We strongly recommend trip cancellation and interruption insurance.  You might also want to purchase a short-term medical policy for an overseas trip.  Some US health  providers like Kaiser provide coverage but check with them directly.  Inquire before you leave home.  See <insuremytrip.com> for various plans. 

 

FLIGHT-ACCIDENT INSURANCE

• What to know: This life-insurance policy pays your beneficiary in the event your plane crashes and you perish.

 

• Bottom line: Your regular life-insurance plan covers your death whether or not you’re on vacation. So a flight-accident policy pays off only if you don’t have a regular life-insurance policy.

 

TRAVEL INSURANCE

• What to know: These plans are package deals that include a range of different types of coverage for everything from the cost of medical bills if you get sick to expenses incurred if your trip is canceled. They typically cost 5 to 7 percent of the trip’s total value.  Most insurance companies require you to purchase this insurance within ten days of mailing your deposit.  Should you have to cancel your trip due to illness, you will receive a refund for the land package.  Your airline ticket can normally be reissued for a fee within a year of the day you purchased the ticket, NOT the dates of travel.  Your destination can be changed on reissue of a ticket, so if you will travel within a year of the date of purchase, I usually don't recommend insuring the cost of your airline ticket in the travel insurance.

 

• Bottom line: “Travel insurance is a good option if you’re taking an expensive, prepaid vacation or traveling where your health insurance won’t cover you,” says Michelle Higgins, who writes the Practical Traveler column for The New York Times. Otherwise, skip it. If you’ve planned the getaway yourself, you can cancel or change plans with minimal hassle and cost.  For example, rescheduling your flight due to an illness may cost you $100, but travel insurance could set you back more than a mere penalty. You can compare costs and benefits for more than 100 travel-insurance plans at insuremytrip.com. Click on arrow above.

 

CREDIT AND ATM CARDS: 

• What to know: How to Avoid Credit Card Problems Abroad - New York Times -  June 8, 2011   By Michelle Higgens  

 

If you've ever been frustrated when one of your credit cards won't work in an overseas card reader or ticket machine, read this article by googling it.  Phone your local bank and credit card companies in advance to notify them that you will be out of the country.  If a hold is placed on your ATM or credit card, you will be unable to use it when you most need it!  Bring along around $300 USD for emergencies.