You probably read the headline, “Tragic end to Bahamas Honeymoon”.  And this one too, “Five weeks after losing his wife, the injured man flies home alone.”  This is a story about a honeymoon gone wrong.  While enjoying the fun of a parasailing adventure, on the last day of their honeymoon, the harness broke and they both crashed into the sea.  The wife died as a result of her injuries and the husband was hospitalized.  They did not have insurance to cover the medical costs, the air ambulance, any of it.  So I ask again, “Are you ready for medical issues while traveling?”.

I hope that after reading the above story that you don’t decide to skip the travel adventure, but that you will be prepared if an accident happens to you.

So, before you travel, make sure your medical insurance will cover you if something should happen. Purchase travel insurance to fill in the gaps.  One of the things that you will find in any good list of things to bring on the trip is your medical insurance cards, as well as  a list of all the meds you are taking so that you have that info for the doctor if you have to be hospitalized.  Make sure your partner has a copy of the medical info in their pocket or purse, because if you are incapacitated, they will be the one that has to provide information to the medical staff.  Not a bad idea to have it in a Ziploc bag just in case you get wet.

Some additional medical resources can be found online at www.tripprep.com. You can also call the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers at 716-754-4883.  They provide a network of doctors in Europe and North America.  These doctors are on call 24 hours to members at a reasonable fee. Most major credit cards provide a network of doctors as well.

Travel insurance is your best protection.  The cost is very reasonable, and you can travel without the worry.

After reading the above story, I am sure that you plan to get travel insurance.  Additionally, if you want to protect yourself in case of a prior medical condition, you will have to purchase your travel insurance within a few days of when you make your travel reservations.  You may or may not want to buy the travel insurance from the cruise line or travel agency,  so you need to check out travel insurance from various carriers, such as Travel Guard, before you book your trip.  Also, if you are using your timeshare for vacation, you may not think about buying travel insurance.  Does your timeshare company offer any type of travel insurance?  If you are an owner with WorldMark^®, consider their  travel protection program,  WorldMark TravelSecure^®.  It cost less than $60 for the whole year.  Check to see if your timeshare program offers a similar program.

You want to know your options and the costs,  the coverage, and the exceptions to what is covered.

I know you don’t want to think about these possibilities when thinking about all the fun you will have on the vacation of a lifetime, but you need to think about them before your trip.  What do you do if you have to be airlifted to a hospital or have to use an air ambulance to bring you back home?  Is it covered, and if so, for how much, and who do you call for the service.  What if you or a family member dies while on a trip? Does your travel insurance cover the cost of bringing the loved one back home?

If you planned ahead, and if you purchased the right travel insurance, these things will be taken care of. You won’t have financial burdens heaped upon emotional ones.

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Turning Dreams into Memories,
One Vacation at a Time.
Bon Voyage!!!

As you might guess, this document is a compilation of information from our travels as well as from other travelers. I hope it has been of value to you.  Don’t hesitate to email us when you return from your trip with any suggestions that will make this document better for you and your fellow travelers!

Look for our cruise travel packing guide, our packing lists and many other travel tips on our website, www.TeamEdwardsTravel.com