Now that we have more time available, many of us are doing more traveling. And that brings up the issue of Travel Insurance and similar protections. I used to always take it out but when our parents passed I figured it wasn’t necessary and omitted getting it.
WRONG !!
We had an unanticipated medical problem necessitating the cancellation of a trip three weeks before lift-off. So now I never leave home without trip insurance. Note that you only need to cover your out-of-pocket costs. So you might get a lower amount initially and, as you pay for the rest of the trip, increase the value of the policy.
Here is some useful information about a site called www.squaremouth.com. It does not sell insurance. This site:
- Explains all about travel insurance and the various coverage types that can be made available. The differences are far greater than one might suppose.
- Provides quotes after you give it about 10 pieces of data (I played with the inputs to watch what happens when varying ages, length of stay, destination, etc)
- Gives a side-by-side comparison of identified policies. This is great. The URL below shows an actual comparison between two companies for some arbitrary inputs so you can see the type of output it provides http://www.squaremouth.com/travel-insurance/compare.pl?p1=497&p1=533&qid=821285 .
When traveling farther a field, such as to China, or on a safari, there are additional considerations, such as accessibility to adequate medical attention. Here is some useful information.
1. Sign up for International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. (IAMAT www.iamat.org 1-716-754-4883). Donate $15 to be a member. You need an IAMAT card for each traveler which they will send you. Each travelling individual gets a IAMAT Membership Card, valid for one year. Present the card to the IAMAT affiliated doctor or clinic in order to receive “quality medical care based on IAMAT’s affordable fixed rates”. You pay the IAMAT physician directly after the consultation.
As a member you have access to the IAMAT Medical Directory listing their affiliated clinics and doctors in about 90 countries and 350 cities. You will also get to use the IAMAT Traveller Clinical Record, a handy pamphlet to fill out your medical history, which could then be presented to their affiliated physician or to anyone else.
You can also use their website to create a travel planner.
2. In the Boston area the Lahey Medical Center in Burlington has a Travel Clinic. (I assume there are similar places in other major cities.) You make an appointment with a specialty doctor, fill out a questionnaire regarding your travel and medical history, and you are able to get things like malaria pills, yellow fever shots etc. They know what is appropriate for each country and, equally important, for the different environments in certain countries. Beware, not all insurance policies covers the cost of this
3. Consider bringing antibiotics with you on distant travel. I had an infected tooth in China and hadn’t brought any. Very painful!
4. The Flying Doctor’s Society of Africa (http://www.amref.org/). I had the safari travel company handle this for me for $50. They will fly you to medical attention if you are in the wild, far from a hospital. There is a similar organization for Australia.
Divers Alert Network (family membership is $55). They provide Medical Evacuation back to home (I know; seems like a strange thing to have membership in but it was apparently started by divers). Go to https://www.diversalertnetwork.org. Their Handbook is 48 pages long and available at https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/membership/handbook.pdf