Holiday Insurance - Cheap Holiday Insurance - Travel Insurance - Instant Holiday Insurance

Instant Holiday Insurance is one of the UK's largest independent travel insurance company selling cheap travel insurance products, holiday insurance, medical and general insurance services. Instant Holiday Insurance is a trading partnered with of Essential Travel Ltd, who are authorised & regulated by the Financial Services Authority No. 300175

Our Holiday Insurance Web combines great value with comprehensive cover. We cover you for lost or delayed luggage, lost cash, passport and other personal documents plus emergency treatment. We established to offer UK customers comprehensive holiday insurance at competitive low prices. The travel insurance policy will cover you for any medical expenses that you incur should you be involved in an accident or become ill and require hospitalisation. Apart from medical expenses the policy should also cover things like; legal expenses, cancellation & curtailment,loss of money, baggage, passport, etc. and personal liability. Probably the main thing to consider is to make sure you are covered for any activity that you intend to undertake so that you and your equipment are covered while participating,e.g. skiing, scuba diving etc. Travel insurance in an instance without any hassle and with totally safe online transaction from start to finish.

We have a range of products including single trip holiday insurance, long stay holiday insurance, annual multi trip holiday insurance, ski holiday insurance and more for individuals, couples and families for a matter of months and need adequate cover at resonable rates.

We have partnered with Essential Travel to offer you fantastic deals on Travel Insurance. Essential Travel has teamed up with AXA Insurance UK plc to help provide you complete peace of mind on your holiday. We also offer family insurance and World Wide Travel Insurance online for UK holiday makers. Single Trip travel insurance is perfect cover if you are off on one holiday or escaping on a short break. If you are planning to travel a few times this year then an annual policy offers you both convenience and value for money. Our service specialist was set up with one main aim to provide convenient high value cover at the lowest prices possible.

You can easily get instant online holiday insurance quote where you can select your insurance package, date of travel, which could be for Europe or worldwide. Once package is selected,you can then enter your credit card details and get print off of your travel insurance policy and cover details immediately. Insurance certificate will reach to you either by email or by regular post.

Enjoy your holiday and be safe during holiday by getting insured with instant holiday insurance.

Ski Travel Insurance – 5 Reasons Why You Need It

Every year, millions of people go skiing around the world, and despite the wide availability of cheap ski travel insurance there are still many who travel without full cover. There are plenty of things that go wrong on a skiing holiday, ranging from injury and equipment loss to bad weather and cancellation costs, and while it’s easy to say "it won’t happen to me", you can face enormous costs if run into trouble without insurance. Here are five good reasons why you should invest in some decent ski travel insurance before your next trip abroad.

You have to cancel your holiday…

Your flights are booked, your accommodation is sorted, and you are ready to go – but something forces you to cancel the trip. It could be an illness or death in the family, a sudden patch of bad weather at your destination that renders travel impossible, or one of a dozen other reasons. If this happens, you’d better have good insurance; a skiing holiday can be an expensive event to cancel at the last minute, but ski travel insurance will cover your cancellation costs.

You are injured…

The danger of skiing is part of the thrill for many, but it could be a costly thrill if you don’t have insurance. If you are in Europe, your E111 card will only provide you with a discount on healthcare, and often medical treatment will take place at the ski lodge’s private clinic, where the E111 will not help at all. If you are in Canada or America, your medical bills could be enormous – an uninsured skier can expect to pay up to £25,000 to treat a broken leg in the USA. Even cheap ski travel insurance will provide you with significant cover for medical costs, and it is well worth paying for.

The slopes are closed by bad weather…

Nothing is more frustrating than being kept off the slopes by bad weather while on a skiing holiday, but insurance can at least help lessen the damage to your wallet. Most ski travel insurance will reimburse your costs if you can’t ski for two or more days due to bad weather, covering the cost of lift passes, ski school fees, and any other expenses you suffer.

You lose your equipment…

There is always the chance that you will misplace some of your equipment while on a skiing holiday, through loss, damage or even theft. Good quality skiing equipment can cost plenty to replace, so make sure that your ski travel insurance will fully cover the value of anything that you take.

You need to be rescued…

Whether it is through injury, bad weather, broken equipment or an off-piste adventure gone wrong, there’s always the danger that you’ll find yourself stuck on the slopes. This happens more often than you’d think – over 50,000 skiers a year are rescued from the French Alps alone. With the total cost of a helicopter rescue running at around £4000, if it happens and you aren’t covered, you’ll wish that you’d invested in some cheap ski travel insurance!

Top 10 Must Visit World Cities

Top Ten lists are a dime a dozen on the web and one that crops up more often than most is travel-related lists with outlandish titles such as Top 10 Places You Must See Before You Die and other such morbid titles. This list is similar however we don't see the necessity to insert the Before You Die bit, although it would be useful to visit these cities before you shuffle off this mortal coil.

When it came to choosing the appropriate criteria for selecting these cities, many statistics and facts were taken into account, before being readily dismissed in favour of the most crucial method of consideration of all ... my humble opinion. So forgive me if your own favourite city is not included. I know how you feel as despite my best efforts to sneak one of my own personal favourite cities Dublin into this list logic dictated that a Top 10 list would look a bit weird if it had 11 cities.

Now the next hurdle to overcome was to decide whether to categorise the cities on a graded basis from 10 down to 1 or take the lazy way and just sort them alphabetically, suffice to say, the lazy way was the landslide winner.

Bangkok
Bangkok is a massive sprawling city that offers charms galore. Bangkok is dotted with historical palaces and temples that offer a glimpse into the city's ancient history, yet Bangkok offers much more than beautiful temples and glorious palaces. It comfortably nestles at the forefront of Asia's most visited cities attracting millions of tourists each year. Majestic sites such as The Temple of the Dawn and The Marble Temple should not be missed. Lumphinee Park offers a diversion from Bangkok's bustling city streets. Bangkok is a modern city that encompasses a bustling nightlife, supreme shopping experiences, delicious aromas that fill up the senses from the many gorgeous restaurants and marketplaces. Bangkok's wonderful architecture and soothing climate solidifies its deserved place in this list and indeed why it so frequently crops up on similar lists.

Las Vegas
Well it had to be didn't it? Surely no list of this nature could be complete without Sin City itself, Vegas. Vegas falls into the category of love it or hate it for most people and with visitor numbers increasing each year it seems most people love it. The Entertainment Capital of the World does not disappoint. Where else can you go for a gondola cruise in the morning, see the Grand Canyon in the afternoon and be back in time to see shows such as Siegfried & Roy, Cirque du Soleil and similar headline acts in the afternoon? Ok it's not everyone's cup of tea but it is a city that has to be seen to be believed. Oh, and did I mention you can also gamble there apparently.

London
Ok the weather is not ideal, and the food can be mediocre but no list of this ilk would be complete without including London. It has attractions and sights for people of all ages and is a cosmopolitan city on a grand scale. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, London Eye, Tower of London is just a few of the majestic attractions in England's capital city. If it's good enough for The Queen well it's good enough for me, just don't forget your brolly.

New York City
So good they named it twice as the saying goes and there few cities in the world that offer the amount of iconic landmarks and attractions that New York can. Even leaving aside world famous attractions and sights such as The Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, and Times Square, New York is such a vibrant pulsating city that it has more than enough to tempt visitors going back time after time. It is one of the world's great shopping cities, has a nightlife second to none and has often been referred to as one of the world's great cities. You won't find an argument here.

Paris
I would like to say it was the romantic side in me that welcomes Paris to this list, but it is not, it is because it deservedly nestles here as it as a European heartbeat of culture, beauty and indeed romance and offers some of the most beautiful and majestic sights on the planet. The Eiffel Tower one of the most famous landmarks in the world proudly stands tall in this city that also is graced by Champs Elysees, Notre Dame and The Louvre. The Louvre is home to The Mona Lisa whose ageless beauty bewilders generation after generation. Paris should not be missed.

Rome
This historic city, known as The Eternal City, has some of the most historical sights in the world such as The Pantheon, The Coliseum and The Roman Forum. St Peter's Basilica is just one of the many glorious churches in Rome, and is an essential visit while in the city. Trevi Fountain is yet another treat in this majestic city. And no it wasn't built in a day.

San Francisco
The Bay area of California is home to one of America's most popular destination retreats San Francisco as well as being one of the country's most liberal cities. The hilly streets are as familiar as perhaps the city's most famous landmark, The Golden Gate Bridge. The Bay itself sparkles under the warm sun whilst San Francisco is also renowned for its famous cable cars. The twisty streets in Lombard Street are another essential visit whilst harbor tours often include a trip to Alcatraz, the famous, though now inactive, prison. San Fran is a warm wonderful city with a new treasure each time you come, and no, you don't need to wear flowers in your hair.

Sydney
Beautiful beaches, breathtaking sights and the famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge entwined with the beautiful weather and cosmopolitan cuisine make Sydney an unmissable city. The city is a hotbed of activity and one of the friendliest on the planet. Darling Harbour offers enthralling sights and attractions including museums, stunning hotels and shopping whilst The Rocks provides charm in abundance. Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognisable buildings of modern times and is an essential visit. Sydney has it all culture, arts, scenery, climate, and often tops Most liveable city polls. It's not hard to see why.

Tokyo
A metropolis city on a grand scale Tokyo is a vibrant almost futuristic city that engulfs one's senses from the start. Tokyo revels in shrines, museums, temples and the city's Imperial Palace. Sensoji Temple reigns amongst Tokyo's enduring sights along with The Meiji Shrine and The Imperial Palace itself. Museums align the streets competing with restaurants and shops of all descriptions. Those seeking a more modern approach have options like Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Dome City and Tokyo Disneyland. There's truly something for everyone in this great city.

Venice
Many cities claim to be unique, and indeed many are but few can compare to Venice's quirky charm and decidedly unique canals that transcend across the city. Romantic gondola rides alone do not capture the entire beauty of this marvelous city. St Marks Basilica is a glorious church that often has long lines to visit. It nestles in St Marks Square a wonderful open square with charming coffee shops and is a hive of activity as it is one of the most photographed parts of Venice. Doges Palace, The Bridge of Sighs, and The Rialto Bridge are further landmarks of this extraordinary city.

Travel Tips to Save You Money

Most people will save all year or even more to obtain that relaxation or adrenaline fix we all crave for. Whether it's a couple of weeks relaxing in the sun or adventures up mountains and across rivers, people need this to break up their day to day living - a well earned break from the real world.

Ideally, most people would like to pay off their holiday with their savings, which is the more sensible thing to do as it will ensure no financial black clouds follow them abroad. Although the thought is ideal, for those who have no savings are more likely to take out a loan in order to fund their trip away. This might be financially possible and will be easily sorted upon their return but they will always have that cloud lingering above them gradually getting bigger and bigger as the holiday comes to an end.

Try to save a little money, even if it's only £20 a month. You are looking at £240 for your holiday which may cover the flight, hotel or even spends depending on where you are going. Cut down on drinking or give up smoking in a bid to maximise your holiday budget, or another way, a more obvious way is to simply lower your holiday budget.

This might seem like an unpopular choice at first but however reluctant you may be to do so, this is the easiest way to make sure the dreaded black cloud gets left at the airport.

Minimizing your budget does not necessarily mean minimising your enjoyment.

This can be easily achieved by simple yet effective steps:

Not eating out every day and night - Try and find local bakeries or delis where the prices are far less expensive and you are able to grab a quick sandwich or pastry. East a large meal once a day and snack on bread, fruit or cheese for the remainder. Then when you do treat yourself, provided you spread them out, the dining experience will be a lot more appreciated and worth while.

Buy for yourself - When you are away you will, as most people, feel obliged to buy your relatives little souvenirs which they will normally keep on the mantelpiece for a couple of weeks and you'll later find that they did not fit the room décor and have therefore been disposed to your dissatisfaction. Try to buy, if any, souvenirs which are necessary.

Don't take a taxi everywhere - When you are away you will normally find yourself taking taxis to the different destinations when necessary. This might seem like an obvious thing to do, but with enough planning you can reach your various destinations via public transport saving you a packet.

A step you can take to save more money is to rent a property for the week. This is the recommended option if you are interested in a relaxed time away as you can make it how you want. There will be no children running around or music blaring at all time of the day and night. You can tailor your trip to your exact preference whether it's a sunny trip to Spain or skiing holiday in France.

With the rented property holiday becoming more and more popular, a bigger variety of packages are now on offer so everyone's needs are accommodated for.

People who can't bear leaving their pets at home can now take them along on holiday with them providing they have their pet passports. This is a huge relief for many who don't want to leave their pets in kennels or with relatives.

Travel Tips For Cheap Romantic Vacations

You can also find cheap romantic vacations if you look online. You can certainly book directly with the hotel, or if you prefer you can go through one of the various packages Internet sites that offer accommodations around the world. I had an opportunity to visit India at attractive package by a website. Their packages include casual travels and tours, honeymoon or wedding events, diving packages that feature the best diving spots in the archipelago and golf packages for the corporate buff. These traveling sites have become huge influences on the cost of these tickets, and doing so by simply giving you comparisons and more information than the airline wants you to know. These days, with the many packages online out there, if you invest just a few hours of time researching your trip, then this will often end up saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Sometimes people get into a rut by using traveling agencies or depending only on the Internet to search for cheap airline tickets. When a traveler has a coupon for an upgrade from their credit card company or other source, then the agency presents a travel deal to the customer by upgrading two car sizes for the price of an economy rental car. When you have learn to identify deals, you can save a lot for other purposes. Cheap flights are extensively available and it is an important development for discount. The business opportunities on are high and they not only fulfill your vacation dream but also save hard earned dollars. helps all the people who love to vacation by not hurting their account balance with cheap fares and best deals.

If the only constraint for a vacation is money, and the vacation clubs will help you with the best vacation offer to any destination. The vacation clubs operated by individuals like separate businesses. And offer great on vacation packages and cruises. No one likes to junk up their email by useless offers for credits cards or so called packages. Online package deals can often beat the prices quoted by cruise line, and are great ways to find cruises. There are many large reliable low cost airlines world over, offering discounts and remain a reliable alternative to other travel methods. To learn more about home based business opportunities, and its commission scale, bonuses, and flexible work schedules.

Shop online package deals, and keep looking for offers. That can happen; check out online package deals or talk to the cruise agent. In recent years there has been an onslaught of online package deals. No matter where you want to go, you can probably find a cheap agency that can help you plan without spending all your money. Professional membership It is really important that a traveling agent is a member of a professional body. Registering for these communications gives you advance information about travel, allowing you to take advantage of offers that suit you. One of the most important things to remember when it comes to traveling is that special rates are often not refundable. The costs during this time can add up quickly, so traveling a little earlier or later than everyone else could save you a bundle.

The reason is because online shoppers are often tempted with special Internet only rates, discounts for early reservation and the ability to receive and print and instant confirmation. In addition to using a site, you may be able book your reservations online and select the accommodations your prefer, and directly through the company that offers services that you need. A number of online package deals advertise that their site is free, but then they charge hidden fees. travel sites are most known for their packaged deals. Cardholders of the United Airline Business Credit Card also receive a $25 United travel certificate and a free one way, 1,000 mile, one class upgrade certificate after their first purchase.

They can help you with family, pet friendly travel, and lots of information for the business traveler. Thanks to the Internet and dynamic fare pricing, you do not need a agent to find packages. And since you had to use a agent to book your flight, hotel and tour reservations, and other related items, you also had to pay some sort of service fee, lessening the true of your package. However, prior to the emergence of airlines and the dynamic fare pricing model, cheap airfare was limited, making packages not so discounted. In many cases, the agency was able to package together many of these components, based on the agency relationships with the airlines and chain hotel and car rental services, and offer packages.

Flexible Discount Travel Tips Can Take You Far

But the trouble is that it is so expensive that not many can fulfill this dream of theirs. So far travel is considered a luxury that only rich can afford. But things have changed now because discount techniques are there for anyone to use and make travel affordable and enjoyable.

The basic concept of discount travel is flexibility. The more particular you are about your program the more expensive it becomes. By just being open about your travel dates you can save a huge amount on just air fares. If you widen the choice of places also it can become even better.

For example if you want to visit South America and not set on any particular place then it can be much cheaper than if you do it otherwise. Anybody who is a a travel freak and believes in discounts will have this flexibility as opposed to going to a particular place on a particular day.When you come across people who do not earn much and yet travel a lot you will find that this is the way they do it.

Your attitude towards flexibility is does not have to be limited till the arrival of the destination. If you really want discounted travel then you should have your itinerary also very open. The true discount traveler recognizes the worth of this flexible touring because he knows that there is going to be equal benefit from this as it would be with expensive travel both enjoyment and interest wise.

The discount traveler is aware of the result of rigid itinerary - more cost. Once you become rigid about visiting a particular place at a particular time you have to depend heavily on the travel agents who may fix everything for you at exhorbitant prices.

The idea of being open to everything also includes food and entertainment. The prices of the food depends from country to country so whatever you get at the best price why not try that? Drinks follow the same pattern: say if you are in Mexico Tequila will be extremely cheap, so keep your eyes open for places where you plan on spending your money on activities.

This flexibility will bring you not only great travel but also great cultural variety and knowledge which you will cherish for a life time. So, with a little creativity and the right mind set for planning your next trip, you will be surprise at what you can afford and have a blast of a time doing so.

Travel Tips to Save Money

What do you know about your state? Have you been to all of its state parks or any national parks that are in your state? Have you been to the museums and other attractions in your town or other towns in your state? I bet you haven't--because I haven't either!

Maybe it's time to explore your own "neighborhood." You don't have to reserve a plane ticket well in advance, although you may want to call about reserving any hotel rooms that you might be needing.

And, exploring your state will actually help your kids when they study your state's history. Most states have some kind of tourist phone line with information as well as websites to tell what attractions are in your backyard.

Go off-season. Virginia Beach is really nice in October. It's quiet and the hotel rooms are cheaper. The ocean is still just as beautiful, only it's harder to get a sunburn. The beaches are quiet and you can take a stroll or build a sand castle just as well as you can in July.

Take at least two meals' worth of food per day. This doesn't have to be drudgery and dull--take along those attractive, well-advertised, junky foods you never let your kids eat in normal life and they will be perfectly happy to eat out of the picnic basket instead of the fast food restaurant. Then you can have one meal per day at a nice restaurant (or one that allows kids to eat for free or reduced price!).

Also, don't fall for vending machine water or pop. Bring your own. Be flexible. If you can be flexible on both dates of travel and location, you may be able to find a great deal at the last minute for a trip on the web. If you can look at this as an adventure--kind of like spinning the globe and putting your finger on a random place, only you will actually go there, this could be a lot of fun and not just a poor substitute for grand vacations of the past.

Send postcards. Instead of buying Aunt Margaret a souvenir that she'll put in her next garage sale, buy postcards and have the kids write them out for various friends and relatives. A series of fun and funny postcards is a lot more personal than a piece of plastic. Bring along addresses and stamps (if your trip is in the US) and you are ready to go. This also gives your kids a chance to practice their writing skills, which is a good thing to do in the middle of vacation.

Walk. See if you can park somewhere central and walk (or rent bikes and ride them) to all your destinations in one area. This will save you gas and it will also wear your kids out which means they won't be bouncy at the end of the day. It will also keep your calorie splurges from having such a devastating effect on your waistline.

Before your trip, use a mapping website to plan where you can park and routes and distances you might walk. You can look at the need to save money as a tragedy or you can see it for what it really is: an opportunity to try some new things and have some memorable family adventures.

7 Tips to Having a Great Holiday Despite the Economic Gloom - The Key is Finding Cheap Accommodation

The economy across the western world is in tatters yet you still want to go on holiday. Nothing wrong with that but you will have to be a little more inventive in your planning and finding cheap accommodation is a vital part of that planning.

Singles and couples can normally find hostel accommodation at reasonable prices in most large towns and major cities. The old images of hostels as being scruffy and needing you to share rooms are largely a thing of the past. The new-era hostels are more sophisticated and offer all the modern facilities including internet connections.

You can also consider private "homestays" where the owners are happy to rent one or two rooms for a smaller price than the commercial establishments. Traditionally designed for students, homestay hosts accommodate families (and very often business people too). To take advantage of a homestay holiday go to Google where you will find websites from around the globe telling you all about "homestays" and how you will benefit from this type of cheap accommodation..

A trend of recent years has been for house swapping or home exchange. This arrangement is particlarly well suited for families and especially if you have pets. People house swap across the globe for both short and long term periods and for all sorts of reasons. It is even becoming more common to make arrangements for long weekend swaps so you can take your vacation in smaller chunks if that suits you.

The advantage of being able to cook your own meals in a proper home can lead to tremendous savings in your quest to find somewhere cheap to sleep. Additionally you get to know a little more of the area with any useful help the owners left you and the fact that you will be doing the shopping locally. Many times a car swap comes into the bargain so you save on car hire too. Just remember to splash out at the end of the week with all that money you saved, after all it is your vacation

Camping is a perennial favorite and will no doubt remain so. However with more and more people camping and demanding more and more of the home comforts this is not as cheap as it used to be. So like the good scout you are be prepared to do some homework to find the best deals before they get booked up. Renting a camper van or motor home .can save you a lot of money and you will have a lot of fun exploring new horizons and experiencing the sights and sounds of your travels.

Bidding for your vacation or holiday accommodation is another great money saving idea. If you want to bid on priceline.com or hotwire.com for example, be sure you know what you are doing or your cheap accommodation will not be cheap anymore. Once again do your homework and plan ahead. Go to Google and visit both betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com where you will learn to avoid common bidding mistakes and therefore how to get the best deals.

Look further a field. Think outside the box. If you are used to going to one type of place or following one type of activity think again. Your favorite spot and your favorite things to do will still be there another time but you may be pleasantly surprised at how you could enjoy going somewhere different and doing something completely different. For example, if you plan to visit Europe, spend some time in Morocco. Quite different, certainly but it is a cheaper option. If that is too drastic for you, instead of the Caribbean try Argentina, Chile or Costa Rica. These ar marvelous places to visit and all with very cheap accommodation.

If you must visit the big cities here is something you might like to try. Book your cheap accommodation in a smaller town outside the city and make it a treat to visit the city for your sightseeing and shopping. Find somewhere nearby using Google Maps. You don't have to stay in New York to see Manhatten or in Sydney to see the Opera House. Sometimes when you do less, you enjoy more. Try it.

Before the economy improves you may have to make adjustments to your vacation or holiday plans. But that is all it is, an adjustment , because you will still have your vacation. Finding cheap accommodation is part of the plan and you can choose between hostels, homestay, home exchange, camping or even bidding for your whole holiday online.

Whatever you do, you will find somewhere cheap to sleep even if it is a tent in the desert!

Having a Good Travel Insurance Policy is Recommended

It is a very good idea to have travel insurance before traveling. The travel policies that are all-inclusive covers not only trip cancellation but also theft and medical cases. To get a better offer have a look on these following tips.

You must first check with the credit card companies as some of them have their own travel insurance policies if the card is used for purchasing the ticket.

The travel insurance policies are also offered by some of the cruise line as well as the airline companies. But they may face bankruptcy and thus the insurance value may be lost too. So it is better to purchase a policy from any of the insurance companies.

Some travel insurance have various policies attached and there are some companies those who even give several kinds of travel policies with it. Before buying it make sure to look very carefully on the policy contents.

The medical coverage must be surely be well stipulated in the policy of the travel insurance. Make sure that you understand everything to know exactly what are included in the policy. While making a policy for full family be sure that each of the member is included on the policy. It is important because there are some insurance policies that has a limitation on the number of people. This was very helpful on our recent holiday to last summer.

Check what the company will pay if something happens like in a theft case how much they will pay for the lost items as an insurance. Are they going to pay the full amount that has lost? Make sure that the expensive stuffs are covered that you will carry in the trip. In case if the trip is cut short or cancelled then will you get the full refund from the company?

Be sure that you know each of the terms involved in the policy. If there is a medical emergency when you are traveling then do you have to give the medical bills at that time and get the reimbursement later or the insurance company will immediately take care of everything?

For getting the travel insurance there are several ways, have a look on the Internet and you will get a better deal also. Enjoy the comfort of your house and you don't even have to take out some time from your work place.

Mostly in the travel insurance policies the medical insurance as well as the trip cancellation insurance is included that comes from five to seven percent of your trip price. This price is based on the traveler's age and while traveling on the trip cost.

Having a Good Travel Insurance Policy is Recommended

It is a very good idea to have travel insurance before traveling. The travel policies that are all-inclusive covers not only trip cancellation but also theft and medical cases. To get a better offer have a look on these following tips.

You must first check with the credit card companies as some of them have their own travel insurance policies if the card is used for purchasing the ticket.

The travel insurance policies are also offered by some of the cruise line as well as the airline companies. But they may face bankruptcy and thus the insurance value may be lost too. So it is better to purchase a policy from any of the insurance companies.

Some travel insurance have various policies attached and there are some companies those who even give several kinds of travel policies with it. Before buying it make sure to look very carefully on the policy contents.

The medical coverage must be surely be well stipulated in the policy of the travel insurance. Make sure that you understand everything to know exactly what are included in the policy. While making a policy for full family be sure that each of the member is included on the policy. It is important because there are some insurance policies that has a limitation on the number of people. This was very helpful on our recent holiday to last summer.

Check what the company will pay if something happens like in a theft case how much they will pay for the lost items as an insurance. Are they going to pay the full amount that has lost? Make sure that the expensive stuffs are covered that you will carry in the trip. In case if the trip is cut short or cancelled then will you get the full refund from the company?

Be sure that you know each of the terms involved in the policy. If there is a medical emergency when you are traveling then do you have to give the medical bills at that time and get the reimbursement later or the insurance company will immediately take care of everything?

For getting the travel insurance there are several ways, have a look on the Internet and you will get a better deal also. Enjoy the comfort of your house and you don't even have to take out some time from your work place.

Mostly in the travel insurance policies the medical insurance as well as the trip cancellation insurance is included that comes from five to seven percent of your trip price. This price is based on the traveler's age and while traveling on the trip cost.

Everything Travel Insurance

It is not easy to travel from one country to another, as traveling to a different country includes many important factors that may really exhaust or exhilarate you. Before traveling to a different country, you need to get a travel insurance policy. This is one of the most important things to do before traveling. Although, insurance policies are a bit expensive these days, it is still important to have an insurance policy for traveling.

At present, numerous insurance companies offer inexpensive travel insurance policy. You need to choose a reputed insurance company, which offers reasonable insurance package for travel. It is best to choose an insurance company, which fulfills all your traveling needs.

Types of Insurance Policy for Traveling:

There are various types of travel policies based on the type of trip and time of stay. The most common type of insurance is the Trip Cancellation/ Interruption coverage. These polices mainly cover the cancellation of a trip due to sudden illness, weather, emergency military duty, jury duty or bankruptcy of airline or cruise line before departure.

There is also an insurance for travel called as Terrorism insurance, which compensates your expenditures, in case you travel to a nation or place, which is declared as unsafe to tour.

Other type for travel includes medical emergencies insurance. This policy is very useful, if you plan to visit an underdeveloped country or in case, if you or any of your family member has a chronic illness, which needs urgent medical assistance during the journey. These types of policies pay for the expenditures of your visits to doctors, medicines, and in extreme cases medical evacuation from the country.

Things to Remember:

You need to check that your travel package covers all the traveling needs. You may find numerous insurance polices with reasonable rates to choose from, according to your traveling budget. Thus, you need to get the right insurance for travel, or else you may have to pay enormous medical bills and other expenditures, if something untoward happens in your journey.

With the occurrence of several insurance companies, the competition has increased tremendously among each one of them. Therefore, to gain monopoly in the market these companies give attractive insurance packages to their customers.

Due to this reason, even policies for traveling have become inexpensive. Despite being the insurance policies for traveling being inexpensive, you still need to research on the prices of such polices in the market.

Thus, to make your vacation travel a happy and memorable experience, you need to choose the right travel insurance. Just by making a proper study and comparison of various quotes from different insurance companies, it becomes easy for you to choose the best insurance policy for traveling according to your budget.

Start your search well-before your traveling schedule, as it may take some time to find the best policy. Therefore, why wait start looking for an insurance policy for traveling to enjoy your vacation stress free.

Enjoy Protected Exploration With Adventure Travel Insurance

Adventure travel insurance should certainly be on your list of essential pre-vacation needs. Vacation planning entails a lot more than simply checking the local climate or packing your luggage. Purchasing adventure travel insurance is an excellent decision for any adventure travel vacation. You can also find insurance that covers a specific activity you anticipate trying.

For instance, if you are looking forward to an adventure trip including backpacking, you can find travel insurance to cover that particular activity and provide you with the protection you need while enjoying the exploration experience. The same goes for other activities including, but surely not limited to, snowboarding, kayaking, skiing or so many other water sports or winter sports.

Location and budget are two additional factors to consider when finding and purchasing adventure travel insurance. Someone snowboarding and skiing in the United Kingdom may want to choose adventure travel insurance that covers the areas of the United Kingdom, Northern Island and the Channel Islands. You should then indicate whether you want a policy lasting for only a short period of time or an annual policy, all of which obviously depends on your travel habits. When traveling to the United Kingdom, there are two levels of insurance from which you can choose depending on your needs and budget. You may also want to check the weather forecast for any additional insurance you may need.

Adventure travel insurance is, basically, essential when visiting the different countries of Asia. If you plan to enjoy parachuting or trekking through the mountain ranges of Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia, among others, it is very important that you purchase an adventure travel insurance policy. Without such a policy, you may find yourself dealing with the local health force and ruining what should have been a fantastic experience.

Actually, your adventure travel insurance policy can cover you even for activities in the United States that involve increased risk and are not covered by traditional travel insurance. Often, American insurance companies request that you list the sports and activities you would like covered by your adventure travel insurance policy and provide a quote based on that information.

Companies offering adventure travel insurance packages care will handle your overseas travel wherever you decide to go. They will also include over one hundred different sports and activities, such as skiing, backpacking, bungee jumping and any other adrenalin-pumping activity.

Some adventure sports are relatively dangerous and realistically quite risky. However, it has been determined that adventure travel insurance companies oftentimes pay for more incidents occurring in hotel rooms rather than in the outdoors where the sporting activities occur. You never know when an injury can occur so having a solid adventure travel insurance plan is useful to ensure you are covered whenever such coverage is required.

Last Minute Travel Insurance

Many travellers wait until the last minute before buying their travel insurance, because they know that if they purchase the insurance online, they can have a policy in their hands straight away. This is how most online insurance websites normally do business. However, buying their travel insurance very close to the date they are going to leave town on holiday or on a business trip runs a greater risk of them being uninsured in case they have to cancel their trip.

How can this be? What does waiting to purchase travel insurance have to do with cancelling your holiday or business trip? It all has to do with one of the benefits of travel insurance. Let's say you have plans to go on holiday. You have your plane tickets and have booked a hotel room at your destination. You've purchased new luggage and some new clothing and you just can't wait to go on holiday - its been so long since you were able to get away!

But... what if something happened to you before you went on holiday? You may become ill or injured, or possibly someone in your immediate family could pass away. Any of these reasons could cause you to cancel your long-planned holiday. Here's where travel insurance would come in very handy. Most travel insurance policies have a type of travel cancellation insurance that would take care of the expenses incurred as a result of having to cancel your holiday. Buying travel insurance before the last minute would avoid the risk of this happening and leaving you out of pocket.

Life is not a given. We never know what is going to happen to us or to members of our family from one day to the next. Anything could come up suddenly that could cause a holiday's unexpected, yet forced cancellation. By putting off buying your travel insurance until the last minute, you are making yourself vulnerable to losing not only your holiday but also the money you have already spent.

People are often busy before going on holiday and can panic when they realise how little time they have left to tie up loose ends before their trip. This can result in them rushing around and buying the first travel insurance policy that they come across. They may be happy that they have managed to grab a travel insurance policy at the last minute but what if something does go wrong and the insurance they have bought does not give them the cover that they were expecting?

Imagine a parent discovering that the policy they bought at the last minute and entrusted to take care of their family's needs while on holiday, ends up turning them down for medical coverage because their child's asthma was considered to be a pre-existing condition by their insurance company. Taking time to shop around and compare policies could have saved them a great deal of worry and money. Some companies provide a list of pre-existing medical conditions which clearly shows what they do cover and asthma is one of them!

It is surprising how many people buy an insurance policy that is not right for them or their situation. Research shows that around 63% of people who are planning a holiday do not bother to take out a travel insurance policy until the last minute. They are not then covered for any of the bad luck that could occur in the run up to their trip which could end up with them having to cancel. Leaving it until the last minute and buying insurance in a rush can often mean they don't allow themselves time to make sure they read the fine print and are therefore getting the right coverage! Many people who don't read the fine print before buying their policy can end up very sorry afterwards however, some sites have their Product Disclosure right on their website, so that anyone can examine it closely before deciding whether or not to buy the travel insurance policy.

Some people think it is perfectly fine to travel with no insurance at all and do not realise what a huge risk they are taking! If, for example, they were involved in a car accident, what would they do? Without travel insurance coverage, they could very well end up having to pay out an enormous sum of money for medical and other expenses.

If you want to make sure you are covered for your holiday before and during your trip, you should purchase your travel insurance as soon as you have put a deposit down on your flight or accommodation.

Medical Tourism Globalization - Explore

Medical tourism, also known as travel or health tourism, is popularized widely by travel agencies and mass media to provide a back-up for today's rapidly growing trends of traveling to different countries to get cheaper and modern health-care facilities.

Report shows that medical tourists are traveling largely from U.S., Europe, U.K., Canada, Middle East, Japan because of their expensive health-care system or lack of health-care options locally. It's been established now that due to a sort of lengthy procedures for some of complicated illness, such as a hip replacement, patients have to wait several months in U.K. or Canada.
Whereas the same procedures may be started-off immediately just after their arrival at in countries like India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Colombia, Philippines etc. In Colombia, the cost of knee replacement comes around $5000 USD including all associated fees.

According to research found in an article by the University of Delaware publication-the cost of surgery in Argentina, Cuba, India, Bolivia, Thailand, Colombia, Philippines or South Africa can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or Western Europe, and sometimes even less.

A heart-valve replacement that would cost $200,000 or more in the U.S., for example, goes for $10,000 in Philippines and India-and that includes round-trip airfare and a brief vacation package.Similarly, a metal-free dental bridge worth $5,500 in the U.S.costs $500 in India or Bolivia and only $200 in the Philippines, a knee replacement in Thailand with six days of physical therapy costs about one-fifth of what it would in the States, and Lasik eye surgery worth $3,700 in the U.S. is available in many other countries for only $730.

Cosmetic surgery savings are even greater. A full face-lift that would cost $20,000 in the U.S. runs about $3,000 in Cuba, $2,700 in the Philippines or $2,500 in South Africa or $2,300 in Bolivia. Medical tourism has got momentum in India as some of the U.S. firms prescribe India for health-care. News goes around just like that get a new knee or hip at a discount,take a companion along for free plus pocket some of the money saved on the operation.Thats the kind of incentive some U.S. companies are offering employees who travels to India for health-care.

Although individual foreign patients have been coming to India for quite some time now, this kind of initiatives open up the floodgates of new wave of medical tourism. Blue Ridge Paper Products,a North Carolina based company, looking for outsourcing of its 2,000 employees to save up substantially as the cost of treatment in India is 80-90% less than in the U.S.

Here's the sheer economics at work where Blue Ridge plans to pay all the travel, lodging, meals, etc. for the patient and one family member, plus give up to 25% savings and they tied up reputed hospitals such as Apollo, Wockhardt, Escorts.

Beneficial Factors of Buying a Tourism Business For Sale

If you purchase a tourism business for sale and have a passion for travel then you will be able to reap in the benefits. One of the many benefits that come along with the industry is discounted flights abroad. With years of knowledge gained from all that research you have spent in helping others to find that perfect holiday, you will have all the information on the best places to travel!

There are many businesses in the travel sector for sale, its just a case of finding the right one that suits you. In 2008 it's always great to have easy access to discounted air fares; the cost of living is on the rise. Imagine never having to pay full price for your travel tickets again!

People of retirement age are looking for holiday packages so they can travel in their golden years. Youngsters are looking for holidays to be adventurous, families travel during holiday times.

In fact if you bought a tourism business for sale you really would not lose out. By owning your own independent travel agent business you are able to work the hours you want. The determine factor to how much salary you make will be down to YOU. The hours you put in will determine how much profit you can make out of the travel industry.

As with any decision in life, if you're unsure whether you are ready to purchase a travel business alone as a sole proprietor, then perhaps you need to consider joining an established tourism industry group. Buying tourism business for sale that is part of a franchise will considerably help you. The advantages to this are numerous not only will you be able to determine your own hours. You will also get the benefits of being a travel agent for existing companies that are already have credibility on the market.
If you buy a travel business that is already established, then there is no need to waste your time promoting and getting word out of you business. Some more benefits of buying a travel business include -commission on every sale you make, first class upgrades for free, travel agent discounts for you own travel on hotels, car rentals and sometimes even cruise shops tours.

The reason for these discounts is that travel companies want you to enjoy your own personal vacations. This helps in their self promotion, as you will recommend their services to the people whom you're helping to plan their vacations.

Once you start working in the tourism industry you will quickly see how fun, simple, and fulfilling it is and may be ready to purchase your very own tourism business. If the above information sounds good, then you should give being a travel agent a try.

Top 10 Travel Insurance Tips

Although perhaps not the most glamorous topic in the world, travel insurance is nonetheless an essential part of the holiday process. And unlike the fairly straightforward process of asking ‘which hotel should I stay in?’ getting the right travel insurance can be as confusing as it is frustrating!

This is, hopefully, where I come in. As the managing director of Insuremore I like to think I know a fair bit about the whole area. I’ve assembled this guide as something of a ‘top 10 things to look out for’ when purchasing travel insurance.

And the common question I get asked all the time is whether I think travel insurance is worth buying. Given my line of work, it’s pretty inevitable that my answer will be ‘yes’ but the reason isn’t just because of the extra money it will ensure I receive! Y’see it’s true that the majority of people go on holiday, have a memorable time and come back without any ill consequences, but a small percentage of people will have an unexpected hospitalisation or find that their flights are cancelled. And believe me, in those instances trying to get help without travel insurance is not only expensive, but horribly stressful. Indeed, the best benefit of travel insurance is the peace of mind it gives the policy holder. A holiday should be about relaxation (or possibly getting your skin to become as lobster like as possible judging from recent case studies!) and how can you relax when you’re constantly on the lookout for illnesses or injuries? I’m sure that even if you could have relaxed before reading this, you will be worried now! So without further ado:

1) Don’t leave your travel insurance until the last minute

Okay, people don’t like to spend money – especially immediately after dropping a load of cash on an expensive holiday, but not getting your travel insurance sorted out immediately can be a massive mistake as you miss out one of the key aspects of it – cancellation cover. Although you may think that there’s no way you’ll cancel, life is full of the unexpected, and we deal with people cancelling their holidays due to family emergencies everyday.

As your holiday gets closer and closer, the chances of you needing to cancel are heavily reduced, so you completely lose the benefit of part of your insurance if you don’t sort it out nice and early.

2) Don’t settle for single trip cover if you’re going on holiday more than once

On the subject of single trip cover, is that really what you need? According to a 2004 study by Alliance & Leicester, 2/3rds of people plan to take two or more holidays a year. If you’re in the majority here, then single trip insurance will not be the best priced option (unless you have a phenomenally good value insurance provider) and it’s worth considering multi-trip or annual.

3) Your E111 health card alone will cost you for medical cover

Don’t think that just because you have your E111 European health card you will be covered for free – that’s a myth. You do need the card to show hospitals in the event of an emergency, but you will be charged by the country’s private healthcare system. Make sure your travel insurance covers illness and injury!

4) Be honest about any medical conditions you have

On a similar note, make sure you tell your insurers of all your medical conditions even if they seem irrelevant – too much information is a good thing in this case, as not providing details could later invalidate any claims you need to make.

5) Get the right policy for your holiday

Just like how there are different holidays for different tastes, there are different policies for different people. If you’re looking to go backpacking, skiing or mountain climbing, you’re going to need to track down a policy specifically for these activities to ensure you’re covered in the event of an accident.

6) Buy for the family and save

As I’ve already mentioned, there are different types of insurance for different cover – generally, companies offer single, multi trip, annual and family travel insurance policies. Predict how much you expect to be abroad and buy accordingly. If you are in a family, then it stands to reasons that family insurance is a good option – and some policies include the insurance of under-18s for free!

7) Know exactly what you’re covered against

Cheap travel insurance may seem like a bargain – and there are plenty of legitimate companies offering cheap travel insurance out there – but make sure you go through the policy with a fine tooth comb to ensure you’re not missing out on key coverage, such as cancellation and theft. As a rule of thumb, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is!

8) Check out the excesses on the policy

Actually, it’s worth going through any travel insurance policy with a fine tooth comb – cheap or otherwise. The excesses on different policies can make a huge difference, and it’s a good idea to find a policy with a lower or no excess on an area you think you are more likely to end up claiming on!

9) If you’re under the influence, then you won’t be covered

Sounds obvious, but we often get claims like this, so I’d best cover it: No travel insurance company will pay up on any accidents occurring while the policy holder is under the influence of alcohol or drugs – the policy is not there to allow you to behave more recklessly than you normally would!

10) Look for a company that covers against acts of terrorism for peace of mind

In the current climate, insurance against acts of terrorism is something we’ve found people to be calling out for, and sadly, most companies do not offer it as default with their policies. If I may be allowed a brief plug however, it is something that we at Insuremore include in our travel insurance packages for that extra peace of mind. If it is something that’s worrying you, it is worth ensuring it is part of your policy.

Travel Insurance and Acts of God

Cheap annual travel insurance is hugely popular amongst UK holiday goers, allowing them to travel when and where they wish without having to worry about booking travel insurance for every single trip. Many people assume that their cheap travel insurance will cover them against every eventuality, but this isn't the case. There are plenty of exclusions in the average document, and one of the most well known but least understood of these is the "acts of God" exclusion. What do travel insurance companies mean by an act of God? And what might not be covered by your annual travel insurance?

What are "Acts of God"?

Traditionally, "acts of God" was a standard exclusion clause that featured in many different kinds of insurance; travel, housing, property and so on. Essentially, it refers to "a sudden and violent act of nature that could not have been foreseen or prevented", typically meaning natural disasters such as:

• Hurricanes and tempests
• Lightning storms
• Floods
• Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

Mass outbreaks of infectious diseases are also often classed as "acts of God" (perhaps in some kind of biblical reference to the seven plagues of ancient Egypt!). Essentially, the exclusion clause means that if an event is classed as an act of God, any costs that you incur as a result of it may not be covered by your travel insurance, and you will not be entitled to any compensation from your insurance company.

Nowadays, an actual "acts of God" exclusion isn't always in a travel insurance policy, but most insurers still have similar exclusions in place under different names, such as "natural disasters". It may seem like a chore, but you really do need to read your policy carefully before you go - if you think you are covered for something and you aren't, you could end up paying a small fortune in medical and transport costs. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and Florida, hundreds of holiday goers found themselves caught out, unable to claim compensation for the costs incurred or the cancellation of their trips.

If you are traveling to a place that has a risk of natural disasters, make sure you talk to your travel insurance company to make sure your insurance will protect you.

What about Acts of War and Acts of Terrorism?

While acts of God is one of the most well known exclusion clauses, in today's international climate, terrorism is also a common exclusion. Much like natural disasters, if you incur costs or your holiday is canceled because of terrorism, your travel insurance may well be invalid. If terrorism is a potential hazard for your destination of choice, check that your worldwide travel insurance will cover you against acts of terrorism - some insurers do provide this kind of protection, but many do not.

Most policies will be invalidated by serious civil unrest or if war breaks out in a country while you are traveling there - the Foreign Office website is the best place to visit to check up on the political stability of your holiday destination, as it provides up to date and accurate information about the potential hazards of every country in the world.

Global Travel International Income Opportunity

Have you always wanted to be a travel agent and enjoy the job's many amazing benefits? Thanks to the Global Travel International income opportunity, you can operate your own travel agency from your home! You sell packages and earn commissions-it is as simple as that!

Global Travel International was started in 1994 by Randy Warren and Michael Gross who wanted to start a travel agency that was not bound to a brick and mortar office the way most travel agencies are. They wanted to build a business that could easily be made into an international franchise and help travel agents learn how to use web based technologies to benefit travelers as well as the agencies that cater to them.

Thanks to Global Travel International, travel agents both new and seasoned have a resource to help them learn how to take advantage of web-based travel booking, web-based marketing tools and web-based business support. Since its inception in 1994, this company has grown to be a leader in international travel and they are inviting people to become agents within their company.

One of the biggest benefits to becoming an agent with Global Travel International is that you will become eligible for fantastic travel benefits and enjoy traveling at a much lower rate than you would travel commercially. These benefits in addition to the commissions you will earn from each sale will allow you to travel in ways you had only previously dreamed.

As an agent for Global Travel International, you will earn between five and ten percent commissions of most of the reservations you book through the company. You will earn commissions on hotel reservations, car rental reservations, cruise packages and vacation packages. Depending on how many reservations and packages you sell, you could qualify for commissions that are as large as ninety percent of the total sale.

You can also sign up to be an affiliate of the company and earn thirty five dollars for each person you persuade to join the company. You then also earn commissions off of the sales they make. This company also offers a fourteen day money back guarantee on the money you put forth to enter the program.

The only draw back we can see for signing up for the program is that we couldn't find anything that states how much it costs to get started with the company. Other than the fact that the start up capital isn't stated clearly, we can't see any reason why you shouldn't sign up to be a member of Global Travel International and start taking advantage of the plenty of membership benefits offered by the company.

Overall, this multi level marketing opportunity looks like a very straightforward program. Sign up, sell packages and earn commissions. You also earn a commission for each person you refer to the Global Travel International income opportunity. While there is no prominent information on how often agents are paid or how much it costs to start up, it would be nice if other MLM opportunities were this easy to understand.

Some Travel Safety Tips

Traveling to unfamiliar destinations can bring to you the sort of troubles you do not want to experience while on the road namely: robbery, rape, or murder. Tourists often fall prey to perpetrators because they do not prepare properly before embarking on a trip. Let's examine some things you should do to prevent your travels from becoming a tragedy:

1. Never list your home address on the luggage tag. If on business, put the company's address on the tag; if visiting friends you can list their address. Use covered luggage tags as well.

2. Stay with your luggage until the luggage is checked. If you must put your bag down, keep one foot on the handle.

3. Carry important papers with you; NEVER check anything that you simply cannot afford to lose. Photocopy your passport, driver's license and credit cards.

4. Bring a small flashlight. You never know when you'll suddenly be "in the dark" and find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings. At night, keep your flashlight by your bed.

5. Make sure that your prescription medicines are filled properly and labeled accurately. In some countries certain prescription medicines are forbidden.

6. Never wear anything that projects affluence. No gold chains, expensive watches and rings, luggage, or other paraphernalia should be in easy view. Better yet: leave your jewelry at home.

7. If possible travel with only one or two credit cards.

8. Women particularly should never accept a drink from a stranger. Keep an eye on your drink at all times.

9. Vary your schedule; try not to come and go at the same time everyday.

10. Only stay in a hotel that uses cards to open room doors and make sure your room has a peephole and a deadbolt lock. Secure the chain and secure the door by pushing a rubber stop under it.

11. Stay in a room near a stairwell. Never take the elevator if a fire or smoke is detected. Always stay in a hotel where the doors enter the hallway and not directly from the outside.

12. Do not wear name tags in public.

13. Do not use unmarked taxi cabs.

14. Sit behind the driver so you can see him, but he cannot see you.

15. Pay the driver upon arriving at your destination and while you are still sitting in the vehicle.

16. If you must rent a car, rent only from a reputable company. Any operating problems that occur could signal sabotage.

17. Be aware of 'staged' car accidents meant to catch you off card.

18. Back into your parking spaces to facilitate a quick exit.

19. Park only in well lit and well traveled areas.

20. If your cell phone does not work outside of the country, consider renting one that does for the duration of your trip.

21. If detained for whatever reason by an official, ask for identification. If in doubt, tell them that you want to see his superior. Keep your emotions in check.

22. If traveling with children, bring along an updated photograph of each child in the event that you become separated from them.

23. Write your child's name and your hotel number on each card; include a close friend's or relative's contact information on the card. Give a card to each child which they will carry with them as long as you are away. Destroy once home.

24. Discuss with your family what they would do in event of an emergency while away from home, e.g. whom to call, how to contact emergency personnel, etc.

25. Do not discuss travel plans, your room number or any other personal information in public within earshot of strangers.

26. Bring along a basic first aid kit with bandages, iodine, mosquito repellant, sunscreen, alcohol packets, dramamine, pepto bismol, diarrhea medicine, etc.

27. Familiarize yourself with train and bus schedules before traveling. Have an alternate plan in place in the event your transportation plans change.

28. Do not flash your passport in public. Discreetly show important documents to officials only.

29. Consider purchasing portable alarms that emit a loud sound.

30. Watch for scams on the street. Children working with adults are notorious as pickpockets.

31. Never flash your money in public. Exchange funds with reputable and recognized exchangers only.

32. Have tips ready in advance for service personnel.

33. Consider renting an escort [security] service if traveling in areas where crime is high.

The key to safe traveling in any area is situational awareness. Distractions because of luggage, children, hotel personnel, strangers, etc. can put you at risk. Know your surroundings and stay in control of every situation.

Hedge the High Cost of Travel Today - Consider Travel Insurance

Buy a laptop and they want you to 'insure' it will work after the warranty expires with a policy that adds 20% to your purchase price. The same for refrigerators, DVD players, televisions and every electronic item you can think of selling over $40. Travel insurance would seem to fall into the 'nice to have but I can't bother with it' category also. It might be time to re-think that and here's why.

As a front desk agent at an airport hotel, I see three to four guests per week billed on their credit cards as 'no-shows'. Last week, a guest called me from the airport, guaranteed one of our last two rooms with their credit card, asked where our shuttle could be found and never showed up! With room rates averaging $129 (plus tax) and the increased likelihood of problems being encountered en route (flight delays or outright cancellations, illness, last minute itinerary changes, missed flights due to traffic) it is possible you might also one day be paying almost $150 for a room you didn't sleep in.

Travel insurance (especially the a la carte type) that covers lost or delayed baggage, hotel cancellations or no show charges, illnesses and flight interruptions can be fairly inexpensive compared to what you may pay out of pocket. Suppose you are flying through the East in dead of winter, starting from NYC, transferring in Chicago and then Denver and on to LA. With tighter airline connection schedules, ANY delay leaving NYC or at any of the hubs will very possibly strand you in one of the last 2 cities. If you have a room reserved at LAX for $119.00 that you now forfeit because it is too late to cancel AND you find there are only rooms for $259.00 in Denver, the $20-$22 cost of hotel cancellation and flight interruption insurance seems a small price to pay. And if you have to re-book at a higher fare the next day due to YOUR missing a flight, you may have to pony up an additional $200.00 as well. Other travel insurance choices to consider are options for medical coverage (out of your coverage area or even out of the country), medi-vac for returning to the US and ER coverage if your insurance does not cover you for these.

Where I think travel insurance is a non-essential luxury would be the medical coverage if you are already covered, if you generally frequent only cheap motels (under $50-$60) or where you are only flying to one city and live nearby if the flight were cancelled. Under these circumstances, the added expense of even $20 would not be a worthwhile investment. But for expensive or non-transferable overseas tickets, especially where carriers have only one flight a day, insurance is almost a no-brainer. Miss one of them and you could be out $1500 easily in extra fees for last minute changes. Add the cost of a hotel room you won't stay in and paying for one you HAVE to find that night and the cost rises even more. The premium likely will be higher to cover overseas trips but nowhere near what you could lose with just one delay somewhere.

20 Top Tips For Women Traveling Alone

What are the options for single people when they go traveling? Given the choice, most would prefer to travel with a companion, yet many travel alone by choice or out of necessity - and a growing percentage of them are women.

The hospitality industry has been paying attention to this trend. Hotels and tour operators are scrambling to cater to this growing market of solo female travelers with an increasing number of female-friendly or female-only accommodations around the world. From female-only hotels to those with wings designated for females, or rooms especially equipped for use by females, hotel management has been paying attention to feedback from their female guests. They are equipping rooms with items like hair dryers, ironing boards, irons, quality bath products, eye make-up remover, illuminated mirrors, and extra shelf space in the bathroom. Beds may have hypoallergenic duvets to be snuggled under while unwinding with complimentary herbal tea. Security is the main concern for most solo females, so features like spy-holes in doors, chain locks, swipe-cards, well-lit car parks, CCTV, 24-hour security, and security guards are much appreciated.

Business women are one group which complains of feeling vulnerable. They may find themselves with keys to rooms at the end of long, dark corridors or in parts of the hotel which are less secure. Women tend to dislike eating alone in restaurants and many hotels are responding by providing in-room cooking facilities. It is up to the solo traveler to seek out the availability of female-friendly hotels at their destinations. Even if it is not 'female-friendly' there's no harm in requesting a room in a more secure area of the hotel. Enter 'Safe Travel for Women' or a similar phrase into a search engine and a wealth of information and links to hotels and related sites will pop up.

This new trend is especially liberating for women who are required by their religion to cover themselves. They can benefit greatly from female-only hotels staffed entirely by females. It means they can order room service, relax in casual clothes or use the spa facilities without fear of being seen by a man. Apart-hotels are another option for those who wish to be self-contained and enjoy a higher level of privacy.

20 Top Tips

• Beware of accepting drinks or food offered by strangers. Spiking of drinks and food has become a worldwide problem whether the motive is sexual assault, robbery, or both
• Avoid wearing expensive clothes and jewellery
• Beware of attracting the wrong type of male attention. Consider wearing a ring
• Keep an eagle-eye on luggage while engaged in activities such as checking into hotels or renting a car as these are vulnerable times when the solo traveller is often targeted
• Always appear calm, confident and in control (even if you don't feel that way!)
• Carry a mobile phone with plenty of credit or the means to top-up
• Arrange to travel during daylight when possible and avoid driving at night.
• Phone a reputable taxi company rather than risk an unknown street taxi
• Before leaving for a trip, research the best method for carrying cash and accessing money at your destination
• Make photocopies of the information page of your passport and keep separate from the passport. Have emergency contact numbers for your bank(s) and the number of the consulate or embassy at hand
• Use the 'Do Not Disturb' sign to deter anyone from entering your hotel room
• Leave your travel itinerary, hotel details and phone number with family or friends
• Know the acceptable behaviour, dress code, and expected etiquette at your destination country
• Remove name badge after business meetings and avoid displaying personal information on luggage or personal property
• Pack as light as possible. Don't struggle with a heavy suitcase which may not be a problem at the airport, but a burden on trains, buses or boats
• Carry a lightweight pashmina or shawl to cover up in countries where this may be a problem, especially for entering religious buildings or shrines
• Carry a supply of sanitizer wipes and tissues
• If taking prescription medicines, ask a chemist to write down all names the drug is known by, or the drug name in your destination country. See your doctor before travel and arrange for all necessary vaccinations well in advance
• Before booking a hotel or other accommodation check traveller review websites (Return the favour when you return by writing reviews on your accommodation)
• Take out travel insurance and ensure that all intended activities are covered

This information is intended only as a guide and is not a comprehensive list. One thing is for certain though...The specialist tour operators and hotels focusing on the female-friendly aspect of travel will be backing a winner...as long as they treat their female guests well. It's no secret that women are the great communicators of the world and if they are happy they'll provide free advertising by spreading the word!

World Wide Travel Insurance

At the moment it feels to the majority of us that the dreaded credit crunch is plastered over every news paper, every TV station and every bill than comes through the letter box. The tightening of money is affecting almost everybody in the general public now, and the proof is showing its ugly head in all manners of ways.

We are not even able to book ourselves that long awaited (and hard saved for!) holiday without the horrible thing barging in and reminding us that every penny is being stretched already. A leading insurance company has reported that many of us are no longer taking out any holiday insurance due to the crunch becoming harder than ever at the moment. However, just as you wouldn't risk two weeks in the Caribbean without any sun cream to protect your skin, you are taking just as high a risk not to insure everything with travel insurance.

When you are jetting off to your holidays this year, and if money is limited, consider instead taking less clothes and accessories than usual in order to be able to buy yourself even a simple travel insurance policy. Of course, it won't allow you to take part in anything daring or too extravagant but you will at least know that if you where to fall ill or lose your passports you will be able to get home in one piece without a huge price tag attached.

Last year 6% of those on holiday that had heath issues or had to cut a holiday short due to injury where not insured. Unlike the United Kingdom, much of the world (namely the USA) does not have a NHS or similar, so even a leg in plaster can set you back a fair few hundred pounds. For piece of mind, and a big saving in the long run, it is very much recommended that you take out some holiday insurance before setting off this summer.

If you are planning to take a round the world tour either for pleasure or business, then you should take time out to make sure you think about taking out a worldwide travel insurance policy. You want your travel experience to be special and memorable; you don't want to remember it because you had an accident or illness that drained you of all your savings! Prices for worldwide travel insurance can be very reasonable if you shop around, and will help protect you from significant financial loss.

There's no need to waste time phoning travel agents for prices. All you need to do is a little searching for online travel insurance on the internet and you'll then be able to compare cover and prices in the comfort of your own home or office.

What should you look out for? Any travel insurance supplier worth their salt will provide a 24/7 emergency service and will be underwritten by a licensed insurer with a high rating such as Lloyd's of London.

Just what does worldwide travel insurance normally cover?

* Cancellation costs if you are taken ill before you're due to travel
* Curtailment costs if you have to return to Australia because a close relative is taken ill or dies
* Medical expenses including repatriation to Australia
* Extra travel and accommodation costs if you are delayed as a result of missed departure or connection
* Cover for loss, theft or damage to luggage
* Personal Liability in case you damage the property you're staying in or accidentally injure someone

You can get a quick travel insurance quote at most travel insurance web sites if you are looking to compare international travel insurance costs. Do notice that when you get to the section on the form that asks you which area you will be travelling to, take care to put in your correct area of travel. Most companies will give you an explanation of how they categorise their travel areas with a link. It is important that your travel insurance certificate reflects the countries you are travelling to or you may not be covered.

It is a good idea to make sure that you understand all the details, both large and small, of the policy you purchase. Check to see if the company you are considering has their Product Disclosure Statement online, so that you can read the "fine print" before you buy. Purchasing your world wide travel insurance from a reputable company should save you money, time, and perhaps even your holiday.

When searching for travel insurance you will undoubtedly have quite a few questions about the policy and the coverage aspects surrounding it. And this isn't a bad thing because there really are questions that should be asked. No matter whether you are traveling within the country or abroad, travel insurance provides a great amount of protection for the traveler. If you are visiting the website of an insurance provider and are trying to find out more information about travel insurance, there are five questions in particular that should definitely be asked.

What Coverage Is Included?

The first question which you should ask the insurance provider representative is what types of coverage are included within the different trip insurance policies. The coverage aspect relates to what incidents the policy will cover should you experience problems during your trip. Some policies will have a wide array of coverage benefits included whereas others may be minimal in number.

What Are the Deductibles?

The premium may not be the only cost which you will have to assume. Deductibles may also be a factor as these are the amounts which you may have to pay should you need to file a claim under the travel insurance policy. Some coverage aspects will have deductibles attached to them whereas others may not.

How Much Is The Premium?

You should also ask about the total cost of the premium. The premium is the amount which you will pay in order to have the policy in effect. Depending on the length of the policy and the coverage which is included, the premium may be on the reasonable side or pricier in nature. Asking about the premium amount will let you know exactly how much you will have to pay simply to be covered. Alternatively, most providers will offer online travel insurance quotes.

Length of the Policy

Another question to ask your insurer is how long the policy will remain in effect. Some policies will cover only a single vacation or business trip whereas others may be in effect for a year and cover any and all travel which occurs during that time. You may even be able to get a better deal on an annual travel insurance policy as opposed to a single trip policy if you plan to travel more than once during the year.

How Can You Contact the Company If You Need To Do So?

Lastly, you should ask the insurance company representative how you can contact them should you need help at any time before, during or after your trip. Also inquire about 24 hour contacts in case you need to reach someone after normal business hours.

Travel Insurance and the New Equality Bill

For many years, travellers from the UK have enjoyed the benefits of cheap travel insurance when they holiday abroad. With worldwide travel insurance available for only a few pounds for a single trip and companies offering fast booking online, getting insured has never been easier or cheaper. However, new government legislation, which may come into effect by the end of the year, could change the way the travel insurance industry operates.

What is the Equality Bill?

At the end of June 2008, the government announced a new Equality Bill that will be debated in the House of Commons in August. The bill covers a variety of equality issues, but its main aims are to close the gender divide on pay, allow a degree of positive discrimination towards minorities in the recruitment process, and to eliminate age discrimination in a variety of areas. If the legislation comes into force, many businesses (including travel insurance companies) will no longer be able to charge those who are over the age of 65 more for their services, and will not be allowed to refuse older customers products or services because of their age.

Why does travel insurance cost more for over 65s?

Over 65s can find insurance for their holidays abroad, but it usually isn't cheap; travel insurance for older travellers usually has to be purchased through specialist providers, and typically costs significantly more than standard insurance policies.

Travel insurance companies charge over 65s higher insurance premiums because they are regarded as higher risk clients. Statistics show that, while over 65s are not significantly more likely to claim on their travel insurance while on holiday, when they do claim it costs travel insurance companies on average 10 times more than usual, usually due to the longer period of time older clients spend in hospital.

What will change in the future?

The new legislation is of obvious benefit to older travellers who struggle to find comprehensive and cheap travel insurance. However, there is a danger that insurance premiums will rise for all customers. Travel insurance companies have been able to provide good cover at low prices precisely because they have been able to adapt their prices to the estimated level of risk of the client. The increased cost of insuring older travellers may end up being passed on to everyone who buys travel insurance.

One possible solution that has been suggested is that potentially higher risk insurance customers (such as the over 65s) should be individually assessed to see if they should be charged higher premiums. However, while this may help to provide a fairer way of assessing customers for their insurance costs, it could spell the end to quick and simple online booking. With the volume of clients clamouring for travel insurance assessing individual customers may be a logistical nightmare - and a costly one as well!

It remains to be seen how the travel insurance industry will be affected if the new Equality Bill comes into effect. Whether prices go up, assessment becomes the standard or online booking becomes the exception rather than the rule, it looks like things are going to change - and the days of cheap travel insurance could well be numbered!

If You Don't Read This Travel Insurance Guide You Might Be in a Danger

Residents of the UK are usually pretty good for insuring themselves on holiday. We also insure the smooth running of the holiday and that it will go exactly as planned in the holiday brochure. Is this because we worry too much? Of course not, we simply enjoy the peace of mind that, if anything does happen which could jeopardise the enjoyment of our holiday (which we have worked so hard to go on), we will be looked after back home when we claim all reimbursements and any necessary compensation.

Whether it is your neighbour, friend, member of your family or even yourself, it will happen at least once in your life, you will know someone who will have a bad holiday. It is a devastating thought to have; you have saved up all year and traveled half way across the world only for it to be ruined in what seems like an instant.

Picture this scenario - you fall over and break your leg; back home you would go the hospital and receive the appropriate treatment from the doctors; you would be in and out the hospital in 12 hours, a minor inconvenience. Now, if you were abroad without travel insurance, depending on which country you were in depends on whether you pay for medical bills. In some countries you might be forced into paying thousands for any treatment you may need. You may even need to have an operation which possibly result in you missing your flight home and potentially work.

Travel insurance is a must and you shouldn't even consider leaving the country without it along with the 'it will never happen to me' approach. Insurance has the same principle as the lottery. Imagine how would you feel if your lottery numbers came up, but because you begrudged yourself of that small amount for the ticket, you missed out on the jackpot. The feeling would relate something similar to if you had an accident and had to fork out thousands for medical bills, all because you didn't want to pay the small amount for travel insurance.

Whether it's for business or for pleasure, traveling always involves a certain degree of risk. You would like to think that if you are on vacation, nothing wrong can happen to you. Think again taking into account that you are in a foreign environment and the chances of something unpredictable to happen are even higher. As a consequence, when planning you trip; do not forget to take also out travel insurance. Even if t does not protect you from accidents, at least it will help you cover certain damages.

Buying a travel insurance needs to given the same importance as to buying the travel package. The insurer will present you different options for coverage: form total coverage of both persons and gods, to different partial coverage of only persons and/or goods. The insurer actually knows all the risk situations and activities that may occur in a certain travel location, and will present you with a list of exceptions to the insurance coverage.

So, it is highly advisable to read carefully this part too so as to be able to avoid the situations presented. If you still want to go to certain places or do certain things not included in the initial travel insurance, you should ask your insurer for an extra coverage.

You need to remember that in almost all countries, medical care is quite expensive. Thus, when planning to expose yourself to some dangerous situations, it may not be such a bad idea to pay for a more comprehensive insurance policy. This way, you will be not obliged to pay by yourself a huge medical bill in case of an accident.

Also, regardless of having good travel insurance, you may loose its advantages, if you do not respect the terms of the policy or if your careless behavior triggers any accident. Insurance companies always conduct inquiries before refunding your claims, so they will refuse payment when discovering you breached the contract.

Buy the travel insurance before you go on a trip. Read all the terms of the policy - including the small prints. Decide what coverage suits best your travel and do not try to save money and purchase a cheaper travel insurance. Respect the terms of the policy and inform immediately your insurer in case of an event.