Travel Safety

St Lucia - the scene of recent tragedy...

We've all heard the news of people tragically killed, injured or abducted or caught up in political events while on foreign holiday trips. We naturally become more concerned when these events occur in destinations in which we are especially interested or may even have booked a trip to. The news lately has been full of the awful killing of Roger Pratt whilst he defended his wife on the Island of St Lucia and many are asking if St Lucia is safe.

We heard too of the kidnapping for ransom of Paul and Rachel chandler a few years ago and the trauma they suffered for over a year and, of course, the Arab Dawn uprisings two years ago caused many to question their intended destinations in and around North Africa.

So what can you do if you feel alarmed or nervous about the news or events in a country to which you intend to travel?

Well, the first thing is to put your concerns into perspective and get out a map to discover if events that cause concern are actually anywhere near where you are staying. Countries are generally large and often the holiday resorts are hundreds of miles away from the political or criminal events that may be occurring. But this is not always the case, as with St Lucia, and so you may wish to seek further advice.

A good place to start is the FCO - the Foreign and Commonwealth Office - which has a website dedicated to advice regarding "Hotspots" around the globe. Go to the Home Page HERE and type in the country to which you are travelling and check the advice our Government are giving. Be aware though that often these warnings are delayed as long as possible to ensure that the Government does not give erroneous or misleading advice to travellers.

Next you could check with your travel agent or, as we always advocate at Holsure, you can do some research on the net to see what other travellers have posted regarding their trips, vacations, experiences and journeys. Trip Advisor is another good place to start HERE or Lonely Planet HERE.

It's difficult to have complete confidence in a holiday abroad when you are aware of political disruptions or regular incidences of crime, but with care and research you can find out just how real those threats may be.

Remember too that a good Travel Insurance policy should cover you for holiday cancellations and last minute changes, but check with your provider. We, at Holsure, always ensure that your policy will cover all that we can possibly provide at your request and we are more than happy to discuss the clauses and conditions until you are fully happy with the plan you have.

Battlefields And Cemeteries

1914, August 4th - the start of possibly the greatest conflict of modern times - and this year we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of a World War that cost millions of lives and disrupted millions more.

There seems to be an extraordinary interest in the first World War, notwithstanding the anniversary that is now upon us. Many have travelled to Northern Europe for many years to visit the Battlefields and Cemeteries that have been maintained and preserved by local authorities, governments and enthusiasts alike. Whether to trace ancestors, to complete historical studies, to follow the footsteps of colleagues and friends, to re-visit scenes that were the most telling part of a young life or just to stand in awe of the countless white crosses that spread out from the cenotaphs, monuments and gateways - millions more have visited them over the years. The names; Paschendaele, The Somme, Ypres, Neuve Chapel - names we know so well - ingrained on our memories - their lives, our history.

And yet, this year, as we look back on the past mistakes, tragedies and life changing decisions that brought about the Great War still more will flock to France, to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany for a plethora of reasons a myriad of memories and a whole family tree of of lost ancestors. Ask "Why" and you will receive so many different answers that consensus is impossible. Yet we go, we stand, we cry, we lay flowers and we talk in hushed voices as if the sound might still carry to the enemy. Where once guns howled and screamed, firing hot metal to kill, to maim, to eviscerate, to destroy in hurricanes of maddening noise, now silence is the blanket across the fields; quiet words softly spoken, birdsong in the summer, the lowland winds in the winter and a distant hum of traffic.

The grass is green - the mud long gone, the trees are full branched in winter and greenly vivid in the spring, poppies grow freely in summer as if to cry the blood stained tears of the past in red-petalled agony in the corn fields of new life. Yet still silence reigns, the quietness is natural.

If you would like to go to see for yourself the scenes of past battles, the trenches, the towns, villages and rivers and, of course, the cemeteries then you can grab a map, book a ferry or a Eurotunnel train and go off and explore and discover these sights for yourself. 

If you prefer something a little more structured then there are many companies who offer full guided tours to the areas that are of most interest. The War Graves Commission, Saga, Shearings, Battlefields.Com and even the Radio Times all offer guided tours that will allow you time to see and discover for yourselves the sights and history of the area - do some research to find the right company for you.

I hope you do go, but prepare to be moved....

Coordinating a Dramatic Jungle Rescue — a True Claims Story

Imagine this: You’re deep in the jungles of Malaysia, when you’re suddenly gripped by nausea. You start sweating profusely, and it’s not from the heat. Horrified, you slip into unconsciousness...just as the local “witch doctor” arrives.

Some time ago, this happened to our client, Clara. The outcome could have been far worse had she not purchased travel insurance. Even in this far-flung place, our assistance company, OneWorld Assist (OWA) helped. Here’s how.

Once Clara fell unconscious, her desperate travelling companion found a phone and contacted OWA. Our experts quickly realized Clara’s life was at risk and arranged for evacuation. They set up ground transportation and multiple air transfers to get her to a proper medical facility in Kuala Lumpur. The journey took 24 hours! Once at the hospital, Clara was stabilized until she was able to be air evacuated to Canada to start her recovery.

This adventure illustrates that travel insurance is nothing without quality service. After all, what good is a policy without experienced professionals to coordinate care in the event of an emergency in a remote locale?

However, not all care is created equal. While OWA would have paid the claim to the local doctor if needed, they went the extra mile, making sure Clara got the appropriate care no matter what it took.

We would like to  share this example with you to demonstrate that travel insurance protection is about more than just money. With Travel Underwriters’ travel insurance, you can trust you will receive the best possible care from the cities of the US to the jungles of Malaysia and everywhere in between.

Please do not forget Travel Insurance before you go.

Bridges International Insurance Services

The Best Travel Apps

With the launch of the Daily Telegraph's new Travel App for iPhone, iPad and the Android market it seemed a good time to look at some of the best Apps available now FREE to download and free to use. Here are 5 to begin with:

However, before downloading loads of Apps and using up all that precious iPhone space, you should first decide what you want an App to achieve. For example you can download an App to give you up to date currency conversions but this would surely be limited in application whilst using up precious internet time to provide the information; an App that gave you information about the whole of Spain whilst you were holidaying in Ibiza would also be of limited value. Yet an App that showed you great places to eat, drink or play while on that Island could prove to be invaluable. So, as always, some research is useful.

For search and booking, Expedia is a great App with unique deals available from time to time (Android and IOS)

Gogobot is a great App for finding out what to do in cities around the world. User friendly and easy to use for a wide range of applications from restaurants, parks and itineraries. (Android and IOS)

Trip Advisor Offline City Maps does what it says on the tin and allows you to plan your way around varios cities having downloaded the information at a free WiFi spot previously. (Android and IOS)

Tripomatic  has over 40,000 listed in over 300 destinations including the dates of special events such as carnivals, fairs and public holidays. Use it with an offline map system like Trip Advisor for best results. (Android and IOS)

Finally, TripIt is a great Application to compile all your travel email information automatically, storing items of use such as telephone numbers, rental confirmations - even restaurant reservations. (Android and IOS)

With portable devices now becoming more and more the norm, many are making use of these Apps  and many more to book, arrange and even Blog about their trips, holidays and experiences. It's a huge market, but fun to explore.

Check out Holsure's website HERE for Travel Insurance policies and advice

Summer Beckons - Is Your Travel Insurance Policy Adequate?

The New Year is here and one of the most motivating things an individual can do to get the year started and the last Christmas excesses banished  is to plan a holiday - or a whole series of breaks, vacations and days for the year. It's a way of overcoming the January blues that gets millions of Britons into the Travel Shops and onto the Travel websites during the month and more money is spent on vacations and vacation plannings in January and February that any other - this, despite the expenditure of Christmas.

Yet many of us forget that Travel Insurance should also be booked at this time and for one or two very good reasons:

Firstly, any deposit you pay will ONLY be protected if your Travel Insurance is in place either at the time or prior to booking your trip. This is of paramount importance as there are many instances which can cause a holiday to be cancelled and you might want to just check that yours covers as many of them as possible. 

Secondly, with a comprehensive Annual Travel Insurance Policy you will find that ALL your trips are covered - both at home and abroad. That means that travel around the UK will be as fully insured as your foreign exploits.

A good policy arranged for the WHOLE year will give you complete cover, complete freedom and complete peace of mind - it might be worth dealing with it now and start your January Blues busting right NOW!

Here's our WEBSITE - take a look around.