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Boulder City Magazine® December '06/January '07 Issue
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Travel Now
by Ihla Crowley
Drifter Sister
Travel Insurance - It's A Good Thing
I was surprised to read in the October Forbes Life magazine that only 30% of travelers take out trip insurance, up from 10% pre-9/11. I purchase it almost every time I travel, especially to foreign countries, and I encourage others to do so as well.
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The article went on to tell a couple of horror stories that fortunately ended well because the people had, indeed, purchased insurance. One man fell and was critically injured on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Just six weeks before leaving for Africa, he had purchased a policy from HTH Worldwide. It paid for medical planes to transport him from Tanzania to Nairobi – where he underwent three surgeries and a complex eye reconstruction – and, two weeks later, home. The man said it was a miracle. Part of the miracle, as far as I’m concerned, is that the cost of that policy had been a mere $89.
Okay, not all of us are going to be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro any time soon. But… an appendix can burst or a kidney stone can hit anywhere, at any time. I know. In 2003 I underwent emergency laser surgery in Fairbanks, Alaska, to break up a .9mm kidney stone. That size stone cannot be passed; it must be broken up by a laser. Fortunately, I was working for Holland America at the time. If it had happened two years later when I was in Africa, you can bet I would have been happy that I had purchased trip insurance. And remember, accidents are just that. You can slip and fall, or be in an automobile accident anywhere, at any time, too.
Not gonna happen to you? You’re careful and healthy as a horse? Maybe so. How about, two weeks before the month-long trek across China and Nepal (that you practically mortgaged the house to pay for), your sister or Aunt Nellie has a stroke and, God forbid, dies. Or maybe it’s your traveling companion that croaks on you. That 5% you paid for travel insurance will be well worth the money when the bulk of your trip cost is refunded.
I hope this has helped to convince you of the value of travel insurance. You can purchase a stand alone medical and evacuation policy, or something more inclusive, covering lost luggage, trip delays, terrorist events, and so on. Premiums vary based on your age and length of trip.
I usually use Travel Guard International (www.travelguard.com), but a good site to compare quotes from 16 companies offering more than 100 policies is www.insuremytrip.com.
Catch the wind…
Taste the rain…
And touch all of your tomorrows… |
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