Please sign in to post.

travel insurance ???s—What If…

A lot can happen between now and September 2022 when I'm going on the South of France tour. That year and half away is creating some "what-if" worries.

My original intention was to only get Medical (GeoBlue) and Evacuation (Medjet) since yearly plans are cheap by comparison. If I buy those near the time I leave, they will also cover the trip I'm planning for spring 2023. That trip probably won't be a tour so is easier to self-insure. This tour cost and airfare is a bit steep for me to self-insure. Now I'm thinking of adding a cheap comprehensive plan to cover those or only doing the cheap comprehensive and Medjet.

I found AXA Gold plan on Squaremouth. It does not include Cancel for Any Reason but does include Cancel for Medical which is my biggest concern and Trip Interruption. Pre-existing conditions are covered if I buy before 6/9/21. I have not read the complete policy yet -- 38 pages of legalese, Yikes!

Has anyone used AXA? What was your experience? I'm trying to keep the comprehensive cost near $600 and, as you know, age affects cost. And do you have an opinion about combining insurance? I know there are multiple threads out there about travel insurance. It's this time gap that has not be talked about. Maybe others of you are wondering the same thing.

As always, thanks for your help. Now that the trip is reality (well almost, waiting for confirmation), I know I'll have a lot more questions.

Posted by
2547 posts

Per combining insurance, if you needed to make a claim perhaps there would be a conflict between the two insurance companies as to which company was going to pay first or which company would cover what portion of the claim. That could make things sticky.

Posted by
3070 posts

Good point Mary. That’s why I am tossing around the idea of the cheap comprehensive and also having Medjet since Medjet would evacuate me home and AXA only to the nearest hospital. No conflict because not the same coverage. GeoBlue could be in conflict unless it is primary and AXA is secondary but I’m not sure. A call to both might be the answer.

Posted by
2141 posts

We had a grand in vouchers that we were able to use for our Sept 2022 tour insurance that includes cx for any reason and evacuation to hospital of our choice near our home. Airfare will increase what the end price will be unless we are able to use miles.

We have plans for 2023 to see a broker and get yearly plans going forward if they make economical sense.

Posted by
2547 posts

I mentioned it because we knew someone who ran into problems with the travel insurance after literally getting hit by a bus in Buenos Aires. They had to get a lawyer to fight the insurance companies to pay out. The bill for the medical, evacuation, etc. ran to $150,000.

Posted by
2 posts

Hi everyone.Sounds like you’re all Rick Steves tour pros on this thread. We’re signed up for a Tour of France in 2022, and the trip insurance options with Travel Guard seem daunting. Any general advice on what type to buy? We don’t have current medical concerns.
Thanks

Posted by
3070 posts

April, welcome to the forum.
There are couple other current threads about travel insurance that may help you:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/budget-tips/trip-insurance-comprehensive-vs-medical-evac-only
And
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/travel-insurance-company-recommendations
And
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/trip-insurance-for-2022-tour

Ask questions. Everyone will gladly help or at least offer their experience or opinion.

You can delete your unfinished post by hitting the delete link on it.

Posted by
136 posts

I am trying to choose insurance for our eagerly anticipated 2022 trip. I want to make a purchase during the two week window that provides the "preexisting conditions waiver". I understand I will need to insure all of my nonrefundable costs to get this benefit. Question - at this time do I just insure the RS tour deposit amount and then add the tour balance to the policy when it is paid next year? And since the RS tour deposit is refundable until December, do I insure it now? My only real cost at this point is $12 of fees associated with an airline award booking. Or do I insure now for the entire tour cost? I appreciate any insights - I think I probably overthink the whole insurance dilemma and I am spending way too much time trying to figure this out.