#you do understand that the healthcare portion of their government is probably more reputable

[lesbianralzarek]

why does every article reporting on idf war crimes go "hamas, who started the war on october 7th with their brutal terrorist attack slaughtering innocent israeli civilians, has condemned the idf's use of-"? like, nearly verbatim every single time. we know about october 7th. we know by now. half the time, hamas isnt even relevant but they gotta find some way to sow doubt and numb any potential compassion responses. will you get fired if you show sympathy for murdered palestinian civilians without first adding a disclaimer saying its all their fault for being born in gaza? if you call "palestinians under 18" children? if you use the words "murdered" or "brutal" or "massacre" for acts that didnt occur on october 7th? if you call a spade a spade? why are israeli reports front page news without proper fact-checking but palestinian reporting is always "allegedly" even when theres video evidence? why does the idf not get the hamas treatment of reminding everyone that theyre biased before treating their words as law, like they havent been caught bold-faced lying again and again?

[advancetaxreliefexperts]

WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF HAVE NOT FILED TAX RETURNS IN 5 - 10 YEARS

 Tax Evasion, Back Taxes, Tax Relief, Tax Preparation

Not filing taxes for several years could have serious repercussions. Not only can the IRS stop you from applying for a passport or a mortgage, but they can also create a Substitute for Return against you, charge you for failure to pay, or charge you for failure to file.

Before you panic, let’s take a look at what could actually happen and how you can mitigate the chances of the worst of the punishment.

If you’re wondering how the IRS knows how much you owe since you haven’t filed, it’s because the IRS will file a Substitute for Return (SFR) on your behalf. However, it will be filed as single or married filing separately. You will not receive any exemptions or deductions that are rightfully yours.

NEED HELP WITH IRS BACK TAXES, AUDIT REPRESENTATION OR SMALL BUSINESS TAX PREPARATION?

ADVANCE TAX RELIEF LLC

www.advancetaxrelief.com

BBB A+ RATED

CALL (713)300-3965

Once the SFR is filed, you are sent a notice to accept the tax debt as filed in this form. With no response, the IRS issues a notice of deficiency. After that, you owe tax, and the agency starts the collection process. They could place a levy on your wages or bank account. The IRS also has the option of placing a federal lien against your property. 

IRS collections can be extremely stressful.

Short and Long Term Consequences of Not Filing for Ten Years

There are several things you may need over the course of your life that require you to show tax returns:

Application for a mortgage.

Application for a passport.

Application for student financial aid.

Application for healthcare insurance.

Credits toward Social Security retirement or disability benefits.

There are more, but you get the idea. Your tax returns are part of the documentation required for a variety of financial dealings. You don’t have them, you don’t get the loan, passport, or whatever else you need.

Other things that could, and probably will happen include the IRS charging you with failure to file and failure to pay. Each of these charges contains its own penalty, although failure to pay carries a heavier burden.

The worst that could happen is that you could go to prison for tax evasion, which can be as much as five years and $250,000 in fines.

Get Your Act Together

What you need to do is fix the situation as soon as possible. Prepare to file all your returns and face the music.

Locate and gather the financial records required for each return. That means W-2’s, 1099’s, and anything else you need to fill out your forms. If you can’t find something, ask the IRS for a copy.

Either prepare your returns yourself or seek assistance from a tax professional. It may sound self-serving for us to say it, but a tax professional is probably the better idea.

Remain seated while learning how much you owe the federal government.

All those SFRs the IRS filed for you? Refiling your taxes will supersede those, so at least you can get your exemptions and deductions back. There is no time limit for submitting unfiled returns. There is also no limit to how long the IRS has to collect.

We won't soft-peddle it. Between the fees, penalties, interest, and back taxes, you may be looking at quite a bit of money to pay.

Fees, Penalties, Interest, and Back Taxes

Yep. You will owe more than the taxes you didn’t pay on time. You will also be required to pay penalties for non-compliance…  there’s that failure to file and failure to pay penalty. You owe fees on the unpaid portion of your tax bill. Also, the IRS charges 3% interest on the amount you owe for every year you don’t pay.

Finally, there is the tax you owe for each year. It can all add up to a pile of money. However, there is a way to get some relief.

Negotiating Payment

For the IRS, the bottom line is the bottom line. The agency would prefer you to cooperate, negotiate, and pay as much as you can, in preference to sending you to jail. Of course, even after you pay the money, the IRS still has three years to charge you with a criminal offense. Still, it's unlikely they would do so if you go along with everything and continue to toe the line.

The first thing to do is to admit you made a mistake and you are prepared to pay your dues, as it were. Then keep in touch with the IRS to show you really mean to go straight and get things squared away.

You have several options for paying your tax bill and attendant penalties, fees, and interest:

Take the funds from savings, but not your retirement accounts.

Make a partial payment to cut down the size of the bill and the amount of interest accruing.

Ask for a payment extension or an installment plan. Payment extensions allow you an additional 120 days to pay. Installment plans are requested through IRS Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request. Payment plans for up to six years are available. Keep in mind interest continues to accrue on the unpaid amount. 

There may also be a set-up fee. 

Ask for leniency due to hardship or request a reduction in your tax bill using an Offer in Compromise. You must prove the tax bill will cause you a tremendous burden, like having to sell your home, for the hardship case. For Offers in Compromise, you need to file all your tax returns. You will have to finish filing your ten years’ worth of taxes to use this remedy to settle your tax debt for less than you owe. Understand that an Offer in Compromise is a long shot; very few are granted.

Stay Current and Plan for the Future

Once you have all of your taxes filed, all eleven years (don't forget this year’s taxes), plan ahead to avoid this issue in the future. Talk to a tax expert about your withholdings and whether making quarterly payments would make sense for you.

Learn from your decade-long mistake. Keep up with your federal and state taxes. Wishing you didn’t have to pay them doesn’t make them go away. So stay off the agency’s radar and pay your taxes every year, on time, and in full.

GET TAX RELIEF HELP TODAY

If you think that you may need help filing your 2018/2019 tax return and past due tax returns, you may want to partner with a reputable tax relief company who can help you get the max refund and reduce your chances for an IRS AUDIT.

 Advance Tax Relief is headquartered in Houston, TX with a branch office in Los Angeles, CA. We help many individuals just like you solve a wide variety of IRS and State tax issues, including penalty waivers, wage garnishments, bank levy, tax audit representation, back tax return preparation, small business form 941 tax issues, the IRS Fresh Start Initiative, Offer In Compromise and much more. Our Top Tax Attorneys, Accountants and Tax Experts are standing by ready to help you resolve or settle your IRS back tax problems.

 Advance Tax Relief is rated one of the best tax relief companies nationwide.

#TaxDebtProblems #FilingBackTaxes #TaxReliefPrograms #IRSDebtForgivenes #TaxAttorneysNearMe #IRSLawyer #TaxReliefFirms #OfferInCompromise #TaxResolution #LocalTaxAttorney #HelpFilingBackTaxes #TaxDebtSettlement #TaxReliefAttorneys #IRSHelp #TaxRELIEF #TaxAttorneys #AuditHelp #BackTaxes #OfferInCompromise #WageGarnishmentHelp #AuditReliefHelp #SmallBusinessTAXES

[joshuamshea84]

How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018

Updated: 6/25/2018 | June 25th, 2018

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, buying travel insurance a no-brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my eardrum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again as they like to say.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, buying travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show how to pick the best travel insurance plans in just a few steps:

What to look for in a great travel insurance plan

Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

First, make sure your travel insurance offers a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your travel insurance policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

Third, great travel insurance plan will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: Most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer insurance plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear!

What’s not covered by your travel insurance

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover:

Accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra.

Alcohol- or drug-related incidents,

Carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage.

You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company).

Pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Cash

Your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended.

If civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck too.

Travel Insurance Loopholes: What To Look For

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase travel insurance get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it.

Remember you will get what you pay for. Maybe you see two companies offer similar plans but one is really cheap? Why? Usually it’s because the devil is in the details and they could have smaller payouts, take longer to process claims, deny more people, or have so many rules in the fine print that it turns out you aren’t going to get paid when you think you are!

Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

The Best Travel Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great travel insurance for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home that allows you to see doctors and make regular appointments when you. This is best for long-term expats living overseas.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around for travel insurance that offers standard, cookie cutter plans.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage, STA Travels offers bare bones planes.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them.

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy Your Travel Insurance As Soon As Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get travel insurance.

You can use the widget below to find an insurance plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travel-insurance/

[melissagarcia8]

How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018

Updated: 6/25/2018 | June 25th, 2018

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, buying travel insurance a no-brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my eardrum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again as they like to say.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, buying travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show how to pick the best travel insurance plans in just a few steps:

What to look for in a great travel insurance plan

Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

First, make sure your travel insurance offers a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your travel insurance policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

Third, great travel insurance plan will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: Most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer insurance plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear!

What’s not covered by your travel insurance

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover:

Accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra.

Alcohol- or drug-related incidents,

Carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage.

You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company).

Pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Cash

Your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended.

If civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck too.

Travel Insurance Loopholes: What To Look For

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase travel insurance get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it.

Remember you will get what you pay for. Maybe you see two companies offer similar plans but one is really cheap? Why? Usually it’s because the devil is in the details and they could have smaller payouts, take longer to process claims, deny more people, or have so many rules in the fine print that it turns out you aren’t going to get paid when you think you are!

Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

The Best Travel Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great travel insurance for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home that allows you to see doctors and make regular appointments when you. This is best for long-term expats living overseas.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around for travel insurance that offers standard, cookie cutter plans.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage, STA Travels offers bare bones planes.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them.

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy Your Travel Insurance As Soon As Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get travel insurance.

You can use the widget below to find an insurance plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travel-insurance/

[theladyjstyle]

Updated: 6/25/2018 | June 25th, 2018

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, buying travel insurance a no-brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my eardrum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again as they like to say.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, buying travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show how to pick the best travel insurance plans in just a few steps:

What to look for in a great travel insurance plan

Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

First, make sure your travel insurance offers a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your travel insurance policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

Third, great travel insurance plan will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: Most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer insurance plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear!

What’s not covered by your travel insurance

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover:

Accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra.

Alcohol- or drug-related incidents,

Carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage.

You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company).

Pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Cash

Your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended.

If civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck too.

Travel Insurance Loopholes: What To Look For

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase travel insurance get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it.

Remember you will get what you pay for. Maybe you see two companies offer similar plans but one is really cheap? Why? Usually it’s because the devil is in the details and they could have smaller payouts, take longer to process claims, deny more people, or have so many rules in the fine print that it turns out you aren’t going to get paid when you think you are!

Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

The Best Travel Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great travel insurance for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home that allows you to see doctors and make regular appointments when you. This is best for long-term expats living overseas.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around for travel insurance that offers standard, cookie cutter plans.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage, STA Travels offers bare bones planes.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them.

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy Your Travel Insurance As Soon As Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get travel insurance.

You can use the widget below to find an insurance plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018 https://ift.tt/2v7vtVw

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

How to Buy Good Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, it’s a no brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my ear drum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show you how to avoid getting a bad insurance plan:

What to look for in a great plan

There are a lot of options out there. Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

When looking for a plan, first make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

A great policy will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear! My camera was covered because it was cheap. If you have an expensive DSLR or lens, get supplemental insurance! It will be worth it!

What isn’t covered is just as important as what is

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra. The majority of companies won’t cover you if you injure someone on the road (called third-party liability). Policies do not normally cover alcohol- or drug-related incidents, or carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage. You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company). But simply: if a reasonable person wouldn’t partake in what caused your accident, you won’t be covered.

Moreover, you won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Be Careful of Loopholes

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase insurance thinking it is, then get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it. Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

Your stolen goods coverage won’t pay you back for a lost wad of cash, your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended, and if civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

List of the Best Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home. It’s expensive but if you’re going to live in a place, it’s the best bet.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them!

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy as Soon as Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance because it will only cover you for things that happened AFTER you bought the plan. Don’t wait and get out of luck. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get coverage.

You can use the widget below to find a plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy Good Travel Insurance appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

via Travel Blogs http://ift.tt/2v7vtVw

[touristguidebuzz]

How to Buy Good Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, it’s a no brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my ear drum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show you how to avoid getting a bad insurance plan:

What to look for in a great plan

There are a lot of options out there. Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

When looking for a plan, first make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

A great policy will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear! My camera was covered because it was cheap. If you have an expensive DSLR or lens, get supplemental insurance! It will be worth it!

What isn’t covered is just as important as what is

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra. The majority of companies won’t cover you if you injure someone on the road (called third-party liability). Policies do not normally cover alcohol- or drug-related incidents, or carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage. You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company). But simply: if a reasonable person wouldn’t partake in what caused your accident, you won’t be covered.

Moreover, you won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Be Careful of Loopholes

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase insurance thinking it is, then get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it. Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

Your stolen goods coverage won’t pay you back for a lost wad of cash, your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended, and if civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

List of the Best Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home. It’s expensive but if you’re going to live in a place, it’s the best bet.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them!

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy as Soon as Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance because it will only cover you for things that happened AFTER you bought the plan. Don’t wait and get out of luck. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get coverage.

You can use the widget below to find a plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy Good Travel Insurance appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

[vidovicart]

How to Buy Good Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, it’s a no brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my ear drum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show you how to avoid getting a bad insurance plan:

What to look for in a great plan

There are a lot of options out there. Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

When looking for a plan, first make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

A great policy will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear! My camera was covered because it was cheap. If you have an expensive DSLR or lens, get supplemental insurance! It will be worth it!

What isn’t covered is just as important as what is

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra. The majority of companies won’t cover you if you injure someone on the road (called third-party liability). Policies do not normally cover alcohol- or drug-related incidents, or carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage. You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company). But simply: if a reasonable person wouldn’t partake in what caused your accident, you won’t be covered.

Moreover, you won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Be Careful of Loopholes

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase insurance thinking it is, then get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it. Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

Your stolen goods coverage won’t pay you back for a lost wad of cash, your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended, and if civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

List of the Best Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home. It’s expensive but if you’re going to live in a place, it’s the best bet.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them!

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy as Soon as Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance because it will only cover you for things that happened AFTER you bought the plan. Don’t wait and get out of luck. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get coverage.

You can use the widget below to find a plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy Good Travel Insurance appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

[tamboradventure]

How to Buy Good Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, it’s a no brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my ear drum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show you how to avoid getting a bad insurance plan:

What to look for in a great plan

There are a lot of options out there. Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

When looking for a plan, first make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

A great policy will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear! My camera was covered because it was cheap. If you have an expensive DSLR or lens, get supplemental insurance! It will be worth it!

What isn’t covered is just as important as what is

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra. The majority of companies won’t cover you if you injure someone on the road (called third-party liability). Policies do not normally cover alcohol- or drug-related incidents, or carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage. You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company). But simply: if a reasonable person wouldn’t partake in what caused your accident, you won’t be covered.

Moreover, you won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Be Careful of Loopholes

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase insurance thinking it is, then get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it. Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

Your stolen goods coverage won’t pay you back for a lost wad of cash, your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended, and if civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

List of the Best Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home. It’s expensive but if you’re going to live in a place, it’s the best bet.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them!

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy as Soon as Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance because it will only cover you for things that happened AFTER you bought the plan. Don’t wait and get out of luck. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get coverage.

You can use the widget below to find a plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy Good Travel Insurance appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Travel Blog – Nomadic Matt's Travel Site http://ift.tt/2v7vtVw via IFTTT

[melissagarcia8]

How to Buy Good Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, it’s a no brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my ear drum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show you how to avoid getting a bad insurance plan:

What to look for in a great plan

There are a lot of options out there. Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

When looking for a plan, first make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

A great policy will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear! My camera was covered because it was cheap. If you have an expensive DSLR or lens, get supplemental insurance! It will be worth it!

What isn’t covered is just as important as what is

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra. The majority of companies won’t cover you if you injure someone on the road (called third-party liability). Policies do not normally cover alcohol- or drug-related incidents, or carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage. You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company). But simply: if a reasonable person wouldn’t partake in what caused your accident, you won’t be covered.

Moreover, you won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Be Careful of Loopholes

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase insurance thinking it is, then get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it. Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

Your stolen goods coverage won’t pay you back for a lost wad of cash, your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended, and if civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

List of the Best Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home. It’s expensive but if you’re going to live in a place, it’s the best bet.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them!

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy as Soon as Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance because it will only cover you for things that happened AFTER you bought the plan. Don’t wait and get out of luck. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get coverage.

You can use the widget below to find a plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy Good Travel Insurance appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travel-insurance/

[theladyjstyle]

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, it’s a no brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my ear drum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show you how to avoid getting a bad insurance plan:

What to look for in a great plan

There are a lot of options out there. Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

When looking for a plan, first make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

A great policy will always include the following provisions:

Cover most countries in the world

Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)

Cover injury and sudden illnesses

Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)

Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.

Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency

Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early

Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear! My camera was covered because it was cheap. If you have an expensive DSLR or lens, get supplemental insurance! It will be worth it!

What isn’t covered is just as important as what is

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra. The majority of companies won’t cover you if you injure someone on the road (called third-party liability). Policies do not normally cover alcohol- or drug-related incidents, or carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage. You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company). But simply: if a reasonable person wouldn’t partake in what caused your accident, you won’t be covered.

Moreover, you won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.

Be Careful of Loopholes

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase insurance thinking it is, then get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it. Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

Your stolen goods coverage won’t pay you back for a lost wad of cash, your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended, and if civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck.

To summarize:

If you want: Include this in your travel insurance policy: Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip Travel medical and accident coverage To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary Emergency evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early Trip cancellation AND trip interruption Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods Theft and lost coverage Help finding a doctor abroad 24-hour assistance Payment for rental car damage Car collision insurance (CDW)

List of the Best Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

Clements – Great for high-end electronics coverage.

IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home. It’s expensive but if you’re going to live in a place, it’s the best bet.

MedJet Assist – A good company all around.

STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them!

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy as Soon as Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance because it will only cover you for things that happened AFTER you bought the plan. Don’t wait and get out of luck. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get coverage.

You can use the widget below to find a plan for your trip:

  STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

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