Travel Insurance - Please Post Your Experiences - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Legitikick** · 02-27-2007, 07:34 AM

Can those of you that have had to make a claim during any of your travels please post your opinions of the insurance company? I'm planning a trip through SE Asia and China, Nepal, and India, and I'd really like to know that I can trust my insurance policy without a huge headache. So any advice?

**TheJake** · 02-27-2007, 10:59 PM

i bought insurance off the one on the main site. Paid like 150 or something for 2 months I think. Never had to use it but glad I had it in case.

**travelpunk** · 02-28-2007, 12:38 AM

They're all pretty straight forward with their coverage. I haven't heard of anyone getting scammed or having a hard time with their insurance provider, yet.

I have purchased it multiple times for 3 months at a time when my, then girlfriend would visit me. Now, she's with Blue Cross

Peace of mind. That's all I'm saying...

**space virgin** · 02-28-2007, 01:11 AM

Don't leave home without it.

**Esterina** · 02-28-2007, 08:07 AM

I bought a 12 month insurance with Blue Cross for about $500, but this low price was partly because I already had a plan with them through my work.

And this insurance saved me over $4000 : I had to be sent home emergency for health problems ! So they paid the flight and the foreign medical services.

The flight insurance I had contracted with STA travel when buying the ticket, got me to have the unused part of the ticket reimbursed, so another $750 in my pocket.

As Tony said, peace of mind...

By the way, another tip on the side : during your travel in Asia, think of contacting the embassy if you have any sort of trouble. For health matter, they will give you adresses of hospitals or clinic where "safe" care are given...

Jennybeann · 03-02-2007, 07:36 PM

And make sure you know the policy. I was supposed to go to Thailand last summer, and I had the trip covered by World Nomads. However, I was in Florida on temporary duty, and our flight back to Denver (where I was going to catch my flight to Bangkok) was delayed, thereby causing me to miss my flight to Thailand. Sure, the policy had coverage for flight cancellation...but the connecting flight had to be delayed over 24 hrs, according to fine print. My flight was delayed by about 18, and while it still caused me to miss my flight to Thailand, I never got a penny back.

Don't be that guy/girl :D

**Legitikick** · 03-08-2007, 03:58 AM

Okay, I just bought a 4 month policy from Travel Guard, I customized the policy, I'll spare you the boring details, but $244.18 for a pretty hefty package.

**LiveFreeorDie** · 03-08-2007, 06:26 AM

^$244 for piece of mind is well worth it!

**travelpunk** · 03-08-2007, 09:03 PM

Agreed. Good job, bro

.

**Slacker** · 04-11-2007, 10:56 AM

DONT GET WORLD NOMADS!!!!!

Misschick and I had it for our trips. Luckily the only times we had to use it abroad was in London, so it was free anyhow.

But then when we both got back here to Colorado, misschick had to go see a doctor. Taking out a contact lense she scratched her cornea. So we first went to the emergency room here first. She was looked at, they gave her a prescription, then referred her to an eye doctor. They also took the world nomad insurnace and let her go. So then we went to the eye doctor and they did whatever they do (forgot it was almost a year ago). Then Misschick decided to pay for that out of pocket (it was fairly cheap) and get reimbursed by World Nomad.

Now over a year later, Misschick has neither been reimbursed, or her emergency room been paid. In fact she is getting HUGE bills, because World Nomad is saying that they will only cover it if your PRIMARY doesnt cover it. So she has Canadian health that WILL NOT cover it, and world nomad is saying right now that they WILL NOT cover it.

So, if they only cover it if your primary wont, then why would you buy from them? What good is it to have a secondary health provider? Dont buy from them, you get the jerk around!

**indierock05** · 04-11-2007, 10:58 AM

Good to know, thanks!

**travelpunk** · 04-11-2007, 01:25 PM

Are they saying that this type of operation was not in their coverage or wasn't travel related?

What was their actual rebuttal?

**MissChick** · 04-12-2007, 01:16 PM

they are saying that i need to provide proof that my primary health insurer won't cover it before they will....all this comes like 8 months later....i'm not even sure who i should get ahold of and where for ontario health insurance....any ideas??

**buzzingtalk** · 04-12-2007, 01:45 PM

ive never bought health insurance

am considering it for this year, but most times ive travelled ive been around my dads so i know he could help. a few years ago in KL i got really sick, my legs swelled up and i couldnt walk, so my dad took me to his local doctor, who prescribed me antibiotics and so on and i was fine. i am only considering it as ill be away from my dads in KL for a good 5 weeks or so, and ill be in new places. anyone know the best place to start??

i also think its important to highlight how good it is to have your vacinnations before you leave - thats one thing i am funny about, ive had nearly all the jabs a local or traveller needs. if you cant afford weird ones like rabies in your home country, find out if you can have it at your destination, i am having mine this summer for MUCH cheaper than it is in the UK (its £120 here, at my dads it will cost pennies)

**simply_angelic** · 11-14-2007, 09:44 AM

Gah!! Trying to choose health insurance is BRUTAL....it's so difficult to decide...there's so many!! I went to my local travel agent and they recommended RBC which will be $508 for the 8 months or so I'll likely be in South Africa....Any other Canadian recommendations before I put in the investment? My travel doc recommended SOS? Anyone ever used either of these companies?

**maracle** · 11-14-2007, 09:57 AM

I thought rabies vaccine was really painful? Maybe it's just what they give you when you may already have it that is painful...

I was traveling with a German girl earlier this year and she said her travel insurance was 7 euros per year. Seemed hard to believe!

**Esterina** · 11-14-2007, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simply_angelic

Gah!! Trying to choose health insurance is BRUTAL....

I can recall...

Have you tried Blue Cross ? They had the best plan in my case, but that was for a whole year.

**lost in texas** · 11-14-2007, 01:14 PM

I had World Nomads for my last trip. I actually did go to a doctor once, but never got around to filing the claim when I got back. I assume they would have paid it, but it was only like a 100 euros, so it wasn't a big deal.

**ajb3000** · 11-14-2007, 04:09 PM

woah, 100 euros I would have claimed, the two times I've been to a doctor abroad came to like $10 each though so that really wasn't worth claiming. The one time I really did need my insurance they paid out without too much hassle; they bought me a flight home which came to about £650. It took 5 or 6 days from when I first rang them until I was on a plane, but that was mostly due to the difficulty in communicating with them due to the poor telephone connections and lack of direct flights.

**simply_angelic** · 11-14-2007, 08:21 PM

^ who did you use?