Travel Insurance

Since our retirement, every year we save for an international vacation. We always take out travel insurance. In November ’04 we went to Guatemala, and while at a friend’s country home in a remote area my wife slipped over some rocks. Where we were staying, there was no doctor, not even a telephone nearby. We considered the injury a bruise, but the pain increased.

As soon as we returned home, eight or nine days later, she went to see her doctor, who immediately recommended an examination by a specialist plus x-rays and an MRI. It turned out to be a broken rotator cuff.

In an article about the hiring of vehicles (July ’05, pg. 95), the writer suggests that those who are over the age for hiring a vehicle should “Have a guide or younger person hire and drive the vehicle and reimburse him/her.” He goes on to say, “The person must have a credit card in his/her own name and must be able to satisfy all the rental requirements.”

A letter from Grace Slavsky of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, asked, “Is it possible to buy travel insurance covering trip cancellation/medical evacuation, etc., on an ANNUAL basis for us travelers who take several trips throughout the year? It would save us frequent travelers a lot of hassle. Frequent business travelers are covered. Why can’t the leisure travelers be covered under a similar policy?”

In answering Grace’s question, my research has uncovered only one company that presently offers a policy that covers the usual protections plus trip-cancellation coverage.

In the many years my husband, Ted, and I have traveled around the world on ship, on tours and independently, we have booked travel insurance about two-thirds of the time. We have seldom needed to use it and always questioned the expense of bothering with it.

I was deeply moved when I read the letter titled “Coping With the Red Tape of an Overseas Death.” It was incredible to read about the obstacles Mrs. Patterson had to overcome after her husband’s sudden demise. I offer my sincerest condolence.

I would like to add the following to Mrs. Patterson’s recommendations.

Be sure you know the appropriate country’s emergency phone numbers for medical emergencies and police. Having an operational telephone card is a sine qua non, although usually you can access emergency numbers from any phone without a telephone card.

How did the travel insurance industry respond to the Asian tsunami disaster in December 2004 and how did this affect travel insurance coverages for this period and for subsequent travel?

My husband and I were traveling independently in the Outback of Australia’s Northern Territory in July ’04. Suddenly my husband and I looked to the side of the road and both said, “Oh, no, that ‘roo’ is going to jump right into us.” Within seconds that beautiful kangaroo had committed suicide and our car had a great amount of damage.

Three days later a flock of birds smashed into the windshield, doing more damage to the car.