While a long awaited trip may take weeks (or months) to plan, it can all come undone in a matter of moments when unexpected circumstances arise. All it takes is a canceled flight, extreme weather or simply a bad set of directions, and you may miss the car, boat or train that was supposed to take you where you paid them to go. And while laying on the charm may help you get a refund or reschedule later, don’t count on it. The only sure way to protect the investment you’ve made in your trip is with a solid travel insurance policy.
Family emergencies
An urgent family crisis is one of the rare reasons that a hotel or airline might make an allowance for you, but it’s not without limits. The vendor you’re dealing with will be setting its own rules about what constitutes an emergency worthy of a refund. Simply being sick or in a car accident may not be enough to trigger a refund under their policies. But with a comprehensive travel insurance policy, that power is moved back to your hands. Subject to the policy wording, and you will be able to recoup your the cost of cancellation fees and non-refundable deposits because if you took out insurance protect yourself when you booked your travels.
Business emergencies
While you hope the office never calls while you’re sunning yourself on a sandy beach, it’s a harsh reality that this may happen to you. You may get word of a company emergency or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet with a hard to reach prospect, and you may have to pack up and head out wherever duty calls. But if you protected yourself with a good travel insurance policy ahead of time, you could go where you needed to with full knowledge that you weren’t going to lose any of your travel investment. In some cases, the cost of your policy may be able to convert into a tax-deductible expense (check with your tax adviser for details).
Acts of nature
Your airport cares about the weather their planes take off and land in, but they’re not going to be concerned about a weather event in your town that puts you behind in getting to the airport. It may be clear skies at the terminal, but if there’s a powerful storm snarling traffic and keeping you from getting to your flight, the airport will not see it as their problem, and you will have lost the investment you made. But with travel insurance, you can protect yourself from loss if a weather event or disaster keeps you from making it to your destination.
The “Ripple Effect”
Any unexpected event on your travel itinerary could set off a chain reaction of losses. A grounded plane could cost you a hotel room, or a late in the day theater event or sports game, or any number of time sensitive events on your schedule. And if that happens, you can’t count on the kindness of strangers to offer you refunds on all the things you paid for and missed out on. With a travel insurance policy, those worries can disappear and you can rest assured that your travel investment is safe and sound.
By: David J Wright
Posts Tagged ‘Good Travel’
Travel Insurance – Canceling and Delaying Travel Plans
March 22nd, 2010Travel a Lot For Business? Don’t Forget a Travel Pillow!
March 16th, 2010
Business travelers that are on the road a lot should always carry their own travel pillow. A good travel pillow can serve many purposes. It can be a pillow, a neck pillow, a back pillow, something to keep the light out of your eyes, and much more.
It’s also a good idea to have your own travel pillow for sanitary reasons. Airlines disinfect their pillows, but there is still a good chance that dust mites or other things could be living inside. I don’t know about you, but that is gross to me. Yuck!
When you have your own cushion that is soft and clean and has not been used by a thousand other people that week, you will be much more relaxed. And, as an added bonus, you will sleep more soundly on your pillow.
When you are buying a travel pillow for yourself or a loved one look for a pillow that has a flexible stuffing, so that it can be reshaped and used as a neck pillow or padding, if need be. It should also have a removable cover that can be taken off and washed. A small pillow should be able to be wadded up and shoved into a pocket or purse because you might not always be able to get to your carry on bag easily to get your pillow.
If you are crafty you can make your travel pillow or make a pillow for someone you love. Choose a soft but easily washable fabric for the cover and put a zipper or a snap on it so you can take the cover off for cleaning. If you want to make the pillow more relaxing, put some fresh herbs like Lavender flowers or some Chamomile or Peppermint in a sachet and tuck that inside the pillow.
When the herbs get stale you can just take that sachet out and put in a new one. Be careful that the herbs you use are not too strong though or the rest of the other people on the plane might object to you using the pillow.
Along with your travel pillow you should also carry a travel blanket. A light travel blanket will make it easier to sleep on the plane and it will give you a little extra warmth on the airplane and in the hotel if you need it. A cashmere shawl or large scarf can do double duty as a light but warm travel blanket that you can easily carry with you.
So, next time you boss sends you off another trip across country, don’t forget your handy dandy travel pillow. Here’s to your rest, so you can have a great meeting.
By: Sherry L Harris
Travel Purse – Choosing the Right Travel Purse for Your Needs
March 15th, 2010
To ensure a comfortable journey, you will want to invest in a good travel purse. This is a kind of bag where you put everything that you will need for your trip. It can be a small transparent purse that contains your toiletries and can be placed inside your luggage or as big as an actual carry-all where you can put in practically everything. Travel bags these days come in a wide array of designs and forms. If you’re shopping for a good purse, here are a couple of things that you need to consider.
Pockets and compartments
A good travel purse will come with a lot of pockets and compartments where you can place small valuables like jewelry or loose change. Instead of having to fish deep into your bag each time that you need your keys, just go for a purse that has a designated compartment where you can easily access your things each time you need them.
Material and form
Go with a purse that is made of durable material. Leather or nylon would be a good choice. You can also try one that is made of waterproof material for those summer beach travels. Check the zippers and clasps to make sure that they are durable and strong enough for tough handling. It’s also a good idea to choose one that is lightweight so as to keep it from adding unnecessary weight in your luggage or carry-all.
Easy handling
When choosing a travel purse, go with a versatile design – that is, something that is easy to carry. It’s a good idea to select a bag that comes with convertible handles.
By: Ilse Hagen
