Re: Travel Insurance

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

in 1994 we took a vacation thru AAA travel and bought their travel insurance. While we were away my Granpa died and we had to go home. They covered all the expenses, no problem. Since then we always buy the travel insurance.

henderson · ‎03-18-2010

We've used Allianz also. Booked through our local AAA travel agent. In 2009 we had planned a cruise leaving Puerto Rico and I had a stroke. Thank goodness for travel insurance as we got all our money back except for the travel insurance premium. Worth it!!

Silver Lining · ‎04-16-2010

A couple of months ago a friend of mine had a heart attack while on a cruise. Thank goodness he had taken out travel insurance. Healthwise the situation is still not good but at least the financial repercussions are not quite as bad as they would have been.

granddi · ‎03-16-2010

Allianz was on the list recommended by the tour company.

I did not post on the Travel thread. We need a separate section just for travel. You have to go through so many posts to get a specific topic.

We are planning to go to Anchorage early June and will travel on land for 9 days with a group limited to 13 people. It should be a neat trip: Denali National Park (lots of optional here), glaciers, river floats. Just cannot do a cruise.

A friend of ours fell while on a trip to Jordan. He was in the hospital for months with fractured vertebre. He was a federal employee and his US insurance covered his medical but apparently your standard insurance including traditional Medicare will not automatically cover care in foreign countries. Anyway, his attorney son, had to fight with his travel ins to get him back to US. Drs said hospital flight only bc commercial carriers would not allow him on flight with his "halo" Long story but finally worked it out. Can't imagine if he had not had coverage.

Stray · ‎04-20-2013

I do a lot of traveling and I would not be without it. If you don't use it, you may consider it a waste...some feel that way about health insurance. My travel agent uses the same company for all of my trips. I had a friend have a massive heart attack in Italy while visiting me....he was transferred to a better hospital in Rome and subsequently, died. The agency covered everything and were instrumental in getting his body home to the US; they were kind and understanding to his wife who could not even think. There was no hassle or extreme paperwork.

I had a friend air lift his wife from Mexico when she went into kidney failure from an allergic reaction. She was taken to a private clinic with an American doctor in attendance until transfer. They also arranged for his children to be transported home as they could not go in the small plane. They alerted the hospital in NJ and her doctor and she was taken directly to their door. He had travel insurance.

I had to cancel a trip myself due to a severe drug reaction the day before my trip. No hassle just a note from my doctor.

The insurance is expensive but if you get a good policy it's invaluable if you use it. When I was younger I didn't insure my trips but when you get to an older age and or your family and friends are older with health conditions, I'd be afraid to travel without a policy.

World Traveler · ‎02-02-2015

@granddi wrote:

I did not post on the Travel thread. We need a separate section just for travel. You have to go through so many posts to get a specific topic.

@granddi Totally agree with you! That's why we have been trying so hard and long to get a Travel Forum, specifically so people don't have to weed thru all those posts.

QVC said they are going to set it up for us, but it takes time. The last we heard was that it would be done by Spring, and we are waiting patiently and eagerly. When that happens, people will be able to post their individual topics/threads without having to check on the longer thread we have now whether the subject has ever been posted before.

Hope everyone on this particular thread gave you some options that will be beneficial for you.

Happy travels!

Alsee · ‎03-15-2010

We recommend Allianz or Travel Guard. And don't let anyone tell you insurance is a waste of money.

Drythe · ‎07-09-2011

I purchase Trip Insurance in case any of my transportation is cancelled, or I can't make it, because some of it is for my business. I have international Health Insurance ~ air ambulance lift, hospitalization out of country, cost of trip home for me and person to accompany me, medication through private insurance plan.

Are you talking trip, health, or both?

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras

BabyYoda · ‎03-09-2010

@Alsee wrote:
We recommend Allianz or Travel Guard. And don't let anyone tell you insurance is a waste of money.

Yes I have used both these companies when I book a vacation @Alsee

I got hurt in Mexico and had no problem with them paying in full for my medical care. Better safe than sorry.

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

Because I'm using AAA as my travel agent for a future trip, they too recommended Alliance.

When I planned my own trips, I've seached on travel insurance store.com and looked at various plans that would meet my needs. There's a few sites that do this - and I unfortunately can't remember the other names!! In fact, I checked the Alliance price versus a website and it was in line with the other companies for similar benefits. So, easier to just go through the travel agent for this particular trip.

If I'm doing a weekend trip to Vegas, for example, I'm probably not going to get it. But, an expensive trip to Alaska? Even though it's the US, I wouldn't hesitate. It is very possible that, at some point, your entire trip becomes unrefundable - add that to the probably more expensive airfare just to get there...

Insurance typically needs to be purchased a certain number of days after deposit is made in order to cover pre-existing conditions (honestly, I so far don't have to worry about this. If you do, pay close attention to the terms of the policy as I am NOT an expert).

I've used it once when my mother got sick a week before we were to go to China. Yes, we needed her doctor to sign off on a form, but it was otherwise painless to get our $$ back. In fact, if I remember correctly, I ended up getting more than I thought I would - I wasn't expecting to be reimbursed for the price of the Visa's, for example.

Unrelated to the OP - if you are going on a cruise, it is NOT recommended to get the insurance that the cruise ships offer, but to get from an independent source. The cruise ships just have too many restrictions. Of course, I always end up not following my own advise. Sigh.