My trip will last five to maybe six months, and I know the Eurail connects to almost every country save for a whole ten or so.

Now would the wise thing to do, is get the Global Pass connecting twenty countries unlimited for three months and then a two-month pass after that? Or go about it a different way? Like flying to some places or bussing it like previously stated in different topics?

Then you have the BritRail which covers all if not most of Britain right? On top of that, for countries like the Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus and Russia, what is the best/cheapest way to get around? Do they have some sort of train system as well?

Read Full Topic and Responses

12. Travel Insurance.

Imagine traveling overseas and go reach for your passport and realize that it is missing. In reality, it was most likely stolen.

This happens to thousands of travelers each and every year.

Or, you wake up one morning sick as a dog, in excruciating pain, and need to see a doctor- yesterday!

Good thing you bought travel insurance because in both instances, your travel insurance will help you.

Let’s look at it another way. Would you drive your car around your own city without insurance (even if it wasn’t a law)?

Would you drive to work, school, or just around town hanging out with your friends without car insurance? It’s not like you don’t know where you’re going.

We do it, not only just because it’s the law, but because we feel safe. It gives us peace of mind.

Likewise, why would you travel to foreign countries that you are unfamiliar with, where you most likely are not fluent in the language and or culture, without protecting yourself?

Accidents happen, especially when you least expect them.

According to an article from iVillage, the top 9 reasons to buy travel insurance are-

1. Your flight has been cancelled.?
2. Your bags are lost and your medication is in it. You need to have an emergency prescription filled. ?
3. Your passport and wallet are stolen, and you need emergency cash and a replacement passport. ?
4. You’re involved in an accident and adequate medical treatment is not available. You need medical evacuation.
5. You need to cancel your trip due to illness. ?
6. Your cruise line, airline or tour operator goes bankrupt. You need your non-refundable expenses covered and to get to your destination. ?
7. You have a medical emergency in a foreign country. ?
8. A terrorist incident occurs in the city where you’re planning to visit and you want to cancel your trip.
9. A hurricane forces you to evacuate your resort, hotel or cruise
Original source- http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/17519580/page/3/

Imagine heading over to Pamplona, Spain on your backpacking trip, to take part in the annual Running of the Bulls festivities, made popular by Ernest Hemingway.

Your adrenaline is pumping and you run through the century old streets with all of your might, trying to make it to the stadium before the bulls do and trying to stay out of the path of destruction that the bulls create each year.

You may reach the finish line perfectly fine, without a scratch. However, many travelers in the past were not so lucky.

* WARNING! PICTURE MAY MAKE YOU CRINGE.

Take a look at where on of the bull’s horns ended up.

Hopefully this was the worst of it and that the guy is still able to walk fine these days.

I hope this traveler was also smart enough to have purchased travel insurance before he left for his trip!

Do you think he thought that he was going to get into a unimaginable accident as he was packing for his trip?

Do you think he ever imagined that he would end up in such a horrific situation, most likely unable to finish his travel itinerary and not only needing medical treatment, but perhaps medical evacuation?

Imagine if he didn’t have travel insurance.

Not only can the medical treatment for this type of injury can break your travel budget, but it can even cause your parents to take a 2nd mortgage. That is no joke!

Buying travel insurance should be factored into your trip just as you would factor in a Eurail Pass and booking your hostels online ahead of time before your trip.

Don’t spend too much time asking people IF you should buy travel insurance. Nobody knows the future, so their opinion is worthless.

The question really is, what type of coverage should you buy and where to buy travel insurance.

Make sure you read the coverage of the policy thoroughly before you purchase travel insurance.

Where to buy travel insurance?

If you currently have health insurance, call your insurance company and see if they cover you overseas on your travels.

If they do, then your coverage may be limited overseas compared to what they will cover on your home turf.

They will most likely cover only health insurance and will not cover anything travel related (stolen wallets, purses & passports, canceled flights, loss of baggage, etc…see list above), so you must get something in addition to your current health insurance to cover you butt.

To get proper travel insurance, you must purchase it from an insurance provider who specializes in travel insurance.

TravelPUNK is partnered with two of the top travel insurance providers World Nomads and AIG Travel Guard.

We highly recommend both companies as they are leaders in the travel insurance industry, have been covering travelers for many years, and are world renowned for their coverage.

Get a FREE quote from World Nomads.

Get a FREE quote from Travel Guard.

Be smart, protect yourself and buy travel insurance. It will give you peace of mind, that is certain.

And just like car insurance… pray that you won’t have to use it.

The narrator is speaking dutch, so if you can’t understand it, don’t worry about it.

The important thing is to look at the magnificent views that you’ll get when you travel by Eurail.

This video should help you “pull the trigger” and buy a Eurail Pass!

Here are important Eurail links once again-

RailEurope has helped both U.S. and Canadian travelers see more of Europe for the past 75 years.

Canadian travelers can check out their selection of rail passes in Canadian dollars, for more flexibility and savings.Click here

If you are a first time traveler to Europe, you can read about the the importance of backpacking Europe with a Eurail pass here.

More information on Eurail passes can be found here.

Click to play video!

You MUST get a Eurail pass and enhance your trip 1,000 percent!

RailEurope has helped both U.S. and Canadian travelers see more of Europe for the past 75 years.

Canadian travelers can check out their selection of rail passes in Canadian dollars, for more flexibility and savings.Click here

If you are a first time traveler to Europe, you can read about the the importance of backpacking Europe with a Eurail pass here.

And only when you’re actually on the road backpacking Europe, will you realize that traveling by train is really the way Europeans do it.Don’t reinvent the wheel.More information on Eurail passes can be found here.

Aachen

Albbruck-Unteralpfen

Alsfeld

Augsburg

Bad Essen

Bad Grund

Bad Honnef

Bad Kreuznach

Bad Krozingen

Bad Saulgau

Bad Tolz

Baden-Baden

Bamberg

Bautzen

Bayerisch Eisenstein

Bayrischzell

Berchtesgaden

Bergisch Gladbach

Berlin

Bibarac

Bochum

Bonn

Bottrop

Bremen

Bullay

Cologne

Dinkelsbuhl

Dortmund

Dreilinden

Dresden

Duisburg

Dusseldorf

Eisenach

Erfurt

Erlangen

Essen

Esslingen

Ettlingen

Euskirchen

Flensburg

Frankfurt

Frankfurt Hahn

Freiburg

Friedrichshafen

Fulda

Fussen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Gernsbach

Gersfeld

Gitter

Gottingen

Halle

Hamburg

Hannover

Heide

Heidelberg

Hohenlinden

Kassel

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