Tagged With "insurance"

Are you a worrier? Do you run to the doctor at the first sign of possible trouble? Are you particularly clumsy and break bones? If the answers are no, as it sounds like they might be, I'd say don't bother with the insurance. If you need an English speaking doctor in Italy you'll find one. Your hotel or any pharmacy will help. It won't cost an arm & a leg if rumor is true. I don't know precisely because even though I travel a lot I answered no to all my questions too, don't need doctors...

Thanks, PortMoresby. No, I'm not worried about seeing a doctor. I'm more worried about getting my cousins off my back. Someone else told me that there's an organization that puts out a list of English-speaking doctors all over the world--do you know anything about that? Thanks again...

SueZee, I'm sure there is but, as I mentioned, I just don't think you need to worry about it. As a last resort you can call the embassy if the first line of defense, hotels & pharmacies, can't help. Very unlikely. Tell your cousins only rank beginners and sick people spend time worrying that could be enjoyed planning their trip.

Hi SueZee, I agree with PortMoresby. Embassies, pharmacies, hotel concierges, etc are a great help. I think that would be your first line of advice, if needed. There is a website that might be helpful, featuring English speaking physicians abroad. I know nothing about this organization, so it's not a recommendation -- just a resource. Here's that link.

Here's another resource that might help you: The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers. It's a non-profit, it's been around a long time, and you can join for free. IAMAT provides a directory of doctors around the world who speak fluent English and have been checked out by the organization for standards and certification. You can read more about them and join here: http://www.iamat.org/

SueZee, wherever you travel in the world your hotel will find you a suitable doctor who will speak enough English for your needs - just like Dr.F says - and Italy will have plenty. Don't bother with lists as they will always be out of date by the time you might want to use them, plus it will no doubt not list a great doc that the hotel knows is just around the corner! At the worst the hotel will have an English speaking staff member sit with you to help translate. Conversely, I do think that...

Mac says, a good travel insurance policy is an absolute requirement - The part he left off was "for me", for him. Insurance, any kind, is playing the odds. When you buy it you're betting you'll have a disaster. When you don't you're figuring the likelihood of a dire event is low. If you take an occasional trip of short duration and can afford insurance, sure, why not. When the number & length of trips begins to mount and the budget becomes more of an issue then maybe not. It's called...

Like you say PortM, it is all about "right for me" choices. I generally insure us 2 adults on an annual basis - covers all our trips - and costs about USD 300 p.a. It's a choice thing

As with many things travel, insurance is a matter of choice. Travel Health Insurance seems to be a lot more expensive in the US than elsewhere. Policies in the US usually include trip cancellation and medical coverage and often run 5-6% the cost of a trip. Given the amount you travel, Mac, the investment of a few hundred dollars a year seems prudent to me. But when I was 30 the thought of insurance never crossed my mind. Not once. A few years ago I did start buying trip cancellation (and...

My elderly mother bought it when she went on a cruise. For her, it made sense because her health is not so good. She might have had to cancel and did not want to lose her deposit. The policy that she bought was specifically for trip cancellation but did not cover health issues or other unexpected issues during the trip. That policy would have covered a deposit refund but not all of them do. There are lots of different types of trip insurance so one has to ask lots of questions. As it turns...

Health insurance can be confusing enough, and overseas travel just adds complications to it. Enough that, according to a survey sponsored by travel-insurance broker InsureMyTrip, over 60% of travelers either don't know, or believe their insurance...

I want to tell a tale about what happened on our recent cruise. On our first day at sea my wife developed a very bad case of diahrrea. It was very bad and by the time we went to the doctor on the following morning she was dehydrated. The medical service was very good. They gave her iv fluid to rehydrate and drew blood to make sure that it wasn't norovirus. They gave her antibiotics and anti diahrreal meds. They checked up her, and followed up the next day with a second iv. They even sent a...

I'm going to Italy for my honeymoon and I haven't traveled away from the U.S. that long before. Some of my cousins say we need to have travel insurance for doctors and such, but how likely is it I'd need that even if I had to see a doctor? Are...

I've only once bought cancellation insurance--and that was by not looking carefully at the checkboxes on a form--but I'm wondering if its worthwhile. Do most policies allow me to cancel my plans and get money back for non-refundables, or do they just...

Jon, was your AIG policy for the specific trip, or a general one? I've been looking at long-term policies for frequent travelers, and haven't found one available in the U.S...except for one company that told me it would cover us, but only if we also shifted our homeowner's insurance to them!

It was for this specific trip. They charge by the cost of the trip, so this one was a little pricey (about $250 each). I am not sure that I would buy insurance for a domestic trip, unless I had bought tickets that I could not change. But for foreign trips I will never travel with it again.

I'm actually looking for what they tell me is called an "annual policy." It covers the medical and evacuation and so forth kinds of contingencies, but only limited coverage for cancellation by me. I'm willing to accept that risk, but want to be covered for the kind of problem you had!

Really glad this topic came up! It sent me back to the long-abandoned search. First, I learned that at this point, no one is selling an annual policy in New York State...but I don't know why. Second, an agent at AIG pointed out to me that for what I'm looking for (not to insure the cost of the trip, but rather to deal with interruption, disaster or medical emergency) it's cheaper to buy for each of my trips than to buy a year. As it turns out, covering me (age 72) and my wife (65) for our...

I'm also glad this worked out for you. I only buy trip cancellation/emergency coverage for expensive trips like when I'm overseas. I take the small risk domestically and don't get it because I can afford those losses more easily than the cost of overseas airfare, etc. Besides our own health, my wife and I both have aged parents and most policies cover emergencies relating to them. Generally a good policy costs about 5% of the value of what you insure. I usually buy with TravelGuard. The one...

It seems TravelGuard is a good choice, since both of you have used it, and no one I know who has had it has been unhappy. It actually turns out I had a policy when I went to England 20 years ago...completely forgot! Anyway: Seems fair to say that especially as we (much less any relatives!) get older, it's important from the medical point of view, even if there are no insurable reservations!

Years ago American Express had an annual policy for well under $100 for basic coverage. I renewed it every year until it was discontinued. Since then I've only had insurance when it was offered at modest cost when purchasing a long-haul flight, as it sometimes is, or when I've bought multi-continent tickets from the consolidator I use (Airtreks), as they include insurance at no additional cost with every purchase. In all the years I've traveled I've never had occasion to file a claim,...