varying insurance offerings in order to allow them the flexibility in cost and coverage that they are looking for from their insurance company. Not all insurance companies offer the varying types of coverage, so it is very important for you to check with your company to learn the limitations of what they have to offer you.

Liability coverage from an auto insurance company will cover the damage that occurs to other drivers as a result of your actions. There are a few different levels to liability coverage. First, bodily injury liability will cover the cost of another person’s medical costs or death if they are hurt in an accident that is found to be your fault. If a person in an accident files a case against you as a result of the accident, liability coverage can provide you with some legal defense. You will want your liability coverage to ensure that if a claim is brought against you, you have enough insurance to cover a judgment without involving your own personal finances or assets.

Property damage liability covers the cost of repair or replacement when you damage someone else’s property in an accident if the accident is proven to be your fault. Insurance collectively referred to as comprehensive and collision coverage will cover the cost of repair or replacement of your vehicle in the event of an accident. In some cases, the coverage will also cover the cost of another vehicle if you are not driving your own when the accident occurs.

Comprehensive insurance coverage can also cover the cost of your vehicle if your car is stolen, damaged by animals, a fire or flooding. Specific coverage is limited to the terms and conditions set forth in your insurance policy; as such, individuals need to check with their insurance company for details in their policy.

Underinsured motorist property damage covers the cost of repairs when the negligent party possesses insurance, but the limitations of which would not be enough to repair the damage caused. Underinsured motorist bodily damage covers the medical costs for you, members of your household and passengers in your car when the insurance of the negligent driver does not cover the entirety of the amount needed. Uninsured property damage protects the vehicle of a person who gets into an accident with a negligent driver who does not have insurance.

Uninsured motorist bodily injury protects insurance policy holders, members or their household and passengers in their vehicle from medical costs or the costs of death. This policy will be relevant in the event that an no-fault driver does not have insurance. Only twelve states within the United States offer no-fault insurance, where insurance coverage is covered on the part of the policy holder regardless of whose fault the accident may be. This means that your vehicle or bodily damage will be covered by your own insurance, whether you are the negligent driver or not.

No Comments »

Variable Life Insurance May 18th, 2011

admin

Variable life insurance offers the ultimate in life insurance flexibility. The main principle governing variable life insurance is that you control your life investments instead of the life insurance company managing them on your behalf. This enables you to select the level of risk that you subject your life insurance fund to, paving the way for you to make substantial interest gains on the cash-in value of your life insurance policy.

How does variable life insurance work?

All life insurance products are a form of investment vehicle. Standard no cash-in value life insurance policies like term life insurance invest life insurance premiums in ultra low-risk funds that are often obliged to return a certain level of interest. This provides the life company with confidence in receiving a tangible level of return, which is transferred through to the life insurance policyholder by way of a guaranteed lump sum payment upon death or terminal illness.

Variable life insurance is different from standard types of life insurance as the life company hands the investment reigns over to the policyholder. The life company may allow a percentage of the fund to be invested, or in some cases, all of the fund to be invested by the policyholder. Variable life policies come with the disclaimer that the life insurance company takes no responsibility for the performance of the variable life policyholder’s investments. Therefore, if the investments perform poorly the policyholder accepts the consequences that there will be little or no cash surrender value when the insurance is redeemed.

Is variable life insurance for you?

It is very important to think long and hard about variable life insurance before opting to take it on, as there is a high level of risk involved with this type of life policy. Ideally, variable life policies should only be taken out by seasoned investors who know there way around the investment markets. If you’ve never invested in the stock market before then a variable life policy is probably not for you.

However, if you are confident in your investing abilities this is what you stand to gain from taking out a variable life policy

1. Variable life policy potential:
A variable life policy has the potential to make substantial interest gains that are much higher than on a standard term life insurance policy. Whereas you might pay a small premium per month for a 100,000 pay out upon death with a standard policy, if you invest well with a variable life policy that 100,000 could be worth 500,000 or more when redeemed!

2. Tax advantages:
The cash surrender values of variable life policies are exempt from taxation until the point at which they are redeemed. Also, gains made via variable life policies are not subject to capital gains tax (CGT).

No Comments »

Understanding the Medical Insurance Review Process – The Five Key May 9th, 2011

admin

Understanding the Medical Insurance Review Process – The Five Key Steps in Medical Insurance Review

Medical insurance reviews provide results in a timely fashion. Filing a medical claim can be a lengthy process prone to miscommunication and breakdowns in the chain of paperwork. Bringing in an independent review organization can tap into deep reservoirs of medical expertise. The review on this level can determine an objective approval or denial of an insurance claim. The denial will be based on medical fact, however and not on anecdotal evidence.

The Five Key Steps in Medical Insurance Review

The following steps illustrate how a medical claim is reviewed.

A patient is prescribed a treatment for a condition or injury. The medical opinion of the attending physician along with related charts and information may be submitted or requested in order to request coverage of the insurance claim.
Medical and physician resources are provided the medical information and asked to review the treatment and prescribed recommendations.
The medical specialist assigned to the case will provide an unbiased opinion with regard to the treatment.
An insurance expert reviews the terms of the patients coverage as offered by the insurance company. They will offer an unbiased determination with regard to whether the patient is covered for the treatment in question.
Finally, the two opinions are combined to return an objective recommendation for approval or denial.

On Time Decisions

This process allows for healthcare decisions to be made in a timely and expert fashion. The resource is invaluable for all aspects of the healthcare profession. Patients will receive approval for vital treatment that may be otherwise rejected by a large insurance company that handles its own medical reviews internally and without expert sources.

Anecdotal evidence is never used to deny a claim or pay for an unnecessary treatment. The use of third-party experts and medical specialists provides claim managers with the verification and authentication needed to do not only the right thing, but also the best thing. The medical insurance review process removes the factor of uncertainty that claim managers may face in a world of rising medical costs, complex specialization and treatments.

Avoids Ill-Informed Approvals and Denials

Healthcare costs skyrocket in an atmosphere where a claim manager must err on the side of caution to either pay for unnecessary treatment or deny one that is necessary. Without using an independent review organization, the insurance company may lack the resources to make a decision in a timely fashion.

As illustrated by the five key steps of the review process, experts from both sides of the equation are consulted. Complicated medical technology combined with equally complicated insurance policies and terms can make for a morass of misunderstanding without the right types of expertise. The process also reduces the amount of frustration felt by claim managers, patients and physicians by filtering the claims through the right hands to get the right advice and interpretations.

Fiscal Responsibility

The more approvals of unnecessary treatments, the higher insurance costs will soar. The medical insurance review process allows a claim manager to make an informed decision and eliminate unnecessary treatments. Patients and physicians rely on insurance coverage to underwrite potential treatments for a multitude of conditions.

An insurance expert understands the complex terminology of a coverage policy. Specialized physicians understand the nature of illness and treatment. The combination of expertise improves the process of treatment review and coverage approval. That means no lengthy waits for vital services and no funding for unnecessary ones.

This process has a dramatic impact in reversing the trend of rising healthcare claim costs. By dramatically reducing these riding costs, an insurance company can save money for their consumers, their shareholders and the healthcare community.

No Comments »

Trend: Companies Strengthen Stance Against Smoking May 2nd, 2011

admin

Companies today are increasingly looking for ways to cut expenses and improve profit margins. Among their greatest expenses are fringe benefit costs associated with employee health care.

As such, many are looking at how the lifestyle habits of their employees – such as smoking – are affecting their bottom line.

Medical care and lost productivity cost employers about $3,856 per smoker per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Men who smoke pay $15,800 more for medical care over their lifetimes and miss four workdays more per year than nonsmoking men; female smokers shell out $17,500 more in lifetime medical expenses and miss two days more from work than women who do not smoke, according to the CDC.

Some companies refuse to hire smokers or demand that their employees quit smoking or lose their jobs. Others are setting policies restricting smoking on or around company property and offering bonuses or other incentives for employees to quit smoking.

For those who want to quit but have failed with various cessation methods, one company says it has a unique solution that may help them kick the habit for good.

Safer Smokes Inc. offers a smoke called Bravo that has all of the characteristics of a tobacco cigarette with three key differences: no nicotine, no tobacco and none of the dangerous carcinogens derived from the additives found in commercial tobacco cigarettes. In lieu of tobacco, Bravo smokes are made with enzyme-treated lettuce leaves.

“You give up the nicotine and harmful tobacco without having to give up the physical behavior of smoking,” said Dr. Puzant Torigian, chairman and founder of Safer Smokes. “Once the nicotine leaves your system, the urge to smoke leaves you as well, and you smoke your way out of the habit just like you smoked your way into it.”

“For smokers challenged to quit the habit or quit the job, the key is to find a cessation strategy that works for them,” Torigian said. “Of all the choices on the market, Bravo is the only product available today that lets you quit the nicotine and tobacco habit immediately while you smoke your way out of the habit gradually.”

No Comments »

« Older Entries