Nature Travel Specialists
nature, wildife, adventure and general travel to Australia, Southeast Asia and South America

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Travel Insurance

 

PLEASE READ IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE END OF THE PAGE REGARDING THE ICELAND VOLCANO AND THE CHILE EARTHQUAKE (and an example of why travel insurance is a good idea for everyone)

 

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, including within the US or even your home state (if it's large enough). Moreover, this is available for one annual fee, regardless of the number of trips you take. 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 usually will, in fact assist travelers under these circumstances, outside the terms of the insurance agreement, as it did with the 2004 Tsunami), 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 $4500 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. Travelex Travel Insurance brochures for Travelex Basic, Travelex Select and Travelex Max can be downloaded by clicking on their respective names. Basic is only available to those under 50. Most of our clients choose Travelex Select.

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 $250, $385 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 this page, or click here. A MedjetAssist enrollment form can be downloaded here.

We strongly advise you to call us toll-free - 1 877 285 1170 - to discuss travel and evacuation insurance more fully, as choosing the correct coverage is more complicated than it appears. In our experience most people pay more than necessary, and have more coverage, than is necessary.

 

 

 

ICELAND VOLCANO ERUPTION

 

UPDATE ON ICELAND VOLCANO MAY 7

Explanation of Benefits Update
Coverage for plans underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies or United States Fire Insurance Company


Ash clouds from the volcanic eruption in Iceland have caused flight delays in major European airports and beyond. While most airports have recovered from the event and are maintaining normal flight schedules, Travelex Insurance Services is pleased to provide our travelers with coverage should they experience an upcoming travel disruption.

Travelers are eligible for coverage with any future travel issues that occur due to the volcanic eruption over glacier Eyjafjallajokull. This will protect a traveler for any new eruptions to the same volcano or neighboring volcano, as well as any travel disruptions due to the current ash cloud produced by the volcano.

Travelers who purchased a Travelex policy according to these dates will be eligible for coverage:
· On or before April 14, 2010 or
· On or after May 5, 2010

Resulting volcanic ash clouds will be considered a covered reason due to weather and a loss due to the physical eruption of a volcano will be considered a covered reason under natural disaster. Coverage is subject to the terms and conditions of the policy and applies in the following areas:


Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Coverage
· Weather that causes complete cessation of services of the common carrier for at least 24 consecutive hours.*
· Delayed arrival due to a covered reason (defined under Trip Delay) causing 50% or more of the covered trip to be missed. (Does not apply to Travel Select for residents of NY or WA or Travel Basic).
· Natural disaster at the site of your destination that renders the destination accommodations uninhabitable.

Trip Delay Coverage
· Delay while en route to or from final destination for at least 5 hours or more due to a covered reason, such as delay of common carrier or due to a natural disaster.*

Extended Coverage
· Common carrier delay causes the covered trip to be prolonged beyond the scheduled return date.

24 Hour Travel Assistance Services
· Travelers stranded abroad can receive assistance ranging from emergency travel arrangements and money transfers to message relay services. Simply call the travel assistance phone number listed on your Confirmation of Coverage.

Travelers who purchased a Travelex policy on and between April 15, 2010 and May 4, 2010 are not eligible for coverage for known events due to the volcanic eruption and the resulting ash cloud.

*Notice WA residents: Special limitations, terms and conditions apply to Travel Select benefits.

EARLIER INFORMATION

Ash clouds from the Wednesday volcanic eruption in Iceland have caused flight delays in major European airports and beyond.


Travelex insurance policies consider this a covered reason due to weather. Coverage applies in the following areas for Travel Basic, Travel Select, Travel Max, TraveLite and Travel Plus.

Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Coverage
Complete cessation of services of the common carrier for at least 24 consecutive hours due to the covered reason.
Delayed arrival due to the covered reason causes 50% or more of the covered trip to be missed (does not apply to Travel Basic).

Trip Delay Coverage
Delay while enroute to or from final destination for at least 5 hours or more due to the covered reason.

Extended Coverage
Common carrier delay causes covered trip to be prolonged beyond the scheduled return date. Conditions may apply specific to the policy purchased.

 

CHILE EARTHQUAKE

 

The earthquake in Chile is a natural disaster under travel insurance rules, and travelers affected by this event are covered under a number of scenarios if insured with our preferred insurer, Travelex (coverage may also apply to other insurers). This coverage is described by clicking on this Chile Earthquake Travel Insurance link. In our opinion the unpredictability of such events, including the Machu Picchu landslides, and the expenses that can be incurred, from mere trip interruption problems to injuries and evacuation, add even more weight to the wisdom of taking out travel insurance. Company owner Andrew Haffenden was in Colombia when the quake struck, and could just have easily been in Chile (or the earthquake could have been in Colombia). Events such as earthquakes are not usually considered when thinking about travel insurance - personal and family health issues are more to the forefront - but these events can be very costly if not covered. "I always takes out insurance when I travel, even though I has never yet had occasion to use it (but the time must be coming). For the usually small additional cost to a trip the peace of mind is hard to put a value on. It would only take one reasonable use of the insurance to repay and more all the coverage I have taken over the years."