travel insurance

I have experience with Access America. You can purchase this directly from them, but I've actually gotten better prices when purchasing the policy through American Airlines - there's an option to purchase coverage when buying airline tickets. I called to confirm that I COULD add on non-refundable train tickets and hotel reservations as I made them...of course, this added to the actual cost of the policy, but it was pennies on the dollar. I only had one hotel reservation that would have caused a substantial monetary loss if I'd needed to cancel, so it's the only one I added to the policy. My in-laws needed to cancel a trip at the very last minute a few years ago (due to his health); Access America gave them absolutely no trouble in the refund process. Prices depend on your age, length of trip, type of coverage, etc. Access America isn't available ONLY to AA travelers; you can look at their policies online and call them with any questions. I was always treated very well by their Customer Service phone personnel. Other companies should have their various policies available for viewing online, too. Just be very careful that you're buying the coverage you THINK you're buying! Verify!

There was a lengthy thread on this question under "General Europe" maybe 3-4 weeks ago or so. In general, people who buy travel insurance do it because they want it. Those who didn't have to make a claim are still happy they bought it. Those few who did have to make a claim generally had little trouble and were, naturally, happy with the experience. But of course, most people don't bother - have trouble free trips - and are quite happy to return home with that extra money in their pocket. Asking about travel insurance here is a little like asking a vinyard owner about the merits of wine.

David, a word of caution. The greatest potential financial liability a traveler faces is medical evacuation, not the loss of prepaid accommodations. If you should have an accident that requires a return trip in business class, or two seats to accommodate a body cast or a medical attendant, you might be looking at costs as high as $50,000. I didn't realize that until my daughter, who works in the field of education abroad, told me that they carry such insurance on all their students and why. Do check out the thread that Randy refers to. There's lots of details and varying opinions.

www.insuremytrip.com is the best place to compare policies from different companies, so you get the coverage you want without having to buy coverage that you don't need. I definitely second the suggestion of med evac insurance - my own insurance covers me abroad, but I always buy additional med evac. My brother-in-law's mother once became ill while in Costa Rica, and had to be brought home by air ambulance. The family had to pay $20,000 cash upfront before they could bring her back.

David, will these B&Bs charge you for the ENTIRE length of your stay if you cancel, or just the first night? That question is moot if you are planning on changing B&Bs every night or two...Have you already contacted them about the possibility of cancelling with an agreed-upon amount of notice (even if they already have a non-refund policy on their website)? They MAY be willing to work with you on this. KEEP ALL EMAILS concerning these e-conversations...and be very specific in your questions. Clarify anything that you think looks ambiguous. You may need that paper trail. Having said that, I would encourage you to look into trip insurance anyway for the reasons given so far (and in the other threads on this Helpline). It doesn't have to be expensive. You'll just have to do the reaserch on it (yea - BIG fun LOL!).

I always buy travel insurance when I travel out of the U.S., primarily for medical evacuation coverage. As Rosalyn noted above, that can easily run to $50,000 and more. Consider if you need to be flown out and cannot fly commercial. Your talking about charter costs and paying medical staff to attend you on the flight. Certainly, while in Europe you won't need to be evacuated back home just to be treated at a competent facility. But, because everything other than emergency care is liable to be billed to you, you might easily decide you need to get back home where you health insurance will cover you. One more thing: I've found that many travel insurance offer a large and potentially confusing variety of packages, with varying limits and deductibles. BE sure you find the one that best matches your needs.

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