|
Archive for the ‘Travel Insurance’ Category
Friday, May 13th, 2011
If you are a student and you are planning on studying or traveling abroad on a budget, you will most likely stay in a hostel. Even for those who have the funds to spend on a nice hotel, a hostel can be a nice and fun experience that everyone should experience at least once.
Because you will have to share space with multiple strangers, many of you may be concern about your safety and the safety of your personal belongings when staying in a hostel. While I can attest from personal experience that most people staying in a hostel are nice and friendly, it never hurts to take some precautions. While in most cases the overall experience is perfectly safe, here are some tips to keep your stuff save in a hostel:
- Pick the right hostel – Most of the popular hostel booking websites have ratings from past guests. Pick a hostel with a good safety record and look for any problems others have had in the past. Check if the hostel has security lockers available.
- Bring Locks – Even if the hostel has lockers available, the size may only be big enough for a few small valuables. Some hostels may have locks available but may charge you a fee for the rental. If you bring your own lock, you may just end up saving a few bucks! Along with pad locks for your bag, I also like to bring a laptop lock. Aside from the obvious use of locking up your laptop, the long cable with the loop can come in handy to anchor other valuables to large immoveable objects.
- Keep your valuables separate – Keep a small amount of cash and whatever you need for the day separate from your hidden stash of cash and other documents (passport, credit card, etc.). Keep your wallet in your front pocket instead of your back pocket, you’re less likely to lose it or have it pick pocketed.
- Don’t flaunt your possession – If you are going to be traveling around with a nice camera, laptop or just a big chunk of cash, have it out only when you need it. After all, no one can be tempted to take your stuff if they don’t know you have it.
Tags: hostel safety, Study Abroad, travel abroad, travel safety
Posted in Health & Safety, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Monday, May 2nd, 2011
It’s that time of year again – summer time! We know everyone is excited for the opportunity to have a long break and enjoy themselves. What better time to take advantage of the long break and travel overseas! Whether you are planning to backpack Europe, travel the Outback in Australia, or explore the beaches of Central America, be sure to purchase a summer international travel insurance plan. Our summer international travel insurance plan is designed for just that, it is designed to follow you in your adventure of a lifetime, here are just a few of the advantages:
- International coverage outside your home country
- Affordable rates and comprehensive coverage
- Emergency and non-emergency coverage
- 24 hour travel assistance including translation and interpretation services
- Flexibility to choose your doctor or hospital
- Option of 100% coverage up to $1 million
- Option to include the sports rider to cover you for adventurous sporting activities
The Summer International Travel Insurance can be purchased for just a few days up to a year depending on the length of the trip. Not only does this insurance plan coverage medical and health, but the plan also includes travel benefits like trip interruption, natural disaster coverage, lost checked baggage, and much, much more. Once you purchase the plan, you will receive an email confirmation with your documents that you can simply print and bring with you on your trip. Some countries require proof of insurance and that is why with the purchase of the plan you will have access to your personalized visa letter right in your personalized account that is immediately available. Contact one of our licensed agents for more information and to see if the summer international travel insurance plan is right for you!
Tags: Summer International Travel Insurance, Summer vacation international insurance, Travel insurance for overseas
Posted in Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Friday, April 29th, 2011
When you are planning your study abroad, you would no doubt have to make a decision on where you want to go and which college or university to attend. Many of the factors that would help you determine which college is right for you is similar to that of choosing your college at home.
The first step is to get to know yourself. You need to ask yourself, “why am I going to study abroad?” You will need to think about what you expect to get from your experiences.
Are you looking to just have a lot of fun on your trip and use the opportunity to travel to other countries around the region? Are you looking to learn a new language?
For example, if you are looking to have a lot of community support while you are abroad, you might want to consider joining an exchange program that your University has already set up. This gives you the advantage of knowing that many students have already been there – or perhaps there is a sizable community of people from your own country that would be able to help you adjust to the new environment. But if you are confident with your ability to do things by yourself without much hand-holding, you are freer to choose to go to school where there is relatively few people from your country so you can focus more on your other goals like learning a new language.
Choosing a location
This step is obvious if one of your goals is to learn a new language. If you want to learn Chinese don’t study abroad in Spain and if you want to learn Spanish don’t study abroad in China! Additionally, there are also other considerations when choosing a location. Do you enjoy a big city with a lot of people even if that means your living space may be small? How about the traffic or commute? What is your budget keeping in mind that the cost of living is higher in big cities?
How long is your study abroad trip? Will you be abroad for over a year or just one semester? If you are planning to study abroad just for one semester in the middle of the winter, you might want to reconsider going to study in places like Finland (unless you really enjoys the cold).
Consider your financial need
Many colleges and universities offer scholarships and grants for international students, you would just have to look and apply for it. Not only do you have to consider the tuition costs, you will also have to think about your cost of living; living in London is going to be more expensive than living in rural China.
Many countries especially in Europe like Finland, Spain, etc. also require international students to buy health insurance to get a visa. Most universities in the USA also have school’s specific insurance requirements for their student. So it is important to choose an insurance plan that would provide you with good coverage in addition to an affordable price.
What do you want to do afterward?
Lastly, if you are going to be studying abroad as a full-time degree seeking student, you might want to consider where you want to work after your graduation. Most universities usually have connections to companies or specific areas in which they are located in, therefore if you want to work in the USA or Europe after graduation it may help if you graduate from college in your area of interest.
Tags: finland student insurance, international student health insurance, international student insurance requirements, schengen visa insurance, Study Abroad, study abroad health insurance, study abroad insurance
Posted in Country Requirements, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011
A few years ago I took a solo backpacking trip through Europe after I had finished my study abroad trip in England. It was a great experience and I had a lot of fun.
To begin the story, in one month I would start my trip from Prague. I would make my way south to Austria and Hungary down to Italy then slowly up to Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark and finally ending in Sweden. It was in the middle of this trip in Italy when I had my scary moment which I’m going to share with you.
So I’d finally made it into Italy and I was done with Florence and Venice, I was in Pisa seeing the Leaning Tower and was scheduled to take the train on the same day to Rome. After getting on the train and seeing the nice scenery I’d finally arrived in Rome safe and sound! But that’s when my scary experience happened. After getting off the train my stomach started to hurt a little bit, it was barely noticeable that I didn’t think twice about it. I walked around the front of the train station looking for the bus I needed to take to the hostel, which was further away from the city center, after awhile I found it and got on.
Almost right after I got on the bus my stomach started to hurt intensely, I started to have cold sweat and then my vision started to black out. Now at this point I was already on a packed full bus, going to a hostel and all I had was a printed paper with vague direction of how to get there. The bus doesn’t stop at every bus stop and most of the passengers were Italian who didn’t speak much English. I knew I was in trouble then, since the bus was full I was standing up. I quickly wrap my hand around the railing and put my backpack on the floor between my legs, hoping that my hand will stays wrap around the railing in case I passed out (thinking ahead, I thought it would just look like I was resting my eyes with my bag locked between my legs hopefully discourage people from running away with it in case they saw the opportunity!). After that, I was drifting in and out of consciousness standing there on the bus. In the beginning, I remember just wishing to arrive at the hostel before anything could happen! Luckily after a while I regained enough consciousness that I was able to make it off the bus and, with some help and some combination of pointing and made-up sign language, made it to the hostel.
My insurance ended after my study was done and I didn’t think about getting one during my trip, luckily nothing truly serious ended up happening to me that I would need to be hospitalized for, I don’t know how I would deal with it. Now I’m able to look back and say it was an interesting experience that I can tell people about. But at the time, it was scary to be in a place that you don’t know anything about for the first time and on the verge of completely passing out and not knowing what will happen.
I know that many people probably have just as, if not even scarier moment while they were traveling. If you have any horror travel story just other mishaps that happened on your travel, share it with us.
Tags: getting sick abroad
Posted in Health & Safety, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Friday, April 8th, 2011
Americans are in love with cars and unless you live in one of the few major cities, you understand that it is hard to live without one. Because the United States is so big, there are vast distances between places and you will find that the public transportation is not as extensive as other countries. Having a car gives you access to really experience the many different facets of American culture. Taking a road trip can be a fun and economical way to see the country, especially if you share the trip with a few friends.
Each place in the US has its own unique culture and scenery. Take a road trip and you will see that America is really not all the same everywhere like the movies and news media might make it out to be. From the New England small-town charm and the history of early American settlement by the Europeans, you can compare the internal culture by traveling south for the famous southern hospitality and comfort food. If you are continuing to explore, drive further south to the beaches in Florida and Little Havana in Miami. Go west to Texas where everything is bigger, up to the bread basket with its vast farm land. See the famous Yellowstone National Park or go further west and hit the more progressive San Francisco.
As with taking any trips, you should do some planning beforehand to make sure that the trip goes smoothly. Here are some tips to help you plan a fun and successful road trip in America:
- Consider how much time you have and where you want to go: This will help with the next step of planning the road trip and also with budgeting.
- Get together with your travel buddies to plan the trip: The planning process is half the fun, and it is a great bonding experience. Planning it together also ensures that everyone has a say in where to go and what to do so no one feels left out. After all, you will be spending a lot of time with them on the road trip, and an unhappy companion will lead to an unhappy trip!
- Create a budget: By mapping out where you plan to travel, you can calculate how much you will have to pay for fuel; there are several fuel cost calculator online to help you budget. It is also important to think about where you will sleep; remember that the US doesn’t have many hostels, most stay in a hotel or motel and if you feel adventurous you can also try camping! Check out our recent blog on other alternative places to stay while traveling.
- Bring entertainment: Even with your favorite CD, listening to the same few songs over and over again may lead to boredom. Be sure to remember classics that everyone can enjoy!
- Try going off the interstate: US interstates are a great way to travel from one place to another, but with it comes all of the chain fast food restaurants. If you want something more unique, try going on local roads once in a while.
- Consider a GPS: While getting lost can be fun and often lead you to interesting places, not knowing how to get back to where you need to be when you need to be there can be stressful. Many smart phones today may have GPS, but if you are in a location where there is no cell phone signal, your phone may not work either. Don’t make yourself completely dependent on technology, bring an old fashion paper map.
- Bring food and drink: Stopping too many times to buy food will only takes time from your other activities so pack wise to maximize your time.
- Have fun!: Sure you should plan ahead, but you don’t have to plan the trip down to the minute. If you see something interesting on the road feel free to stop and take a look.
- Stay rested and don’t drink and drive! Remember that most states it is illegal to have an open container of alcohol in the car with you – that is even if you are not drinking it.
If you are a foreign national in the US, make sure that you have travel medical insurance coverage that would cover you nationwide in case you get sick or injured on your road trip. Don’t forget that you will also need to have a valid driver license in the US, and be sure to have auto insurance coverage for your rental car as well.
Do you have any other tips for taking a road trip in America you would like to share? Please leave a comment for us.
Tags: how to plan a road trip, how to take a road trip, planning a road trip, road trip, road trip 101, road trip insurance, road trip tips, taking a road trip, tips for a road trip in america, Travel Insurance
Posted in Health & Safety, International Student in the USA, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Friday, March 25th, 2011
The USA is a popular country for students from all around the world who want to study abroad, and for students from Thailand, it is one of their top destination choices. During the 2009/2010 academic year, over 8,500 students from Thailand came to study in the US. One thing many Thai students may notice is that the US medical system is very different when compared to the medical care you would receive in Thailand.
For those that have experienced the medical system in the USA, one thing that always sticks out to them is the high cost; in fact the cost of medical care in the US is the highest in the world! That is why it is very important to have adequate medical insurance, a simple doctors visit in the USA can cost you anything from $100 to $500 depending on the sickness.
While in Thailand it is also common to go to the hospital for both major or minor sicknesses and injuries – the hospital is your one-stop resources for most medical care. In the United States, however, this is not the case, hospitals are designed to be for emergency situations and when you are in need of very urgent care – you should not go to a hospital for minor injuries in illnesses, for that type of care, you should visit either a local doctor, or an urgent care center. If you need prescription medication after seeing a doctor you would also need to go to a drug store that is separate from the doctor’s office.
If you are planning on studying in the USA, most schools and colleges will require you to purchase an international health insurance plan that protects you and provides health insurance coverage in the event you get sick or injured. A popular option is the Thai international student insurance plan; this plan comes in three levels so you can choose whichever works best for you. You can also apply directly online anywhere around the world and it can start as early as the same day you complete the application. To check if this Thai international student insurance will work for your school, check out our school requirements page.
You can also call or email info@internationalstudentinsurance.com with any additional questions, our representative can also assist you in Thai. (เราพูดภาษาไทย)
Tags: international student insurance, Student Insurance, thai international student, Thai student insurance
Posted in Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Friday, March 11th, 2011
Whether you’re just vacationing or studying abroad, having a good medical insurance is important. The Atlas Travel Medical plan provides comprehensive coverage in case you become sick or injured due to an accident while you are abroad. Many people know that the plan would cover your doctor visits, hospitalization, prescription medications, and evacuation, but most may not realized that the plan comes with additional travel assistance services as well!
When you get the Atlas plan you will have access to a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week worldwide travel and medical assistance. These services include:
- Pre-trip destination information – For information regarding any health risks, travel restrictions, any vaccinations required for your country of destination
- Medical Monitoring – Emergency message rely will relay message to your family, friends and co-workers during your hospitalization and establish a single point-of-contact for updates regarding your medical status
- Doctor referral – Contact information for western-style medical facilities in your destination country where English is spoken
- Travel document replacement – Assistance with obtaining replacement passports, birth certificates, visas, airline documents, and other travel – related documents
- Lost luggage assistance – tracking service to assist in locating luggage or other items lost in transit
Other assistance services include:
- Prescription drug replacement
- Emergency travel arrangements
- Dispatch of physician
- Translation assistance
- Credit card/ Traveler check replacement
Tags: travel assistance, Travel Insurance, travel services
Posted in Health & Safety, Insurance Explained, International Student in the USA, Product Information, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Monday, February 28th, 2011
It’s that time of year again – Spring Break! Finally, a reprieve from school and a time to do something exciting right before school starts back up in a week or two. While some people decide to relax by the pool, others prefer to do an Alternative Spring Break volunteer travel program that will give them the opportunity to travel internationally and help a community.
For those of you planning to do an Alternative Spring Break international volunteer program, there are many options that will give you an adventure where you can travel to another country, help improve a community, live with a host family, and sneak in some sightseeing! Some people travel to Europe, others to Latin America – it just depends on how you want to spend your vacation!
We interviewed Jenny, a student who decided to do an alternative spring break program for 10 days in San Vito, Costa Rica. Her Alternative Spring Break volunteer trip was a school-led international program that brought a small group of students to work on coffee and fair trade issues in a small town named San Vito located in Costa Rica. It was the first time that she had traveled internationally – especially important as fair trade was an issue she felt strongly about. When she arrived in Costa Rica, she met with local farmers to discuss the issue of their co-op coffee farm. Jenny met with various community members to see how coffee prices had affected the local community. She visited the community coffee roaster that had been shut down due to inadequate funding forcing the farmers to pay shipping to another town’s coffee roaster. She even worked with a machete to clear weeds, dug a trough to prevent soil corrosion, and learned about crop diversification. When she returned back to the United States better informed, Jenny felt empowered alongside her group members. With her new friends, they worked together with her school to help the farmers of San Vito by establishing a distribution channel for the fair trade coffee.
As evidence by Jenny’s trip, your alternative spring break can be just as exciting! There are many opportunities where you can volunteer internationally with your school or an independent program. Check out your school’s activity center to see what programs are available to you, or search opportunities on Idealist.org.
Once you have decided to go on your Alternative Spring Break where you will volunteer internationally, make sure to contact your current insurance company to see if your plan will cover you overseas. Some programs supply international travel insurance for their Alternative Spring Break international volunteer programs. If this is not the case you can purchase affordable insurance that is easy to use and can be purchased a few days at a time!
Tags: Alternative Spring Break, Alternative Spring Break Insurance, International Volunteer Insurance, International Volunteer Travel Programs
Posted in Student Health Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 11th, 2011
 China has become one of the most popular countries for study abroad students from all over the world. From the U.S.A. alone, over 13,000 students went to study abroad in China during the 2008/2009 academic year. China is currently ranked number 5 on the top destination countries visited by U.S. students, right after the UK, Italy, Spain and France.
Even though it has become such a popular destination, it is still important to consider a comprehensive medical insurance when traveling to China. While high quality western style medical facilities are available in some places, primarily in major cities, many locations especially in the rural area lack adequate facility and doctors and would not be able to provide more than the most basic treatments. If you have serious sicknesses or injuries it may be necessary for you to be transported long distances to another facility where you can be treated.
Hospitals and clinics in major tourist locations may be accustomed to providing services to non-Mandarin Chinese speakers and may also have English speaking staff on location. Many hospitals and clinics also have what is called “VIP wards” or “Gaogan bingfang “(高干病房) for foreigners. However, even in these VIP wards, there may still be some difficulty not only because of language differences but also cultural and regulatory procedures.
In case of a medical emergency, you may dial 120 (toll free) for an ambulance. However, Chinese ambulances have been known to be slow to arrive. Ambulance personnel may also have little or no medical training and can be ill-equipped. Many people end up taking a taxis or other form of available transportation to the nearest hospital instead.
A great choice for China study abroad insurance is called the Atlas Travel Medical Plan. The plan would provide medical coverage in case you get sick or injured while abroad. It would also cover medical evacuation if you need to be transported to a place where they are able to provide you with necessary treatment and also a 24/7 translation service over the phone in case you need help communicating with the doctor.
Tags: china study abroad insurance, china travel insurance, health insurance in china, international student insurance in china, medical insurance in china, study abraod insurance in china, study abroad insurance for china, travel insurance in china
Posted in Health & Safety, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Friday, February 4th, 2011
After the recent political unrest in Egypt and Tunisia, we thought it would be important to mention political evacuation insurance plans.
Political turmoil in a country can cause problems for many people around the worlds not just for those living in the country. What if you are in a foreign country traveling or studying abroad and then something happens? What if you haven’t left your home country yet when it happens? Sure that is better than being there in the middle of the chaos, but what happens to your expensive plan ticket that you have already bought?
There are different insurance options which can provide protection against these political uncertainties. A good comprehensive travel medical insurance, like the Atlas Travel plan, can provide you with not only coverage in case you get sick or injured, but also with coverage in case you need to evacuate due to local unrest. If the United States government issues a travel warning that becomes effective after you have already arrived in your destination country, the Atlas Travel plan will provide transportation to the nearest place of safety or even cover your return back home.
If you are already covered for your medical needs, a stand-alone emergency evacuation insurance may be for you. While this plan doesn’t provide coverage for medical expenses, it will provide coverage for medical emergency, political evacuation and more.
Because you never know when something bad can happen, you want to have protection for when you are abroad and also before you actually leave for your trip. If certain events happen that would prevent you from taking your trip, you don’t want to lose all the money you have spent on your non-refundable plan ticket. The Trip Cancellation insurance plan can provide this coverage. If you add the Cancel for Any Reason option to the plan, you can be reimburse for 75% of your non-refundable tour cost. As with all insurance plans, it is important to read the terms of the plan carefully.
Tags: emergency evacuation, emergency evacuation insurance, emergency insurance, political evacuation, political evacuation insurance, study abroad insurance, Travel Insurance, trip cancellation insurance
Posted in Health & Safety, Insurance Explained, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
|
