Travel Insurance

It's important to have evacuation/repatriation coverage. Should you suffer a severe leg or hip break and require special seating in an aircraft to get you home and recuperate, those charges can range anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000!

We've used Travel Guard, there's lots of choices out there-the sooner you buy, generally speaking, the cheaper it will be. I always include evacuation and repatriation in the policy, since it can be extremely expensive for medical (or other :-( ) transport back home.

Good peace of mind for us and for the folks back home!

Travel Guard and Access America are two reliable and good companies for travel insurance. You typically need to buy insurance within 2 weeks of booking a trip or buying airfare to get better coverage and not to be excluded for pre existing conditions. I would ask them for options but most people want medical, trip cancellation/interruption and evacuation coverage.

Start with:
http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travel-insurance

For some travelers, insurance is a good deal; for others, it’s not.
What are the chances you’ll need it? How willing are you to take
risks? How much is peace of mind worth to you? Take these
considerations into account, understand your options, and make an
informed decision for your trip.

Then read the fine print called Terms and Conditions. Some policies exclude what the call extreme activities. You may not think of your activity as extreme but you don't make the rules.

Most travelers that go on Medicare will also have an outside Supplement insurance. Make sure your Medicare supplement will reimburse you for healthcare expenses outside of the U.S.

Those without a supplement will need to buy travel insurance that is slanted toward medical coverage--even when traveling to Mexico or Canada.

I don't worry about air ambulance coverage. Very, very people in good health ever are evacuated that way.

Ever since I turned 65 and went onto Medicare which does not cover me during my yearly summer trips to Europe, I have purchased travel insurance. When I first researched it, I went to Insuremytrip.com and did a lot of reading. I also checked out the RS recommendations and settled on Travel Guard which I have gotten each year for the last 5 years. Luckily, I have never had to file a claim, but the cost I pay for lots of coverage including med evac, is a small amount in relation to the total cost of my trips. I do know that Travel Guard will cover my pre-existing conditions if I take out a policy as soon as I make my first payment for anything associated with the trip. In my case that is the deposit I pay for a RS tour each year. If you are worried about not knowing the total cost of your trip when you make that first payment, just guess as I do, and then go back after all of the numbers are in and see if you need to increase your insurance coverage. I would not want to risk the cost of a med-ebac if something were to go terribly wrong as that could put me into the poor house since I live on a pension and SS.

We have also used Travelguard since we began to go overseas .O ne caveat to keep in mind , if you purchase the insurance within fifteen days of your first trip payment ( usually the plane tickets , for obvious reasons ) Any pre existing conditions are covered .

"Any preexisting conditions covered". Perhaps. Read the fine print. Travel Guard Silver:

PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL
CONDITION EXCLUSION WAIVER
The Company will waive the pre-existing medical condition
exclusion if the following conditions are met:
(1) This plan is purchased within 15 days of Initial Trip
Payment;
(2) The amount of coverage purchased equals all prepaid
nonrefundable payments or deposits applicable to the Trip
at the time of purchase and the costs of any subsequent
arrangements added to the same Trip are insured within 15
days of the date of payment or deposit for any subsequent
Trip arrangements;
(3) All Insured’s are medically able to travel when this plan cost
is paid;
(4) The Trip Cost does not exceed $100,000 per person (only
applicable to Trip Cancellation/Interruption).
This coverage will be terminated and no benefits will be paid
under this Pre-existing Medical Condition Exclusion Waiver
coverage if the full costs of all prepaid, nonrefundable Trip
arrangements are not insured.