If you're over 70 and planning a holiday, it's likely that you'll be looking for the appropriate travel insurance. Some over-70s may have postponed trips of a lifetime due to pre-existing medical conditions. If this is you, you may have found the prospect of flying away to a foreign country, or even travelling to other parts of the UK, somewhat daunting - largely due to concerns about such conditions flaring up whilst away from home. However, if you know what to look out for during your hunt for holiday insurance, you can ensure you are covered, and this feeling of having a 'safety net' in place can help give you peace of mind whilst away.
Firstly, it is important to choose an insurer specialising in travel insurance for all ages. They will often have comprehensive plans in place to suit your circumstances.
Depending on the type of holiday you have booked, and what activities you have planned, you may have differing insurance requirements to others. For example, a European long weekend away will have a different rate than if you plan on travelling across Asia for six months. You may be planning a cruise, in which case a specialist cruise insurance policy will be the option for you.
The length of your holiday will, of course, be a factor when choosing the correct policy for you. If you are away for an extended period of time (travelling for many months, on a working holiday or sabbatical, for example) you will need to opt for a 'long stay policy'. However, even if you are simply planning a UK mini-break, it is still a good idea to have cancellation cover in place. If you've booked to rent an expensive cottage or stay in an upmarket hotel, you wouldn't want to lose any money if, for whatever reason, you could not attend.
If you enjoy caravanning holidays, consider taking out a special caravan insurance policy to cover you whilst you are on your trip. You will be able to enjoy your holiday to the maximum, safe in the knowledge that you, your caravan, and even your pets, are covered.
Also take into account how frequently you travel. If you are an avid holidaymaker, or even if you go on holiday more than twice a year, you may want to search for an annual policy.
Friday 31 January 2014
Tuesday 21 January 2014
66 Fall Ill On Royal Caribbean Cruise
Sixty-six passengers
fell ill aboard the Majesty of the Seas cruise ship last week, according to a
statement from Royal Caribbean International.
During the
four-night cruise 66 of the 2,300 passengers became sick with a stomach
illness, vomiting and diarrhoea, with two of the more than 800 crew members
also experiencing gastrointestinal issues, the statement said. The company
believes that the cause is norovirus, which is described by the US-based
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a highly contagious bug
that can be spread by an infected person, contaminated water or food, or if a
person is in contact with contaminated surfaces, Royal Caribbean reported.
The company
said that passengers responded well to drugs administered onboard and that it
had undertaken enhanced cleaning of the ship during the journey to help prevent
the illness from spreading further.
The ship
docked in Miami and after that Royal Caribbean conducted an "extensive and
thorough sanitizing" onboard and within the cruise terminal in an effort
to prevent the sickness from affecting the next sailing.
Before
boarding, the passengers on the next trip received a letter asking if they had
experienced any gastrointestinal issues over the past three days. Those who did
not feel well were allowed to reschedule their trip, according to the company.
Back in May
2013, a fire broke out on another Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Grandeur of
the Seas, which forced people to fly back home. And in February last year a
fire in the engine-room of the Carnival Triumph, operated by Carnival Cruise
Lines, forced the ship to drift in the Gulf of Mexico for several days.
Cruise Travel Insurance provided by Onestop4 steps in to financially compensate
passengers affected by these types of events. ‘Withdrawal of Services’ cover is
just one of the many comprehensive benefits provided as standard as part of
this specialist cruise insurance.
Kate Huet,
MD, International Travel and Healthcare Limited said “ It is no fun being on a cruise ship with a
norovirus outbreak. Until the ship has been fully sanitised passengers are
confined to stop the virus spreading. Amenities are immediately withdrawn and
it is not unusual for passengers to be confined to their cabins until the
sanitising has been completed, a long job on a cruise ship with 4000+
passengers.
Similarly,
the loss of engines after a fire results in no power, and with that no air
conditioning, refrigeration of food, heating of food, flushing toilets and many
other discomforts materialise.
We encourage
all cruise passengers to ensure that they have adequate cruise insurance, which
recognises that once on board you are unable to simply check out and relocate
to the nearest hotel, as you would be able to if your holiday hotel was not
meeting your expectations. Cruising is a different “risk” and passengers need
to be aware that they could be affected by more events than a typical hotel-type
holiday would normally present”
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