Winter Sports - Early Boost?

Early snow fall across the Alps has prompted a surge in booking enquiries for Winter Sports holidays according to some specialist Travel Companies.  Optimism in North America is also high and Aspen and Park City have opened early, with Whistler opening almost two weeks earlier than planned. Often there are cut price deals available early season due to the unpredictable piste conditions and now can be a great time to take your break if the conditions are right.

If you are planning to book your Winter Break, don’t forget that at Holsure we offer one of the best priced and fully comprehensive plans, covering many extreme activities as mentioned in a previous blog post  HERE.

It can be difficult to obtain Cover for many extreme sports at an affordable price, but please check our website to discover just how little a fully cover plan can cost and don’t forget that if you take out Travel Cover on or before you book your holiday then your deposit can be covered too.

Take a look HERE 

Travel Insurance For Canadians: What Globe-Trotters Need To Know

Nancy Covel was embarking on a Mediterranean cruise with her family five years ago when on the day the ship departed from Venice, Italy, she began to experience chest pain.

Alarmed, her sister accompanied her to the ship’s medical centre. It turned out Covel had experienced a delayed reaction to a car crash she was involved in three days before the start of her cruise.

“I had a heart specialist take tests and all was clear,” Covel said. “But my blood pressure was over the roof, so they had to give me a drip to bring it down.”

This medical attention would have cost Covel US$1,700, but the travel insurance package she purchased when planning her vacation fully covered the bill.

“I am a strong believer in travel insurance to cover, at the very least, emergency medical,” Covel said.

A medical emergency is the number one concern on travellers’ minds, according to a recent study by BIIS. However, the same study also revealed that of the 83 per cent of Canadians planning to take a summer vacation abroad this year, only half will purchase travel insurance.

Erin Finn, the director of underwriting at RSA Travel Insurance, says this is because Canadians lack an education about what the medical costs can be outside of Canada.

“In Canada, we go to the hospital and we don’t have to pay for it,” Finn said. “People don’t feel like it’s a big risk for them to travel without insurance, but that’s not the case. People don’t realize that they might be out of pocket for those expenses if they don’t have insurance.”

Deciding on what type of coverage best suits your needs can seem daunting. There are many different types of travel insurance on the market; however, they can be broken down into four key components: medical emergency insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage loss and delay, as well as by accidental death and dismemberment.

Medical emergency insurance is the most important travel coverage to have, according to Finn, and should be purchased even if you’re just popping over the border for a weekend getaway.

“A hospital stay in the U.S. can cost upwards of US$7,000 a day, and can be more depending on how serious the emergency is and how long you need to be in the hospital,” said Finn.

And if you thought you were off the hook from purchasing travel insurance when travelling within Canada -- think again.

“Your provincial coverage might not cover you for everything if you’re from Ontario visiting British Columbia, and you become ill and need to be air ambulanced home,” Finn said. “That could be something you have to take on yourself.”

Angels of Flight is a Peterborough-based company that provides medical transport for ill and injured persons across Canada and around the globe by air and ground ambulance as well as commercial airline.

Freya Hannah, project manager at Angels of Flight, said the company often receives calls from out-of-luck Canadians after falling ill or injured while travelling outside their home province.

“Canadian’s who travel into another province don’t know that if they become ill or injured and unable to travel home without medical support, they will get hospital care, but their provincial insurance would never pay for them to be brought home,” Hannah said.

Medical transportation via commercial airline from B.C. to Ontario can cost from $8,000 to $9,000, according to Gail Courneyea, founder and president of Angels of Flight. For individuals who are more critically injured and require an air ambulance, that cost can jump to about $30,000.

Courneyea founded the Global Angel Charitable Organization through fundraisers and grants to provide financial assistance to those who cannot afford hefty medical transportation fees. The charity has assisted ill and injured Canadians stranded abroad or in another province without travel insurance or the money to pay for medical transportation home.

“The cost of travel insurance is very small in comparison to if you have an accident or emergency, while you were outside your province,” Finn said. For those who plan to travel to the U.S. or outside their province of residence more than once in a year, Finn suggests purchasing an annual, multi-trip insurance policy to avoid purchasing travel insurance with each trip.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance is another important component of travel insurance. There are a number of reasons you might cancel your trip, such as a medical emergency or a natural disaster in the area you’re visiting. This type of coverage is particularly important for those buying a more expensive trip for the distant future.

Even though the company Covel works for provides some travel insurance, she purchased an all-inclusive emergency medical and trip cancellation and interruption insurance package for extra protection.

“I am a risk-averse person,” Covel said. “Because we were travelling outside of North America, I wanted to be sure we had full medical insurance -- just in case.”

A wise decision, according to Finn.

"It could be that you’re covered through work, but depending on what type of trip you’re taking, you may not be,” Finn said. “We would strongly advise people to read their policy and understand it before they travel.”

Finn said this rule also applies to coverage you may receive through a credit card. She recommends travellers head to an insurance broker who can assess whether their current policy is adequate for their trip, or whether they need additional coverage based on factors such as the destination, the length of their trip and the type of activities they will be doing.

“If you’re going to go bungee jumping, if you’re going to go skiing, if you’re going to go hiking -- anything that is considered an extreme sport -- if you get hurt without purchasing additional travel insurance to cover your extreme sport excursion, then your basic travel insurance does not cover you to come home,” Hannah said.

“You really have to read all the small print,” Courneyea added. “Have you purchased travel insurance? Have you had a chance to read it all and know what will be covered if you become sick or injured? Nobody does. You never read it until something happens.”

If travellers do find themselves in an emergency situation while abroad, one of the benefits of purchasing travel insurance is that travellers have access to a 24-7 emergency assistance provider. Travellers should always make sure they receive a card with a toll-free and collect emergency assistance number when they purchase their insurance (and don’t forget to pack it!).

“If you’re away and your passport gets stolen and you have no idea what to do, you can call the number and they will direct you to the nearest embassy or consulate. Or if you have a medical emergency they can send you to a nearby clinic or hospital and walk you through the process,” Finn said.

The emergency assistance provider will also be managing your claim when you return home, so it’s important to call immediately to get the process started and alleviate some of the stress for when you return home.

Covel called her medical assistance number while on the cruise to confirm what process she needed to follow. And when she returned home to Ajax, she was able to make a successful insurance claim.

“The cost is small in comparison to what could be your personal cost without insurance,” Covel said. “If you never have to use it, great! But in the event something unexpected happens, you’ll be happy you had the insurance.”

Written at The Huffington Post Canada  |  By Julianna McDermott

Trip Cancellation—Ideal for Winter Travellers

This winter, over 13 million Canadians will vacation abroad. With more disposable income to spend than in previous years, on average, they’ll be spending $3,700. What’s more, 80% have planned these vacations 3 to 6 months in advance. But as you know, a lot can happen in that period of time whether it’s health, job or weather related.

Trip Cancellation offers great protection for your vacation investment, especially when you consider this recent claim:
 
75-year-old Marge and 46-year-old Julie purchased a 1-week river cruise through Europe. They also extended their trip and purchased a week of land tours, accommodation and rail travel. However, one month prior to departure, Marge fell and fractured her hip. Due to her injury, both women cancelled the trip. The accommodation charges were 100% refundable and both women claimed for the unused non-refundable portions of the remainder of their travel expenses.
 
Cruise Cost…………..………………………………………………….......... $2,300.00 each
Return Airfare………………………………………………….............…...... $1,750.00 each
Rail Tickets……………………………………………………………….............$156.00 each
Land Tours……………………………………………………………........…..$2,743.95 each
Total Amount Paid by Trip Cancellation Insurance……………....……...... $13,899.90 

Questions?

The Power Of Twitter?

The larger travel companies have been slow to accept that Social Networking can have a huge impact on the reputation and accountability of their everyday dealings and can, in fact, even affect their annual profits. We have seen the growth of Facebook, Twitter, Trip Advisor and many more, and the propensity for people to photograph meals in restaurants with amateur criticism of the fare on offer or relate dire stories of mistreatment by staff and management in all service areas.  There have been clever letters to company, individual and government departments, which once seen have gone viral and had huge impacts on reputations, rankings and custom.

One bad review on e-bay, one poor criticism on Amazon or Trip Advisor can affect a seller’s ability to repeat sell and many go to huge lengths to ensure that their service is such that no complaint can be made against them – this is the positive impact of the Internet and Social Networking. The negative impact was felt recently by the irrepressible Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s Chief Executive – never one to turn away from controversy – who appeared on Twitter for an hour to answer questions from travellers.  A brave move given that Ryanair offer a no frills package that polarises views across the globe.

With comments ranging from the downright rude to the completely perplexed, O’Leary was not short of questions to answer – some about his company, many about his lineage and ancestry, but the consensus agreed that he failed to address many of the questions regarding the Ryanair systems which aggrieve so many.

Although forthright on the question of London’s next terminal, he avoided questions regarding ‘manipulative’ sales of Travel Insurance policies and ‘unjustified’ hidden charges on booking flights and booking in.

Overall, it seems O’Leary missed an opportunity and spent much of his hour sidestepping accusations of sexism from one ‘Phwoaaarr!’ comment regarding a questioner’s photograph, he should think twice before attempting this line of marketing again.

You can follow us on Twitter @HolSureTravel or take a look at our Web Site HERE

In Flight Gadgetry

It seems incongruous and not a little annoying that in this day and age our phones, laptops, iPads, iPods and other devices have to be turned off during flight landings, taxiing and take off. A little like those well placed signs in Service Stations that say mobile phones must not be used while attending the pumps - one may ask why, but until now it was believed that these devices could interfere with the electronic circuitry on aircraft, thereby endangering life - and indeed there have been incidences where cell-phone and Internet may have caused circuitry failure on occasion.

However, the FAA (The US Federal Aviation Administration) are considering a report which recommends that these restrictions could be lifted. If the FAA accept the report, it seems likely that the British Civil Aviation Authority will be pressed to do the same. It appears that aircraft technology can now cope with Transmitting Portable Electronic Devices, but a situation where hundreds of devices are being used simultaneously on landing and take off - critical times during any flight - has not yet been fully tested.

Naturally, lifting these constraints opens up a whole new set of problems; do we really want people all around us holding shouted conversations with friends, family and work colleagues while we're trying to read our Kindles? Will "I'm on a Plane!" soon replace the ubiquitous "I'm on a Train!"? Certainly, it will open up  the provision of in-flight Internet Access - for a, no doubt, exorbitant fee and Airlines may even start to provide work stations at the seat. 

I'm not sure that the relative peace and quiet that is now forced upon us by these restrictions is not preferrable to a free-for-all unrestrained availability of access to everything, that will be ill-used by the ignorant and uncaring, and one may hope that the Authorities will think hard and long before lifting them. 

There may, of course, be some pressure from the Airlines themselves who will wish to take the opportunity to provide premium internet access during flight for a charge, but I'm sure that the safety aspects will take priority - they have thus far.

If travelling abroad - please check out our website for affordable, robust and comprehensive Travel Insurance - HERE

Keeping Travel Insurance Cheap

Whether you only travel abroad once a year or do so several times a year, there really is no need for expensive Travel Insurance - and remember - if the policies are expensive, you may be tempted to travel without them and we really don't believe that travel - any form of travel - should be left uncovered by a robust and affordable travel insurance policy.

It's not in Holsure's interest to deter people from taking out insurance and so we do try very hard to maintain a low premium profile. For example - a single, three day trip to Europe could be covered for about the price of a coffee and croissant in the airport terminal and a family of four travelling to Europe for a fortnight could be covered from as little as £20.51 - that's less than the price of one fast food lunch for the same family. Axa would charge nearly three times as much and Direct Line over 4 times as much.

If you're travelling frequently - and that means more than once a year  - then world wide cover for a family of four could cost less than Direct Line would like to charge you for a single trip to Europe for that same family - and you can travel Worldwide for as many days as you wish and we can even provide cover for up to 80 year olds.

It's important to us at Holsure, and we sincerely hope it's important to you as travellers, that any trips should be comprehensively covered to ensure that accidents, medical emergencies, losses and thefts do not become holiday spoilers - we hope that you will agree, by checking out our website HERE, that we have strived to maintain some of the lowest premiums available - whilst offering cover that will make sure that your holiday  package also offers you peace of mind for however long and however often you travel. 

Whether it's golfing holidays, business trips, holidays of a lifetime, winter sports or a welcome break with the family, we hope that you will see Holsure as your best option when it comes to Travel Insurance.

Have a great trip.

Don't Give Up On Kenya

After the recent atrocity at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi it may seem reasonable to suppose that tourists will stay away from the country that has always offered so much to both the itinerant traveller and the once in a lifetime, holiday of a lifetime couple.

Safaris, open air trips, hikes, top of the range hotels and package deals all have given wonderful memories to so many, yet the Massacre at the Mall is another major incident in a series of problems that have beset Kenya recently. In 2007- 2008 the disputed elections and the violence that followed saw a large reduction in tourist numbers and the abduction of tourists that continued into 2011 also had an affect. 

But to a country that makes 12 - 13% of its GDP from Travel and Tourism, and has over 600,000 of its population earning a living from it, a significant drop in numbers could have a drastic effect on the economy - something that could resonate for years. 

According to a recent article in The Telegraph, most Britons still intend to complete their booked holidays and have been urged to use Social Media websites to encourage and inform other travellers upon their return. The British Foreign Office has been slow to issue blanket warnings although other governments have not been so reticent. 

As always, at Holsure we urge travellers to complete their own research, make their own enquiries and to make sure that inoculations and travel documents are all up to date. 

For travel Insurance covering Kenya and all other countries, please check out our website HERE