Posts Tagged ‘Travel Insurance’

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5 Popular misconceptions about travel insurance

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Insurance of any kind can be quite a complicated thing – there are often lots of jargon terms used and understanding the levels of cover, and excesses etc, can be quite tricky. The AllClear Jargon Buster could help you here, but to help you even more, we wanted to put to rest some of the popular misconceptions about travel insurance.

Misconception 1: “If I don’t tell my insurers about my medical conditions they won’t find out”

Reality: If you do not tell your travel insurance provider about a pre-existing medical condition, then you will not be covered for any claim arising from or related to the condition. If you then need medical treatment abroad, this could work out very expensive. Make sure you get comprehensive travel insurance that includes your existing medical conditions.

Misconception 2:  “You don’t need travel insurance in Europe if you have an EHIC card”

Reality: Even if you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you’re not fully covered and should still take out travel insurance. This is based on official guidance from the FCO.

Why is that? An EHIC does not mean you are insured. Basically there are restrictions on the treatment available with an EHIC:

  • Few EU countries pay the full cost of medical treatment, even under the European Union’s healthcare arrangements. You still need sufficient travel insurance to cover healthcare costs.
  • In some countries, like Greece, the health service only covers medical treatment, and will not extend to feeding and personal care. But if you have travel insurance, this part of your healthcare will be covered by your travel insurance.
  • If you need an air ambulance home or you can’t travel home on your booked ticket, you could still face a bill of thousands. Just a simple broken ankle, for example, will often mean a medical escort home (usually required by the airline in case of complications in flight) and a first class seat for extra leg room.
  • You will not be covered if you  need extra accommodation to stay with a sick relative

    • 

Misconception 3: “I’ve got annual insurance so I’m covered for everything”

Reality: This is just not true. For example, even if you have annual travel insurance, you will only have winter sports cover if you have added it separately. This blog explains more.

You also need to check two things. First, does your policy have a limit on the number of days you can ski a year? Second, does your policy cover you for where you want to ski?

Misconception 4: “My travel insurance will cover all my costs”

Reality: Make sure you check your policy limits before you buy, as there will be maximum limits on payouts. Also, you will often need to pay an excess (The portion of a claim which must be paid by you, the policy holder). Remember to check the excesses in the policy booklet before you actually buy the policy.

Medical treatment abroad can be very expensive (particularly in certain countries like the USA) so make sure you have sufficient medical expenses cover – many will cover you for millions.

In the same way, check the maximum payout value for cancellation cover. If you are going on a luxury holiday, you may find that the cost of your holiday is more expensive than the standard payout offered in your policy, so make sure you check if you are covered. Some travel insurance providers may offer additional cancellation cover for these circumstances, like AllClear Cruise.

 Misconception 5: “I need to allow an extra few days for my travel insurance, just in case the return flight is delayed”

 Reality:  This is incorrect, you are normally covered by your travel insurance if your flight is delayed. You just need to use the actual dates of your holiday.

Remember, if you are in any doubt about what you are covered for, find out before you go from your travel insurance provider. Also, you can ask any questions below, and we will do our very best to help…

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Posted in Holiday Stress Buster | 4 Comments »

Middle-aged are grumpy because happiness is U-shaped

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
travel insurance for the elderly

Our happiness follows a u-shaped curve, dependent on our age. Are you happy?

 

Just approaching middle age? Already there? Happiness follows a U–shaped curve during a person’s lifetime, according to research showing that middle–aged people are the unhappiest.

Satisfaction with life starts to drop as early as a person’s late 20s and does not begin to recover until well past 50, according to this article.

While young adults are carefree and full of hope for the future and the over–50s have come to terms with the trials of life, the research indicates that those in the middle feel weighed down by the demands on them. The ageing population means an increasing number of middle–aged adults are caught between the responsibilities of raising their children and looking after their elderly parents.

The conclusions come in a study of how people perceive their wellbeing. This research was presented at the Royal Economic Society annual conference at Royal Holloway, the University of London, this week. Although, happiness does return with age, according to the research, older people do not actually recapture the spirit of their youth. They simply learnt to be satisfied with their lot.

Studies around the world have shown that happiness tends to dip in midlife, he said, and that this was not just a phenomenon confined to the Western world.

Lewis Wolpert, professor of biology at University College London, said happiness could peak as late as 80. This is due to an easing of the responsibilities of middle age, maturity and an increased focus on the things we enjoy.

According to a study by the American National Academy of Sciences, based on a survey of 341,000 people, enjoyment of life begins an upward trend in the late 40s and does not peak until 85.

Older people today can benefit from better health and opportunities than previous generations, and research also suggests that our command of language and ability to make decisions increase with age.  Our capacity to concentrate on the parts of life and activities we enjoy, while cutting out things that we dislike, is also said to increase with age.

Ok, so a bit of a dreary post if you are coping with middle age, but quite positive if you have passed middle age – you have lots to look forward to! But if you are middle-aged, now is probably the time to book some holidays to cheer yourself up! Don’t forget your travel insurance!

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Silver Surfers Day

Thursday, May 19th, 2011
travel insurance for older people

Are you a silver surfer?

This Friday is Silver Surfers Day, but before you all head out to Newquay with custom designed silver surfboards, I am talking about surfing of the online variety for the over 55s.

Silver Surfers’ Day is the biggest, national campaign to promote the use of digital technologies by older people and was launched by Digital Unite in 2002. They estimate that over the years more than one hundred thousand older people have engaged with digital technologies as a result of Silver Surfers Day events.

This year, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Silver Surfers’ Day, they have extended the campaign to a week-long activity, Spring Online, 16-20 May, to encourage more people than ever before to take part. Spring Online with Silver Surfers’ Day is delivered by Digital Unite in partnership with UK Online Centres, the BBC and Race Online 2012. 

At AllClear Travel, we think that Silver Surfers Day is a great way to encourage older people to get online.  One way where being online is useful is when searching for travel insurance. Unfortunately, a lot of elderly people often find it difficult to get the comprehensive travel insurance that they need for their holiday, especially if they have medical conditions, but this is where being able to search online makes things a little easier. AllClear Options is the UK’s first specialist travel insurance comparison site, so you can go online and enter all your details just once and then get a range of comprehensive travel insurance quotes, making sure you get the travel insurance that suits you.

Consider yourself a silver surfer? Not been online long? Do let us know your online experiences. And please take a look at AllClear Options and let us know what you think of it, too

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Worried about strikes?

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

We all know the feeling, you have your holiday booked, you have been looking forward to it for ages, and everything is paid for, and then you hear the awful news – there is a strike that impacts on one of your travel routes.

For example, there has been a lot of talk about potential BA strikes at Easter. So here we give you some hints about what you can do if you get caught up in a strike…

  • Travel Insurance: Make sure that you have travel insurance to protect yourself against any potential strike action from a plane, train, coach or ferry company. This will then cover you against potential losses should your flight or travel plans be disrupted. Make sure you check the small print that your cover includes industrial action. Remember, you will not be covered for strike action if the strike was already announced before you get your insurance – so it is always advisable to book your travel insurance as soon as possible.
  • Before travel: Make sure you have provided up to date contact details for your airline or other travel mode, as they may contact you if strike action takes place.
  • Check the law: If your flights gets cancelled altogether because of a strike, you should be entitled to a full refund or a reroute under EU law.

For further information  on the possible BA strikes check out http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/mar/29/ba-strike-passengers-buy-travel-insurance and  http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/apr/03/ba-easter-strike-ready-take-off?INTCMP=SRCH

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Do you need some sunshine in your life?

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

travel insurance for the elderly

How much do you enjoy the sunshine when you are on holiday?

‘After 70 years of age all is trouble and sorrow,” observed Robert Burton in his 17th-century treatise The Anatomy of Melancholy (read more here)

Now that might be a bit of an exaggeration nowadays, but one thing that we can notice as we get older is age-related disturbances of body rhythm – particularly the pattern of sleep and waking. How many older people do you know who get up incredibly early in the morning for example, even though they are retired, or don’t go to sleep until 2am – or are you one of those people?

Well there is some treatment for these disturbed sleep patterns, according to a report in the Archive of General Psychiatry . This is Bright Light Treatment. Just three weeks’ worth of light treatment produced a significant improvement in mood, comparable to that achieved by drugs, along with an increase in ”sleep efficiency’’. This form of treatment, he suggests, “provides a viable alternative to those who refuse, resist or are unable to take antidepressant medication”.

An interesting idea. Or maybe we all just need lots more holidays in the sunshine instead!? Remember, AllClear can provide specialist travel insurance for the elderly or if you have any existing medical conditions.

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Are you really happy?

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

 

travel insurance for the elderly

Do you know how to be happy?

Are you really happy? Do you know how to make yourself happy? Well, a new organisation called Action for Happiness wants to spread the message of how we can change the world for the better.

Now a lot of the tips are pretty obvious…

  • Exercise is a key factor in health and wellbeing

But some make you think a little more:

  • Thanking people each evening for the good they have done you during the day serves as a protection against mild depression.

For much of the past century the best route to happiness was thought to be economic growth. Yet for all the new technological developments we see every day, innovations in things are not always likely to make us happy. Instead, your happiness is likely to be most affected by a holistic childcare centre for children or a hospice for the very old, a reading group or a bicycle hire scheme or an urban farm.

The problem is, according to this article, there are thousands of brilliant projects to improve happiness, but there is no clear system in place to decide which products get funding or support and can be scaled up enough to make an impact.

However, this idea of increasing happiness through social innovations has interested the government here, and in countries such as France and Canada. Barack Obama now has a small office for social innovation in the White House. Big corporations are also considering these new measures for happiness.

There is rising confidence in these social innovation ideas. For example, the award of the Nobel peace prize to Muhammad Yunus for his Grameen Bank is a classic example of a social innovation, providing small amounts of credit for poor women in rural Bangladesh.

Another factor is the changing shape of the economy. The industries of “wellness” look most likely to dominate the economy in 10 or 20 years time, as opposed to cars or steel or ships. Health is already a dominant sector in most societies and the one most guaranteed to grow.

There are also some good examples of business engagement in social innovation. For example M-Pesa, which uses mobile phones in east Africa to provide an entirely new banking system for poor people. This is a social innovation that promotes happiness, but is being run as a commercial operation.

Now ageing is a really good example of how to we need to think about improving our happiness. Life expectancy is rising by around three months every year and the evidence suggests that many of the most powerful factors determining how you age come from what you do, and what you do with others: whether you work, whether you play music, whether you have regular visitors – basically your level of social support.

So one thing to consider here is holidays, which can be a great chance to experience new cultures and meet new people as we get older. One problem here though – unfortunately, a lot of elderly people often find it difficult to get the comprehensive travel insurance that they need for their holiday. So, if you are looking for travel insurance, make sure you use a specialist provider, so you can get the insurance you need and go on your holiday, so improving your own happiness! All sounds good to me!

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Living with Cancer

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
Travelling with cancer

There are things to think about when travelling with cancer

The Times is running a special supplement this week, all about living with cancer.

It will include information about how people’s lives change when they are diagnosed with cancer.  Currently, two million people in the UK are living with cancer, a number set to double by 2030 as diagnoses are made earlier and treatments improve

Two in every five of those diagnosed with the disease are of working age. The Times have put this supplement together to help, inform and reassure readers who have been affected.

The point they make is that because cancer is a way of life for so many people, we need to try and think of it in a different way. The new reality of cancer is that it is not a disease to be conquered, but a normal part of life that needs to be managed and adjustments made.

At AllClear, we agree with this advice, because we believe that if you have cancer, you still want to live your life as fully as you possibly can, and that includes going on holiday. You may want to plan a holiday for the end of your treatment, or that of a loved one, to relax and recuperate. So we have provided some tips on travelling with cancer here that might be useful for you.

Travel Insurance: You will need to arrange specialist cancer travel insurance. This is vital in case you fall ill and have to be brought home, or have unexpected further cancer treatment abroad, as this could be very expensive. Your cancer travel insurance will give you complete peace of mind so you can get on with enjoying your holiday. You may have had difficulty in finding travel insurance to cover your cancer in the past but because AllClear specialize in travel insurance for cancer patients, check out our website.

Talk to a Medical Professional: They may be able to suggest a good time to go, as well as helping to decide what is realistic for you. They can let you know if you are fit to travel.

Destination Decisions: For many, travelling with cancer will have little effect on their holiday. However, you may feel more tired following cancer treatment so you should check that the facilities you need are close to where you are staying. Also, certain cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy, leave the skin more sensitive to the sun. Consider your flight length, because some people with cancer are at greater risk of developing blood clots or DVT.

Vaccinations: If you are having certain cancer drugs or have a weakened immune system, you may not be able to have the required vaccinations for your holiday destination, so check with your doctor.

Medication: If you are taking any cancer medication, you should plan how much you need to take with you and get make sure you have extra in case you lose any.

 Also, look out for the 20-page supplement in the Times on Wednesday entitled Living with Cancer. It combines personal accounts with articles from specialist writers and columnists in the field of health, science and lifestyle.

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Posted in Travelling with Cancer, Travelling with Medical Conditions | No Comments »

Families pay more for holidays

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
travel insurance AllClear Options

Booking a half term break for the whole family, but what about the price?

 

I am assuming that this title above doesn’t surprise you – we are all aware that unfortunately, holidays that are during the school holidays cost more. Given that it was the Half Term school holiday for a lot of people 2 weeks, this issue could have been larger than life for you, as you tried to enjoy a short break.

In fact, according to this article, families are being charged up to 269%  more to go on holiday over the half-term break. On average, trips for the week of February 19 to 26, when most British schoolchildren were off, were 53% more expensive than going two weeks later.

It means a family of four, going to some of the most popular destinations including Florida, Lanzarote, Mallorca, Gran Canaria and Crete, will have to pay an average of £1,132 more. One four-star resort in Lanzarote was charging half-term guests an extra £4,619. Packages with flights departing from London airports had the biggest price increases – on average 67% more expensive than the same flights two weeks later.

And choosing to go abroad outside half-term is often not an option – parents risk large fines and children miss out on their schooling.

So what other options are there to try and reduce the cost? You might think waiting to book holiday extras until the last minute could save money, as the tour operators will be more desperate to sell. But that thinking would also be wrong. Car parking, travel insurance, currency and car rental could also add an additional £632 to a family holiday.

 Consumer adviser and Daily Express columnist Jasmine Birtles, from Money Magpie said: “Travel companies are trying to scoop money wherever they can. They have had a difficult past year, with the ash cloud and the financial situation, so they are just trying to get as much money where they can. They are picking on people who don’t have a choice.”

At AllClear, we agree with Jasmine Birtles, it is a real shame that holiday prices are on the increase for families, but unfortunately travel insurance are a necessary part of that expense, particularly if you need cover for medical conditions. However, at AllClear, we are trying to do our best to help you save that little bit on your holiday, with AllClear Options, the UK’s first medical travel insurance comparison site. With AllClear Options, you can get a range of medical travel insurance quote, and choose the one that suits you, at the price that suits you.

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Holidays and Half Term

Thursday, February 24th, 2011
family travel insurance

How are you enjoying half term?

So you are halfway through the half term holidays –are you pulling your hair out, or have you enjoyed spending more time with the kids? It always makes me laugh how in the week before half term, the TV and social media are full of good free/cheap things to do with your kids. But it is understandable that some people would rather try and go on holiday abroad during half term.

So I thought that I would put this blog together for people to share their half term experiences.

Did you choose to go abroad this year? Was that a good idea? How was it sorting out your travel insurance?

Or did you choose to stay at home? Is that working out more expensive than going abroad, do you think? Or have you managed to find cheaper ways to keep the kids occupied.

Please do share your experiences, we would love to know what you think…

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Rock Band guitarist reveals how a radioactive injection beat his prostate cancer

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

According to this article, Andy Scott, a guitarist from the rock band Sweet, first found he was suffering from prostate cancer after suffering from painful stomach cramps, but a radioactive injection helped him fight the cancer.

So what is his story? Well basically, following his stomach problems.  Andy had routine blood tests which showed he had raised prostate-­specific antigen (PSA) levels, a marker for prostate cancer — while normal readings are around four, Andy’s was 20. More tests showed he had an aggressive walnut-sized tumour that had broken through the ­covering of the prostate gland and was at risk of spreading.

Andy was told he needed surgery to remove the tumour and the prostate, followed by radiotherapy. There can be pretty severe side effects with this surgery, including urinary incontinence and impotence, due to the risk of nerve damage.

However, Andy’s surgeon told him about another option — instead of surgery he could have an intense form of radiotherapy, known as high dose rate brachytherapy.  This involves putting a tiny ­radioactive seed inside the prostate via a needle or catheter and then removing it 20 minutes later — because the radiation isn’t beamed through healthy tissue, it causes less damage. There is still a risk, although this is thought to be much less than with surgery and conventional ­radiotherapy.

First, Andy had to undergo standard hormone treatment to shrink the tumour. Then Andy had two brachytherapy treatments. He then had a lower dose of conventional radiotherapy for four-and-a-half weeks to make sure all the cancer had gone. Tests then confirmed there was no sign of the cancer, and he was soon back performing at gigs.

Around 36,000 men in Britain are diagnosed with the cancer each year and 10,000 die of the disease, but this new treatment provides some new hope for people suffering from prostrate cancer. March is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month so I wanted to share this blog post with you to let you know about the new treatment.

AllClear supports prostate cancer awareness month given that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and more needs to be known about the treatment and diagnosis options available. We also know that for people with cancer, a holiday may be really important for rest and recuperation, and that is why we offer travel insurance for prostate cancer.  You can find out more about travelling with cancer here.

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