Nature
Travel Specialists
nature,
wildife, adventure and general travel to Australia, Southeast Asia
and South America
Travel Insurance
We highly recommend travel insurance, as many of
the costs involved in travel are not recoverable once deposited or
paid for. To bring you the best prices many air tickets are non-refundable,
and although within the US such tickets can often be converted for
a (usually substantial) fee, this may not be the case overseas, or
the converted tickets not useful as they must be used in the overseas
country. Many health insurers do not cover out-of-country costs, and
where they do, transfers to medical facilities, especially of an evacuation
nature, may not covered and can be expensive. Interruptions to travel
once underway can result in expenses for accommodation, meals and
to catch up with the tour if necessary. Such interruptions may be
caused by something as simple as a doctor's visit preventing you catching
a required air flight. In this case any additional expenses will be
at your cost, and the lost services will not be recoverable.
In addition to normal travel insurance Medical
Evacuation Insurance is also available. While normal insurance
gets you to the nearest facility, and may cover certain evacuation
scenarios from there, medical evacuation insurance allows you to choose
to go to the hospital of your choice, rather than the nearest suitable
facility, back in the US, if you cannot use commercial airline flights
without medical assistance. Annual coverage in this program covers
you anywhere, including within the US, for evacuation to your hospital
if more than 150 miles from home. For more information on medical
evacuation insurance, click here.
What does travel insurance cover?
There are two major forms of travel insurance - complete
coverage including trip cancellation prior to departure and trip interruption
during travel, and medical coverage during the trip only. Both forms
include baggage loss protection. The latter is considerably cheaper
than the former, but only covers the less often used medical claims.
However, all travelers should be covered for medical problems, emergencies
and evacuations while traveling and this is the minimum level which
should be taken. Most substantial claims involve cancellation, delay
or interruption of travel plans due to unforeseen circumstances. Such
circumstances include injury or illness to a traveler, companion or
immediate family; jury duty; house damage; car accident or delay on
the way to the airport, etc. A common covered problem is a missed
connection due to a flight delay, and the need to catch up with the
tour or travel arrangements, with attendant expenses. Bankruptcy of
travel suppliers may also be included (this provision does not apply
to your primary supplier, but rather to the ground opertors, cruise
lines, airlines, etc providing the actual operations), as may be terrorist
incidents at home or abroad. Recently Travelex has added (for a fee
of $28) coverage for business related interruptions, such a being
required to work during the trip dates, military re-assignment or
leave revocation, various damage to a business locations and similar
problems. This is very a useful addition to coverage.
Most travel insurance does not cover risky activities
such as sky diving, bungee jumping, hang gliding etc. Often scuba
diving is not covered, but the Travelex policies we recommend do cover
diving provided you have an open water certificate (such as PADI or
NAUI), are accompanied by a divemaster (dive tours and day trips that
we book are), and do not dive deeper than 130ft.
In addition to actual insurance, most insurers have
emergency assistance services which will assist you if your passport
and other travel documents are lost or stolen. They can also provide
the names and addresses of English-speaking medical and legal help
in foreign countries.
Some parts of your travel may be recoverable without
insurance, such as fully-refundable business class air fares (but
note not all business class upgrades may be fully recoverable), first
class air travel or optional tours. Your amount covered can exclude
these amounts to lessen the rate.
We strongly suggest you fully acquaint yourself with
what travel insurance covers, and doesn't, and decide whether such
coverage is appropriate for you. We are happy to talk to you about
this, as there are often details not obvious on initial reading of
different companies' offerings. We assure you there'll be no pressure
to purchase, just useful information.
Travel
Insurance and Acts of God
Please be aware that tsunamis and similar events
are considered Acts of God (Force Majeure) and are not generally convered
under travel insurance. Some policies, such as the Travelex ones below,
will cover up to the limit of trip interruption coverage for accommodation,
etc, but this does not cover returning to your home (although Travelex
is in fact assisting travelers do this, outside the terms of the insurance
agreement), or cancelling the trip due to damamge at the destination.
Who do I buy insurance from?
There are several well-known, national travel insurers,
and others available through credit card companies, car organizations,
and others. Any of these can be selected to cover your trip with us.
Please review their coverage carefully, as it can vary considerably,
as can the cost. As a guideline, our recommeded insurer, Travelex,
offers complete coverage on a $5000 vacation for a traveler under
60 years of age for less than $200.
You will often read that you should not buy travel
insurance from your travel supplier. By this travel writers mean insurance
underwritten by the company supplying the travel, not
third party insurance offered through a travel agency by independent
insurance companies. If the insurance is underwritten by a tour company,
and it goes bust, so does your insurance. If you insure through a
third party, your insurance is still in place (although you should
make sure that the insurance is paid for, by receiving a confirmation
from the insurer). Even where the brochure comes in the name of the
travel company, the actual insurance may be offered by a third party.
Look on the brochure for a phone number or address different to the
travel company's one, and for information on the underwriter.
Does Nature Travel Specialists recommend
anyone?
Our recommended insurer, Travelex,
is a major, independent third party insurer, who we have worked with
and who we consider offer excellent coverage at a very competitive
price. One of our favorite aspects of their coverage is their family
travel insurance - children under 16 traveling with a covered
adult are covered as well, without taking out their own coverage,
a considerable saving. To find out more about Travelex's coverage
and prices, please click on the Travelex logo on the left or top of
the screen, or click here.
Our recommended Evacuation Insurer, MedjetAssist,
is endorsed by the Medical Society of Virginia, the Southern Medical
Association, the American College of Radiology, the American Academy
of Dermatology and a number of leading travel organizations. The annual
subscription is just $205, $325 for families (all costs subject to
change), and both per-trip and grandchildren rates
are available. To find out more about MedjetAssist's coverage and
prices, please click on the Medjet logo on the left or top of the
screen, or click here.
You may also call us toll-free - 1 877 285 1170 -
to discuss travel and evacuation insurance more fully.
