Travel Insurance Blog

It seems that the Swine Flu or H1N1 virus panic has subsided for now. The Canadian government has recently lifted the Travel Warning for all travel to Mexico and there is now no need to postpone travel plans to that country. Even though there may not be a warning for travel to Mexico, anyone traveling to any country including Mexico should make sure that they purchase adequate travel medical and evacuation insurance to protect themselves if they catch H1N1, another sickness or become injured.

Chief public officer of Canada, David Butler-Jones, noted recently that the worst of the outbreak is behind ust, but Canadian health officials will continue to monitor the developing situation. The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its alert level to five out of six, indicating that a pandemic was imminent. However, the pandemic has not materialised. The lack of hysteria about the disease in recent days is obviously very welcome news to travelers and travel insurance companies alike.

The U.S. Travel Insurance Association has recently reminded people that “travel coverage varies widely by company.” Beore assuming that a travel insurance policy will or will not cover a situation, the travel insurance organization is urging everyone to “check with their individual travel insurance company and carefully review their policy to see what is covered.”

Mos travel insurance companies that offer trip cancellation and interruption policies will cover cover travelers who contract the swine flu before traveling and while on a trip, as well as travelers quarantined prior to or while on a trip, but, “coverage does not include fear of traveling to a specific region, and generally there is no coverage for cancellation due to government regulations or advisories to specific regions.” These plans also do not cover you because you fear going to Mexico because of the swine or H1N1 flu.

You should know that the swine flu outbreak hasn’t been officially declared a full epidemic or pandemic. If one is declared, most insurance policies specifically “exclude any loss due to pandemic or epidemic,” and do not consider epidemics and pandemics natural disasters.

Some travel insurance plans offer a “cancel for any reason” option that allows travelers who have purchased policies to cancel their trip due to personal choice or concern due to government advisories. It is a great options that is available from Travel Guard via TFG Global Travel Insurance.com

It is felt by many that between airline issues, natural disasters, swine flu, terrorist threats and medical emergencies that and more more people are going to be purchasing travel insurance. The worsening economy has lead to fears of job losses that has prompted many people to purchase trip cancellation insurance policies which cover the trip cost in the event of a termination or layoff. The recent swine flu epidemic can promted those who still are able to travel to purchase travel insurance in case they become sick when abroad.

It has been reported in the press that in 2006, Americans spent roughly $1.3 billion on travel coverage. This was an almost 20% increase from 2004 according to a study by the U.S. Travel Insurance Association. People are warned that travel insurance policies differ greatly and reading the fine print is essential.

More and more travelers are nervous about the recent Swine or H1N1 epidemic. With the recent recommendations from governments telling their citizens not to travel to Mexico, most people have been cancelling their trips to Mexico. Many travel operators and airlines have been very accomodating to their customers and have helped rebook travel to other destinations without any fees. Most cruise lines have or will be stopping any visits to Mexico ports until the swine flu risk subsides.

 The big question is how travel insurance companies will react. One travel insurance company announced that customers who travel to Mexico and get sick with Swine Flu will be covered, but those who cancel out of fear will not. This is the case even with the U.S. State Department advising Americans to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently moved the Pandemic threat level to 5 out of a scale of 6. It is expected by many that the scale will reach 6 very shortly as the flu spreads to many more countries and within communities. The big question now is how serious is the threat posed by this flu when approximately 30,000 in the USA die each year from the regular flu. The people in the USA and Canada who have been confirmed to have the H1N1 virus have had relatively mild reactions. At this time with approximately 2,000 confirmed cases of the swine flu in Mexico and possibly 150 deaths, the mortality rate looks high, but the real mortality rate is probably quite low because there are probably many thousands in Mexico who actually have the flu. Many experts believe we are only seeing the tip of the swine flu epidemic.

If you are traveling to Mexico or anywhere else in the world, it makes the purchase of travel medical insurance to cover your emergency medical expenses even more critical. The web site Travel Insurance Mexico.com is a great source of travel insurance if you are traveling to or from Mexico.

If you are traveling overseas this year and plan to drive while you are there, make sure you get adequate travel insurance to cover you and your family. More and more people are traveling from one country to another - especially Canadians traveling to the USA and Americans traveling to Canada for short holiday trips. Both citizens should make sure that their car insurance covers them while outside their respective country. But they should also remember to obtain sufficient travel medical insurance to cover potentially huge hospital and evacuation fees should one become sick or suffer a car accident. If you are renting a car at your destination, you should make sure that you obtain rental car insurance if your credit card does not provide adquate protection. Most car rental companies also offer insurance, but the price tends to be quite steep.

For people traveling to countries where the rules of the road are sketchy or non existant,  you should definitely make sure you are covered should you have an accident. Some countries, especially in the developed world, are notorious for their dangerous roads and terrible drivers. Driving standards and road habits will vary enormously from one country to another. 

You may also need an international driving license in certain countries, so check ahead with the car supplier on that countries requirements. Some travel insurance companies will offer you international breakdown and recovery policies. As noted above, your first order of business should be to obtain a travel insurance policy before you take that driving holiday this year.

It is expected that the number of fraudulent claims submitted to travel insurance companies will increase because of the current recession. Many travel insurance companies are already reporting an increase in fradulent claims with many customers reporting that pricey possessions such as watches and iPods have been stolen while on holiday. Unfortunately, some people think that defrauding insurers is an easy way to make money in a tough economy.

Other travel insurance clients will fake an illness to get out of an expensive trip abroad. Some fraudulent claims will reported to credit agencies and the insurer may seek legal action. Travel insurance companies are very good at spotting false and fraudulent claims, so think long and hard before submitting a bogus travel insurance claim as the insurers are not easily fooled. Of course, the vast majority of travel insurance claims are submitted by honest customers.

If you are traveling this Easter holiday season, then make sure that your obtain adequate travel insurance to cover your emergency medical expenses. You may also want to purchase vacation insurance should you have to cancel the trip because of an injury or sickness involving you or your travel companion. Many people will be traveling this Easter as it is a great time to get away with friends and family, but it doesn’t matter if you are away for a day or a month, accidents and sicness can strike at any time. Obtaining travel insurance should be your first priority when you book that Easter vacation.�

Ipsos Reid recently released a survey that found out that many Canadian vacationers are not protecting themselves while away from home. In fact, Canadians are lagging behind travelers in other parts of the globe. This may be due to the lack of understanding of the benefits of travel insurance cover or maybe Canadian’s blind faith in the nation’s universal healthcare system. The poll stated that 59.1% of those who travel to the USA always or usually purchase travel insurance. Some people in Canada still believe that their domestic healthcare covers them abroad and this is simply not the case. The government healthcare only covers a small fraction of any emergency medical care if that person is traveling outside their province or country.

One example of some of the highest coverage rates for out of province medical care come from the Maritime provinces and the lowest can be found in British Columbia. In BC, the residents covered under the Medical Services Plan (MSP) rarely receive more than $75 a day for emergency medical costs. That wouldn’t buy you much in the United States where medical costs can reach in the high thousands per day.

Unfortunately, most Canadians are not able to pay out many thousands of dollars in hospital bills should they fall ill or become injured while traveling. It is critical that people get the message that if you travel outside your province, you must get travel medical insurance to cover your unexpected medical costs. The policy should also cover medical evacuation back to Canada if necessary. One should also consider purchasing trip interruption and cancellation insurance to cover the vacation costs. Canadians should not rely on the government medical plan to come to their rescue should they get sick or injured abroad.

Travel Guard recently changed its name away from AIG Travel Guard. The AIG has been taken out from the name for obvious reasons. With the recent financial troubles of its parent company American International Group, Travel Guard has reshaped their corporate image and brand.

It has been reported that David McGinnity of Travel Guard that while the firm is rebranding, it is still affiliated with AIG Commercial Insurance and that no one can say at this time if the two entities will go their separate ways. He also stated that Travel Guard continues to be a profitable and growing company. In September, the US Federal Reserve gave AIG a $85 billion loan and it has recently been reported that additional money is on the way.

It looks at this time that it is still safe to purchase travel insurance from Travel Guard and the entity continues to be a successful and well run firm with a very large presence in the travel insurance market. Travel Guard notes that their products are underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA, which has a $12.1 billion surplus. John M. Noel is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Travel Guard. The company sells a variety of travel insurance plans directly to the consumer and also through agent sites such as http://www.globaltravelinsurance.com

Have you ever got on a plane or arrived at your destination with the uneasy fealing that you have forgotten something? Usually it is your camera or toothbrush.  For many it is travel insurance, which is the most important thing you can take with you on a trip abroad. This is because your finances won’t be ruined because you didn’t bring your tooth brush as you can easily just go to the local store and buy another.

David Tompkins, President of TFG Global Insurance Solutions Ltd. reports that many people call TFG Global Travel Insurance.com after they have already left on a trip abroad and ask if they can purchase travel insurance. Many customers are surprised to learn that they are able to purchase travel insurance even after they have left the country. For Canadians, many Canadian travel insurance companies will not provide coverage, but some may give you cover if you state that you have no intention at that moment of claiming and are in good health. For all nationalites, both Travel Insurance USA and Global Travel Insurance can provide an excellent travel insurance plan from International Medical Group (IMG) called the Patriot Travel Medical Insurance plan that can give you travel insurance cover even though you have already left the country. One should note that the Patriot plan start date will at the earliest be the next day, but this is not usuaully a big concern. If you are on your way to the hospital and you forgot to get travel insurance, don’t expect those expenses to be covered.

To avoid any worries it is best to purchase your travel insurance before you go on your trip and relax.