Guest Post: Top Travel Insurance Tips 11.28.11

Today's guest post comes from Joe Johnson, aka Backpack Joe, from the UK. Please make sure to check out his site and Twitter feed (shown at the end of this post).

Going on holiday is invariably one of the highlights of the year, unless of course you’re a wealthy oil tycoon and your whole year is one big holiday, but since you’re reading this, I’d wager that you’re not (what oil tycoon needs travel insurance?!). Everything about going on holiday is exciting, planning which restaurants to go to, flip-flop shopping, frantically scrabbling to locate your passport in the ‘safe’ draw, getting travel insurance… Oh wait.

Ok, almost everything about preparing for a holiday is exciting, and while travel insurance may be an unwelcome aside, it is nevertheless necessary, if only to give you piece of mind. Getting injured, falling ill or having your laptop pilfered is inconvenient in the outskirts of Coventry, but when you’re in an unfamiliar country where you don’t speak the language, it can be more than distressing. Best shell out for travel insurance then. Here are some tips for ensuring you get the right type of insurance, and getting the most out of it should you need to use it.

1. Get Insurance 

Sounds obvious right? Maybe, but so many people make the mistake of not taking out travel insurance and regretting it afterwards when they end up with hospitals bills for thousands of pounds/dollars. You wouldn’t take to the road without car insurance, so don’t take a holiday without travel insurance.

2. Get the right Type of Insurance

Travel insurance covers many different things: injury, illness, delayed flights, loss or theft of possessions, and while you don’t want to go away without any kind of insurance you need to get the type that will suit your trip. If you’re going backpacking for example, you won’t need the same kind of insurance that would be suitable for, say, a business trip.

3. Abide by the Rules

As we all know, insurance policies are riddled with loop holes, so make sure you tick all the boxes by obeying the rules. This means checking in on time so you can claim if your flight is delayed.

4. Report Theft Immediately

If you are unfortunate enough to have your possessions stolen on holiday (or carelessly lose them), you must report to the local police in order to record the loss or theft. A crime reference number will usually be given. Failure to do this may mean you cannot claim on your policy.

5. Take Notes

If you do claim, your insurance company will want to know the precise details of what happened. Make sure you note every last detail down – what happened, when it happened, where it happened and why it happened. Make sure your story is water-tight or you’ll get caught out!

6. Get Luggage Insurance

We all know how heavy-handed ground staff at the airport can be. Not a problem if you have suitcases full of clothes, but a real risk of you have prized items in tow like a snowboard, guitar or canoe. Make sure any, large fragile, valuable items are insured. Oh, and always padlock your suitcase. Use TSA approved locks.

7. Keep Your Insurers Abreast of Changes

If you make any changes ahead of your holiday, be that changes to your schedule, holiday dates, hotel, car rental details or anything even mildly significant , be sure to inform your insurers so your policy can be adjusted accordingly.

8. Buy in Bulk

If you are travelling as a couple or a family, get group coverage. It’ll work out a lot cheaper than buying individual policies.

9. Think Long-term

The reason travel insurance can sometimes seem very expensive can simply be because you’re unprepared and disorganised. If you think you’ll be going away multiple times through the course of a year (lucky you) then buy a year's coverage since it’ll work out cheaper than buying many short-term policies. Consider what kind of holidays you’ll be going on, too. Skiing holidays require a different type of coverage than beach holidays.

10. Be Persistent with Claims

By their very nature, insurance companies don’t want to pay out for claims. They’ll try every trick in the book in an attempt to refute a claim. For this reason, you need to be persistent when claiming or insurance companies will brush you aside with legal jargon.

Joe is a travel blogger from the UK who always takes out insurance before going away! 

For more travel insurance tips, check out my earlier blog post.

Review: BlueAvocado Reusable Bag Set from Reuseit.com

Do you find yourself at the grocery store and either forgetting your reusable bags or wishing you had better ones? I love reusable bags. They hold more than those plastic bags, are easier to carry and help save the environment, because they aren’t clogging up a landfill for a million years. Reuseit.com asked me to review any of their reusable totebags and I jumped at the chance, because these are items that are always multi-purpose for home and travel.

Reuseit.com is committed to saving the planet through reusable products, like lunch bags, tote bags, bottles and more. I’m totally on board with a company like that. Some of their products are even made with recycled materials. I asked to review the BlueAvocado Starter Set that comes in two attractive color choices – burgundy and lime – both of which are great for men or women.

The set came at the perfect time: right before Thanksgiving, so I tested it out buying dinner fixings. The starter kit comes with 3 bags that all stash in the one bigger bag and fold up and you can buy other gro-pak bags to make your set bigger. This set comes with the pak carry-all bag, veg produce bag and pod stuff n’ go bag. Pod folds into its own pouch and then clips onto pak with a carabiner clip, while veg fits in the mesh pocket inside pak. The set can hold up to 50 lbs of product, has wide durable straps that comfortably fit on your shoulder and would also be an awesome set to take on trips where you plan to do shopping of all kinds or visit farmers markets.

Many things fit in all three bags and even though they were heavy, they were still easy to carry. As you can see, I was able to get a good deal in the big bag and probably could have fit more if I tried. The same with the pod tote. Only the veggie bag was stuffed full, but it held up well and none of my veggies were squished.

The gro-pak line of bags is made from recycled materials and replaces 8 plastic shopping bags per trip. They were created by women and 1% of the sales are invested in women entrepreneurs around the world via kiva.org. They pledge to keep 1 billion plastic bags off our streets this year. With many cities across the nation (and world) banning plastic bags, this great set will really help make shopping easier. Because it folds and stores easily, you can tuck it in your purse, when you leave the house and then you won't forget your bags in the car. Also, they are  washable, so when they get dirty, you can throw them in the washing machine, let them air dry and they will be ready to go for your next shopping trip!

BlueAvocado makes many other bags, as well as gro, a multi-use bag, and chill, a PVC-free insulated bag, that go along with this set, and Reuseit.com sells a ton of other functional and stylish bags and products to help make your travel and home shopping easier and eco-friendly. I am so thrilled with this set, that I'll be taking it with me on trips where I will be planning on hitting the grocery store. Also, my mom was so excited about it, she asked for a set for Christmas. 

So, if you have a environmentalist on your holiday list, this is great idea for them and reusable tote bags are an ideal alternative to gift wrap and traditional gift bags. You will be the most creative gift-giver at your exchange this year!

Please note: This review was sponsored by reuseit.com and they provided me with product; however, all opinions are 100% my own.

Don't forget about Small Business Saturday today:

I can help you shop Small. I consider myself a small business and if you want to get a copy (or three) of Shereen Travels Cheap, I’ll give you a code for 20% off! Purchase the book through my page on CreateSpace and use code BBGHV9F8 and purchase an ebook through Smashwords and use code CL73Z. I’ve already had several people I know buy two or more copies as holiday gifts, so I know travel is a great gift to give. These codes will be good through Cyber Monday (November 28).

Shop “Local” on Small Business Saturday 11.23.11

This Saturday is Small Business Saturday. You are encouraged to frequent independent stores, restaurants and other merchants. I try to do this as much as possible, at home and on vacation. Why should you stay, dine or shop local instead of sticking with brand names you know? Let’s talk about “Small Business” in relationship to travel and you can see how it correlates to your hometown. 

What are the advantages? There are so many, it’s hard to list them all, but I’ll definitely give you the biggest ones. See how it can save you money and immerse you in a new culture. When faced with new names and new places, I get a jolt of excitement, because I love new things. I want to stay somewhere cool and unlike other places I’ve stayed, eat new, delicious food and shop in family-owned stores that have totally unique merchandise. I know I’m much more adventurous than a lot of other people, but I think if you make the commitment to travel to new and exotic places and want to have a whole new experience, cut your ties with your normal life and psyche yourself up for doing something different and potentially life-changing.

I bring my comforts of home with me (travel blanket, Kindle, iPod, netbook), so if I need to just get back in my own familiar mode for a bit, I totally can when I get back to my room at the end of the day. Not sure you’ll love the food in a foreign land? That’s okay. Nobody else is either. Throw some snacks from home in your bag that you know you enjoy. It also helps when you’re walking around getting all that exercise and start to get a bit hungry in between meals. This happens to me all the time on vacation and I tend to want to eat all day long, so keeping a stash of goodies in my day bag is a good idea wherever I am.

Shop Local (or small). I’m sure you hear this all the time where you live. Shop local and support your local farmers, other workers and economy.  Makes sense. Shopping where you live can be beneficial to yourself and others in your community. Well, the same goes for travel. Shop local grocers, farmers markets and family-owned shops. Not only will you be helping the local economy thrive, but you’re also going to get better deals on local foods, engage with the locals, find authentic merchandise that is likely handmade or, at the very least, made in the area and go home with memories of the quaint stores you shopped in, instead of memories of wandering the endless aisles of a Wal-Mart (or similar).

I can help you shop Small this Saturday, too. I consider myself a small business and if you want to get a copy (or three) of Shereen Travels Cheap, I’ll give you a code for 20% off! Purchase the book through my page on CreateSpace and use code BBGHV9F8 and purchase an ebook through Smashwords and use code CL73Z. I’ve already had several people I know buy two or more copies as holiday gifts, so I know travel is a great gift to give. These codes will be good through Cyber Monday (November 28).

Eat Local. With the same premise as shopping local, eating local is even better. When you go out to have a nice meal, ask the people who live in the area that you come in contact with where they recommend. They aren’t going to point your towards McDonalds (I hope). Likely, they will send you to one of their favorite dining destinations that has local and, likely, more affordable fare. When people come to Portland and ask where a nice place to have dinner is, I don’t point them immediately to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, even though it’s delicious. I can’t afford to eat there, though, so I give them directions to places that I love to eat at, like Seasons & Regions, and can do so without having to save for three weeks. Travelers always appreciate suggestions for restaurants that are tasty and they don’t have at home. And just like with shopping, the food will probably be much more authentic than those that you see on the main street that cater to tourists.

Eating local also ensures that you find new and different foods. Those restaurants that have the local cuisine are going to be less expensive than others that have to order their food from other regions. If you’re visiting Germany, you’re always going to get a better price on German cuisine than if you went hunting for an Italian eatery. It just makes sense. Check out TopTable for listings of restaurants in the area you’ll be traveling. You can read reviews, book a table and get big discounts. You can also check out TripAdvisor and find diner reviews on hundreds of thousands of eateries worldwide.

Stay Local. I know this sounds odd, since you’re obviously going to stay local, but the point is that many chain hotels are still owned by other countries. You can also save money by not staying at big brand hotels, because the smaller ones have really competitive rates. Plus, many are more “traditional” to where they are located and can offer more personal service. While you probably won’t get a hotel with conference rooms and a gym, how many times have you ever used those things on vacation anyway? They still offer breakfasts, WiFi, pools and many other amenities you’re used to and will actually take advantage of. 

The employees of any hotel should be able to give you tips on where to eat, play and shop, but locally-owned hotels can give you the inside scoop and don’t get kick-backs for their suggestions. (Not all hotels do this, but many brand name hotels often get comped in some way for pointing hotel guests to certain establishments. Make sure to ask hotel workers that don’t work the front desk or concierge for their ideas, because they don’t have any affiliations.)

Choose carefully, just as you would any other lodging. You aren’t going in blindly, though. There are so many review sites to read up on hotels worldwide that it’s almost impossible to not find any reviews of almost any accommodation. Ask your friends and extended social network where they stayed when they went and then check out sites like TripAdvisor, Venere and Travelocity for traveler’s comments.

So again, shop, eat and stay small and local for these awesome reasons:

·                     Help the economy

·                     Get to know the locals

·                     Find more authentic food and merchandise

·                     Get immersed in the culture

·                     Try new things and find new favorites

·                     Get out of your “comfort zone”

·                     Eat where the locals do

·                     And, as always, save money

Your local shops and eateries will thank you, as well as all those independent merchants on your trips and you'll find brand-new places, food and things you may love that you will return to when you make it back to that destination. Small Business Saturday is waiting for you. Make it a Small Business Year.