Many people are going on holiday without taking out adequate travel insurance, according to a study by Nationwide. One in three (35%) of those questioned do not always take out travel insurance when they go on holiday, so would not be fully covered in the event of any cancellation, medical emergency or theft of personal belongings.

When asked what precautions are taken for keeping valuables, such as currency and passports, safe while on holiday, many admitted to not always using a safety deposit box, instead preferring to store them: On their person (36%) In a suitcase (12%) In a drawer (9%) On the bedside table (2%) Over half (54%) of those questioned holiday more than once a year, yet only 30% of holidaymakers opt for annual travel insurance, preferring to take out single trip policies each time they go away. Nationwide’s insurance director, Robin Bailey, said: “It is astounding that people are prepared to take such a gamble when travelling abroad. You never know what’s around the corner and for that reason it is vital that you have adequate travel insurance in place.

Let’s start on the sunny side of the street. Traveling is a boundless pleasure, a wonderful privilege, a blessing, a boon – and don’t let anything that you’re about to read convince you otherwise. Because you have to keep loving the open road, searching for the thrill of the new and the joy of adventure, otherwise you’ve let them get to you.

They being the sharks, the cheats and the rip-off merchants who want to make wonga from your wanderlust by the most devious means possible; the innumerable slimy, scummy little spivs whose holiday scams and fiddles, stunts and diddles could dishearten the most dedicated traveler, making them timidly give up and stay home. But are you going to let these ratbags spoil your holiday? Hell, no. You’re going to be prepared, informed and able to spot their scams a mile off. Here are some of the most common swindles out there today, at home and abroad – don’t let them get you down.

Valentine’s Day is a chance to demonstrate your love by a gift to your loved one or by whisking them away for a romantic holiday. However, without proper insurance, what starts as a happy day could turn into a nightmare if things go wrong. If you are planning to give your beloved something expensive you need to make sure that both of you are properly insured. Insuring expensive items when they are taken outside the house is covered by “personal possessions” insurance which is either built in as standard or can be purchased as an optional extra to the home insurance policy.

Without this cover, any item of value that is lost or stolen away from the home is not covered. So, if you are intending to propose in a beautiful setting and you lose your nerve or the ring, you can be comforted that you will have another opportunity at a later date without having to dip into your savings. If you are planning a romantic holiday abroad, the importance of taking out travel insurance is well known, even if it is for only a few days. Costs of medical treatment overseas can be very variable and loss of baggage could prove very expensive without proper cover.

Single trip policies can be purchased online and there are many retail outlets, banks and building societies which offer competitive cover. What is less well known is what happens if something goes wrong when you are traveling to a destination in the UK. If you have already purchased an annual travel policy, It is important to note that with some annual policies, in order for cover to be provided you must have pre-booked at least 2 nights accommodation in a hotel, guest house or the like.

Your discussion about insurance left me confused about one point that might be worth addressing in a follow up article, if there is one. Regarding injuries that might be sustained in a bike-car accident, you write that it’s important to have high UM/UIM and PIP coverage on your own auto policy. But there is an additional insurance player that could become involved– my health insurer. Presumably in a tort liability state, if an at-fault driver has no insurance/assets and I have no Uninsured/Underinsured coverage, then my health insurance gets stuck with the bill, minus my deductible (and similarly if I have no PIP in a no-fault or hybrid state.)If this is the case, then do cyclists during traveling really benefit from buying UM/UIM/PIP with high limits (beyond their health insurance deductible)? I agree that it doesn’t make sense to talk about insuring a bicycle without mention of personal insurance, but am surprised you don’t mention the most basic personal insurance, medical. As far as I know medical insurance covers injuries caused by solo falls, other cyclists and uninsured/underinsured motorists travellers. Since many injuries don’t involve a vehicle, and medical insurance covers where auto insurance ends, I think it is much more important to have than UM/UIM and PIP policies.

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The ability to move freely between Member States is one very concrete outcome of greater union in Europe. But with mobility comes potential insecurity. What happens if I get sick on holidays in Italy? Is insurance reciprocal when I work abroad in the EU? How is the hospital bill processed? The little blue European Health Insurance Card (eye-readable EHIC), valid since June 2004, takes the worry out of inter-European travel and work assignments, replacing a number of different forms that needed to be carried while on the move, such as the E111 and E110. This plastic card legally(1) entitles insured citizens from EU/EFTA countries to equivalent (unplanned) healthcare while abroad in any of the other 27 Member States or four EFTA countries.

This means the eye-readable EHIC has been implemented in a total of 31 countries Europe-wide. Quite an achievement already! “But this is all back-story to the challenging task we now face of digitizing the process,” says Noël Nader, director for international areas at GIE Sesame-Vitale in France who heads a consortium of Commission-funded partners now deploying ICT solutions to simplify and improve EHIC.

AFTER its launch in Ghana last July, the Akwaaba Travel Insurance Policy gathered international recognition. On Friday the 7th of December, State Insurance Company of Ghana (SIC) introduced the product to UK dwellers in a launching that was chaired by Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Annan Cato. Organized by Logik Media, the launching was held at the Royal National Hotel in Bedford Way, London. Akwaaba Insurance Policy, the unique web-based policy, is meant to provide Ghana-bound travelers access to medical care and medical emergencies whilst in the country. It’s also planned to serve as an alternative to the National Health Insurance Scheme for Ghanaian residents abroad planning a visit home.

Akwaaba Insurance Travel Policy is a necessary element that complements Ghana’s tourism promotion drive and it is unique because it can be purchased via the internet. Akwaaba Insurance Policy comes in two different packages; ‘Akwaaba Leisure Package’ and ‘Akwaaba Gold Leisure Package’.

TravelInsuranceQuotes, Canada’s leading online travel insurance provider, launch new feature upgrades to its Travel Insurance Quotes System (“TIQS 2.2”). TIQS 2.2 now enables customers to answer medical questionnaires online from all its participating Canadian travel medical insurance companies. Additionally, once the travel insurance medical questionnaires (and other editable features) are completed, customers can save and retrieve their customized comparative travel insurance quotations.

These new functionalities reinforce the value of TravelInsuranceQuotes.ca online quotation system as the best place to shop for Canadian travel insurance. Canadian seniors completing the medical questionnaires will unlock comparative rates based on personalized medical history. Online medical questionnaires further facilitate the Canadian senior traveler marketplace (“Snowbirds”) by providing one-stop access and 24/7 availability.

Completing the medical questionnaires will return premium, deductible options, and pre-existing condition clause based on the rate category determined by the medical answers. Additionally, once the medical questionnaires (and other editable features) are completed, customers can save and retrieve their customized comparative quotations should they need to return to the system at a later date to continue researching their ideal coverage.

Health care is a long way from the easy-to-use price comparisons of the travel industry, but help is on the way. Two Michigan hospital systems — Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids and Oakwood Healthcare System in Dearborn — are leaders in posting hundreds of prices as well as quality measurements on their Web sites.

Earlier this month, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association also began posting charges and average payments for 50 common procedures for Medicare patients. One tip: Charges or sticker prices are often twice what insurance plans pay for hospital care. If you don’t have insurance, try to negotiate a lower payment.