Travel Insurance

As a way to protect ourselves from our daily lives, we are constantly being told we need one kind of insurance or another. The most common being health, auto and home owner's insurance. All three can take a chunk out of the pocket book, but we're happy we have it when something unforeseen takes place. The new kid on the block is Travel Insurance.

Travel insurance is good to have any time you travel whether by ship, plane or train. It'll save you a lot of grief when you were looking forward to a much needed change of scenery and something unfortunate happens along the way. Coverage varies depending on the cost of your trip, age and the benefits you want to pay for. If you suddenly get sick and are unable to take your journey for example, you could receive money back on your ticket. If you opted out of the Travel Insurance, then there would be nothing you could do to redeem the cost of the ticket.

There is always the chance that you could have a medical emergency on a trip and need to be hospitalized. Say you are out hiking and get cut during a fall or your appendix decides to go bad, the insurance provides comprehensive coverage and will give you peace of mind and a smaller doctor bill when you arrive home.

You could be covered for trip delays, cancellation or interruption; loss of travel documents including passports; baggage delay or complete loss; sickness or death by you, family member, travel companion or business partner; some policies even cover cancellation for work reasons (but ya gotta pay a little more!); others include concierge services.

Travel Insurance policies range from Basic to Platinum and everything in between. Taking out an insurance policy for your next trip is highly recommended, but completely optional. I recently took out insurance on a trip heading to Nevada even though it's a domestic flight. This is a first for me, but by working in a travel agency, I hear the best and the worst of hundreds of trips including all the trouble airlines cause their passengers. This time I thought if my trip was delayed or my luggage lost in space, at least I could recoup some of my hard earned cash.

Spending the extra $15-$900/per person can save you thousands of dollars and a lot of frustration when an airline decides to creatively delay your flight or nature takes a turn for the worse. You will be a lot happier than your fellow travelers knowing your situation will be covered by your Travel Insurance policy.

Next time you book your International Trip, talk with your Expert Travel Agent about taking out the travel insurance policy that works best for you and your family. Have a pleasant and safe trip!

Pack Light, Travel Light New Baggage Policies

With more and more airlines charging fees for checked bags these days, many travelers are trying to find ways to avoid checking bags all together.

Packing light has many advantages, besides just avoiding airline fees. For example, you don't have to stand around for an hour waiting for your bags to show up on the baggage carrousel upon arrival at your destination and there's no chance that your bags will be lost or damaged en route. It's also easier to get through busy airports and train stations with fewer and smaller bags, and it makes it simple to take public transportation, rather than relying on high costs taxis and limos.

Here are some tips and suggestions for packing light, and fitting all your travel luxuries into one easy, carry-on bag.

• Make a Packing List base on items and clothing that you know you'll need on your trip and stick to it! Try to avoid bringing items that you think you might need.



• Wear layered clothing when you travel, that stretches and breathes giving you more room in your bag



• Pack wrinkle-free clothing as much as possible



• Rolling your clothes instead of laying them flat in the bag will provide more space



• Select one or two color scheme. Sometimes it's a good idea to add a few items with dark patterns, such as plaids as they help hide wrinkles, stains and dirt



• Reversible clothing, especially tops, are great choices since they effectively double your clothing choices.



• Pack clothing that will dry quickly as you may need to wash some items during your trip



• Consider using a dual-purpose bag (suitcase/backpack combined) if you're going to be doing a lot of walking



• Remember the TSA 3-1-1 Carry-On Liquid Rules:



• Any liquid or gel packed in your carry-on bag must fit in a container that is a maximum of 3 ounces



• 1 Quart: Containers carrying your liquids and gels must be packed in a clear, plastic bag that is no larger than 1 quart and has to be able to close completely



• 1 Person: Every person is allowed to bring one clear, quart-size bag of properly sized containers noted above. Many stores have increase their supply of toiletries that meet the TSA guidelines



• To simplify things for yourself, consider buying toiletries such as shampoo and toothpaste during your trip

For more information about up-to-date baggage policies and fees, check with your airline as it may change often. To book your next trip-of-a-lifetime, contact your experienced Travel Agent for travel to the South Pacific including Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, as well as Hawaii and Europe.

"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light."
Cesare Pavese