box – Balashiha http://balashiha.su Sat, 22 Sep 2012 20:00:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.19 Traveling With Your Bicycle http://balashiha.su/?p=9929 http://balashiha.su/?p=9929#respond Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:06:37 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=9929 Traveling With Your Bicycle

Travel. Sights. Memories. What could be more relaxing than touring through the Italian or French countryside than being on your single bike or tandeming with your favorite person in the whole world? (hey guys, nothing is the correct answer!). 

How do I go about getting my bike there and then what do I do?  Well, a guided tour company is the way to go for those that don’t have the time or gumption to set up their own tour.

You can have some really good tours on your own if you are willing to do some leg work and set up your own tour. My wife and I have been on three guided tours and one self guided tour in Europe and I have been on one bicycle trip without her.  I can tell you the first time or two it is a good idea to take a touring company’s guidance and the experience they offer when traveling abroad.

Now that we have a few trips under us and the unguided tour it really isn’t a problem but it sure would have been difficult to assimilate not only the language barrier but the cultural differences you have to wade through without being exposed to things gradually in the guided tours.

Traveling outside the United States can be a little daunting for some people so the hand holding is not a sign of weakness but should be looked upon as a way to get your feet wet so you can do it on your own later. Granted, there is a cost to having someone take care of all of the details for you, but if you pay attention and learn what they are doing, ask some directed questions and keep your mind open, you can do it yourself.

The touring companies will take care of almost every aspect of your trip except getting your bike there (unless you rent one of their bikes, but then you wouldn’t be reading this if you were going to use one of theirs).

You are most likely going to take your single bike or your tandem with you or again you wouldn’t be reading this. Getting it there in one piece is pretty important. The best way to get your bike there is with a dedicated travel case.  I have used several types of travel cases including a Crate Works bike box and a Serfas travel case.

Of the two, I really like the Crate Works box.  Take a look at them over on my site about specific cases.   You might look at this case and not believe that it would work but I prefer this case over my Serfas injection molded plastic box. The Crate Works box has a ton of room on the inside and I have used it on my last three trips overseas and my bike has come out looking just as I packed it. I even saw the guys on the tarmac loading my bike and they weren’t nice to it yet it didn’t bother the bike inside.  Another good thing about this case it that it folds flat for storage at home.

Back to the traveling part; If you do plan to go it alone, or should I say without a guide you will need to know a few things. Maybe some of the things that I have learned can save you some headaches.

Research your destination to know where to ride.

Sure you say, I know that. No, really. Take some time, get Michelin maps and study them. Know what the symbols on the maps really mean. You don’t want to be on your bike and have to guess if the road really goes where you thought it went. Get a GPS! The Garmin Edge 705 is just the ticket to put on your bike. I used a Garmin Nuvi 250W that was made for a car and it was a pain to put it out of your pocket, put it back in, pull it back out etc. The Edge 705 wasn’t available until I got back. Now that I have used one, wow, it really works!

Stay in touch

How are you going to stay in touch with your family and friends while on you travel? Calling cards work okay. Internet phones are a good idea if you have access to an internet connection or cafe. Generally speaking though, free internet connections are harder to find around Europe than they are here in the United States. Most of the sites that you want to connect to in Europe will be a pay per session or pay per hour type. This is true in hotels as well as wandering around.

International cell phone rental is a good option.  Mobal Phone rental is who I have used for the last three trips to Europe. If you want, you can see about them on on my site. What I really like about them is they are truly an inexpensive option if you only plan to use the phone on trips and not here in the United States. There are no, none, not a single one, hidden charges when you get one of their phones. You simply buy the phone (I got the $49 model), and you pay for what you use, period. You don’t use the phone for a year, you don’t pay a dime. Compare this to AT&T’s plan (higher rates per minute than Mobal’s), Verizon (you might get a lower price per minute but you have to buy the $80 sim card and you have to figure in the $15 per month charge for the international plan you have to add).

If you are going to use your phone overseas like you do here; 10,000 minutes a month, 9000 text messages, etc you might want to consider one of the higher models or just setting up service over there. If you just want a phone to say call home, check on the kids and stay in touch, the Mobal phones are really the way to go. I even let my friends take it on trips with them and they end up buying one for the next trip. You can get a nifty thing from Mobal too that if you sign up a friend, you get a discount off the per minute charges on your own phone. I think I am up to 50% off now with all of the friends that have ended up getting phones from these guys.

If you want to get some more information come on over to my site about bicycles at tandem-bicycle-central.com  I talk about more things about biking than can be covered in the scope of this article

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=9929 0
UAE Travel And Tours – List of Driving Institutes in UAE http://balashiha.su/?p=10043 http://balashiha.su/?p=10043#respond Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:17:21 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=10043 UAE Travel And Tours – List of Driving Institutes in UAE

UAE or other Middle East region has lots of places to visit their. Some are far along with some are near to your destination. But you can enjoy with your vehicle or after taking vehicle on rent near to you. But what would happen if you donot know how to drive vehicle in UAE or Middle East region. At this situation, you need to help for driving institutes. There are lots of driving institutes around the Middle East region.
Emirates Driving Institute: this is private driving institutes in UAE country with 1500 employees. It has 49 branches over the UAE, along with 1500 vehicles. It has one division also named with Al Fujairah National Driving Institute. Its official address is Emirates Driving Institute, Airport Road, Al Qusais Area, P.O. Box 20948, Dubai, UAE along with telephone number +971 4-263-1100  and website http://www.edi-uae.com/ . It provides driving teaching along with license light motor vehicle, fork lift, heavy vehicle, motorcycle shovel and defensive desert driving through computerized programs. With latest updated facilities, it has now started Disabled Driver Training in Dubai.
Belhasa Driving Center: this is private ownership based driving institutes, established at 2001. Right now it has 1000 employees along with 775 vehicles. It has 12 branches around the UAE with official address Al Wasl Club, Al Zabail Street, P.O. Box 76252, Dubai, UAE along with telephone number +971 4-324-3535 with website www.bdc.ae. It provides training courses for light motor vehicle, heavy vehicles, motorcycle, defensive driving, forklift safety operating and desert driving. It has been issued around to 200,000 driving license till 2005. BDC offers specialized courses like Incident Avoidance, Diamond Advanced Motorists course, Chauffer course, Progressive Driver Development, Chauffer course, UAE familiarization course, Surveillance security and pursuit driving courses.
Galadari Motor Driving Centre: this is government certified driving institutes with 200 instructors and 550 vehicles.  It provides training courses and licenses to Light Motor Vehicles, Fork Lift trucks, Heavy Motor Vehicles and motor-cycles. Its office address belongs to Al Ghusais Industrial Area, P.O.Box 80771, Dubai, UAE with telephone number 00971-4-2676166 and website http://www.gmdc.ae/ .
Fujairah National Driving Institute: After the success of Emirates driving institutes, management started its new branch in Fujairah with name of Fujairah National Driving institute. This branch offers driving license in short time of period to individual. The driving institute is located at PO BOX: 3833, Al Heel Road, Fujairah, UAE along with 00971-9-2222333 and website http://www.fndi.ae/ .

Visit website for driving institutes, Middle East driving institutes, driving institutes list .

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=10043 0
Very cheap holidays – Tips to find the best vacation cheap Mississippi http://balashiha.su/?p=10245 http://balashiha.su/?p=10245#respond Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:29:31 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=10245 Very cheap holidays – Tips to find the best vacation cheap Mississippi

After Mississippi cheap holiday is a fantastic opportunity for people, nature lovers, water and or his lack of experience, expressed a sort of love for a spouse, children, parents, having others do not age in I want to lose, can be much more convenient and efficient than a typical holiday or vacation home, resorts, hotels and other recreational areas. Besides being very convenient, it is a lot of fun events for the enjoymentWhich Cruiser Cruise Lines continues to explore the mind blowing massive demonstrations in Mississippi, presented the site of concerts, games and other activities on board ships on the Mississippi River and share the specific needs of all age groups, encounter groups, and seven .

Knowing that all categories of cruises is for there are many possibilities for passengers on board, a time for facials, manicures, pedicures, hair and body treatments, massages select the file. Besides eatingswimming and lunch on board, passengers who want to or can spend some time in the pool to do this as many ships now have many swimming pools, sometimes as with water slides. A holiday on a boat along the Mississippi presents the opportunity to visit with passengers, or to see, many places are the Yazoo City, New Orleans, St. Louis, Cleveland, Tennessee and other major ports, therefore, a unique view of America. Typical economic Mississippi Vacations, ships in ports of call in exciting times for docking Which boarders on the catwalk of a walk if they are so interested, stop taking.

READ MORE http://www.verycheapholidays.goodarticlesite.com/tips-to-find-the-best-vacation-cheap-mississippi/

The song JCPenney Commercial

JCPenny has always been a company that used his music in advertising. The songs are always something to talk about people and online search. The ad for JCPenny American Living is a popular search term. There are three different places with three different songs. They also spot of Christmas, Valentine’s Day commercials and promotional films, which are a bit ‘controversial.

General Advertising

The songs are for American Living “Killing the Blues”.”Let’s Dance” and “Have You Ever.” In 2008 Back to School JCPenny commercial song was “Do not You Forget About Me.” It ‘s a great tribute to “The Breakfast Club.” Children presented dance and drama, as they played in the film. Another back to school song was “Rock Your Body” by Lee Stagg. Commercial Magic in 2007, used the song by Regina Spektor called “Music Box”.

Holiday Advertising

One of the most controversial JCPenny commercial song wasSong from 1980 called “99 Red Balloons”. The song is actually a nuclear war, but only fragments of the song were used. Although the song has a meaning other than the destination, it was a nice shops

READ MORE http://www.verycheapholidays.goodarticlesite.com/the-song-jcpenney-commercial/

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=10245 0
Public Transport Etiqutte http://balashiha.su/?p=7089 http://balashiha.su/?p=7089#respond Sun, 03 Jul 2011 02:02:55 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=7089 Public Transport Etiqutte

Inside modern society, it appears apparent, certainly to me, that we are generally residing in a self obsessed society. We want the very best for ourselves, and forget about everybody else. This is never more apparent than on public transport. I reside in London, and for work, have to travel into central London on the London underground train network, and also London busses. This journey lasts roughly sixty minutes, so a couple of hours to my job and back every day. Daily, I’ll see people who have very little regard for others, only doing what suits themselves best, and I believe it’s a shame folks have this attitude. In this article, I’d like to put forward ideas relating to the correct etiquette when using trains and buses, that ought to make the journey and experience a pleasure to every one who make use of it.
Firstly, I’d want to mention the beginning of the journey, as starting well, will put you off on a good foot. When boarding a train or bus, it’s kind and considerate to stand around the side of the doors while they open, so that it will allow those coming off the train or bus adequate space in which to do so. It’s not a good idea to stand directly infront of the opening door, as the person getting off is going to squeeze past you, and most likely might come barging into you with their body or their possessions.
For everyone travelling with luggage that can take up lots of room, or perhaps with babies or young children, it’s recommended that you travel during off peak hours when possible. I wouldn’t recommend travelling along with your suitcase at 8am on a weekday within rush hour, as those around you are in a rush, and possess little patience, and are often in a poor mind set already at the prospect of going to work, so don’t tip them over the edge. Travelling with big luggage uses up a lot of room, that’s much needed during busy periods, plus holds back those surrounding you as you move it. Another good idea when carrying big luggage is to try and get on the train or bus last out of those getting on. You’ll discover, if you get on the train or bus first along with your suitcase, and the transport then fills out and you need to get off, how hard is it likely to be trying to squeeze that suitcase past everyone so you can get off? It’s far easier to stand nearby the door, out of the way, to ensure people can simply get on / off around you, and so that you disturb few individuals when exiting yourself. Obviously, possibly you have a strict schedule where you can’t get rid of travelling during busy periods, but if you do, try and be considerate and see things from the point of view of the other passengers.
When on the train, don’t be someone who has their mp3 music player or personal stereo on at a ridiculous volume, effecting those around you. Also, on a similar note, it’s no fun if someone next to you is eating take out, or some other food with a strong smell, particularly when they discard of the leftovers in a casual manner, leaving the box on a seat or on the ground.
This brings me onto another point, litter. Whatever you bring onto the train or bus, should go with you once you leave. Don’t dump stuff behind you, as your making the transport method a less enjoyable experience to the individuals that need to make use of it.
If your seated and see an old person, or someone with a disability, or a person with a child, please surrender your seat for that person, particularly when your in good health yourself, as I’m sure that person needs the seat much more than you.
This is the end of this article, and I hope you found it an enjoyable read, and gained something from it. I’d like to thank you for reading.

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=7089 0
How to Live the High Life in Phuket http://balashiha.su/?p=4959 http://balashiha.su/?p=4959#respond Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:33:38 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=4959 How to Live the High Life in Phuket

You might think that Phuket is all about beaches and beer bars. Although at first you may not see it, Phuket has a social scene filled with trendsetters and the island’s well-to-do sorts. If you want to live the high life in Phuket, you have to follow the socialite trail and wine and dine in all the right places. Soon enough, you’ll become a familiar face and will be able to meet the right people, darling.

First of all, you have to look the part. We’re not talking sandals and Beer Chang vests here. Phuket’s social butterflies are snappy dressers. If you want to fit in, ditch those tired clothes and head to Central Festival or Jungceylon to buy yourself some new threads.

When it comes to dining out, Phuket’s butterflies flutter to a variety of places. Baba Dining Lounge at Sri Panwa has been vogue for a while thanks to its secluded location, snazzy d?cor and a great menu. The owner is something of a familiar face around the island, so there are regular parties at Sri Panwa where people go to drink, dance and mingle.

Another popular haunt at the moment is White Box just before Kamala Hill. White Box is a jazzy restaurant that has great views out over Patong Bay. It’s a little out of the way for tourists, so it’s generally only frequented by Phuket’s socializing residents. White Box also hosts a number of parties with the music policy focused on hip hop or house.

Another hip restaurant is Ratri Jazztaurant in Kata. The steep climb up a hill is worthwhile because of the magical views you’re treated to from the restaurant. Great food and jazz music make for the perfect combination.

On the subject of parties, if you want to be seen in all the right places, you’re going to have to closely follow the party circuit. BYD Lofts is a chilled-out place at the Club Andaman Resort. It’s a great spot to grab a bite to eat and a few drinks while listening to the live music. A lot of people visit BYD before heading to Club Lime.

Club Lime is just about the hippest venue in Phuket. The music ranges from house and electro to techno and breaks. Don’t expect to hear any pop or cheesy dance tunes. At weekends, people dance the nights away at Club Lime until well into the morning. The drinks are expensive and there’s usually a cover charge. The venue looks fabulous, however, and it attracts a fashionable crowd from week to week.

If you want to win some kudos points with the “it” crowd, you’re going to need to find a way to get into the island’s biggest parties, which usually happen as part of Phuket Raceweek and the King’s Cup Regatta. The final party of the King’s Cup is always particularly memorable. Making friends in the right places will help you get invited to Phuket’s many parties throughout the year.

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=4959 0
How to Have a Cheap Vacation With Children http://balashiha.su/?p=4937 http://balashiha.su/?p=4937#respond Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:26:30 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=4937 How to Have a Cheap Vacation With Children

When you are single, it is easy to have a cheap vacation. If you want to travel somewhere and do not want to pay for a hotel room, you can simply backpack and camp out. If you are looking to go abroad, you can stay in a hotel and save tons of money. But once you have children, it becomes much more difficult to book a cheap vacation. Children have special needs, especially young ones, and can often turn a camping trip that would be relaxing into a nightmare. There are some ways, however, to make a vacation for the whole family a cheap vacation.

Look for packages

When you are vacationing and looking for a cheap vacation, many hotels will offer a package deal that you can use. These deals might include sight seeing tours or babysitting services. One of the ways to find these package deals is to constantly look for them, but many hotels will allow you to sign up on their email mailing list. This will allow them to contact you whenever they have a special going on, making it easier to book a cheap vacation.

Look to the State

Most of us forget about state parks and other state offers that pop up, often because these state amusements do not have the same type of public relations people that the more expensive places do. If you are looking for a cheap vacation, why not take your children to a national museum or a park? These places are often very inexpensive to visit and are educational as well, allowing you to spend money on your room while saving money on your activities.

Rent a House

If you are looking for a cheap vacation and you have a number of children, or if you are going on vacation with a number of other people, why not rent a house?  There are tons of different vacation homes and cottages that can be rented, saving you money and giving you a cheap vacation.  For instance, some hotels cost $200 a night, and you may be able to rent a cottage that is large enough for your entire family, or for you and some friends, for $600 for the entire week. This would save you over half of what you would have spent if you rented a hotel room. This is a great way to get a cheap vacation and to have great accommodations while you are at it, and most cottages and cabins are perfect for children, giving you the privacy many children require.

It is not impossible to have a cheap vacation when you have children, you just need to learn to think outside of the box.  Do not always look for a cheap vacation from the mainstream hotel owners and vacation guides, but instead look for a cheap vacation in the places that you would never think to look. Ask other parents what their secret is and, as always, never be afraid to consult with the internet in order to see what other people are doing to get a cheap vacation for the entire family.

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=4937 0
The Best Greece Tour and Travel http://balashiha.su/?p=8320 http://balashiha.su/?p=8320#respond Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:00:09 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=8320 The Best Greece Tour and Travel

This tholos tomb with stone dome, the largest known, was plundered in antiquity. An access passage (dromos), bordered by a peudo-isodome wall, leads to a fa?ade 10.5 metres (34 feet) high. The door opens on to a rotunda, 14.6 metres (48 feet) in diameter and 13.5 metres (44 feet) high, with a masonry domed vault of 33 regular courses; some blocks bore a metal decoration, probably of ‘patera’ form. This door has a pyramidal shape which is also found in Egypt, and which reappears in classical architecture. The lintel is made up of two enormous blocks; the inner one weighs about 120 tons. The void triangle above it is characteristic of Mycenaean architecture: it serves to deflect the thrusts of the upper part of the building on to the supports of the door. No other Mycenaean building can boast such exact stone cutting, nor such refined proportions; not for another 1,000 years in Greece was such technical perfection put at the service of such a grandiose architectural design.

Olympia is one of my favorite’s archaeological sites in all of Greece. You can almost feel the magic of the ancient Olympic Games and service as you stroll around the ruins.

The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC and reached their height of popularity in 576 BC. The festival was open to only Greek born men but latery Romans were allowed to compete most likely because they were running the country by then. Slaves and women were not even allowed to be spectators and women caught sneaking in were thrown off a cliff. The events included foot races, wrestling, discus, javelin, long-jump, horse and chariot racing, and a type of boxing called pancratium. There were not only athletic events but also writing, poetry and history readings, plus business transactions and treaties were made between leaders of city-states.

Meteora is an area in Thessaly (Central Greece) and Kalampaka is the city under

the rock towers of Meteora. The thing that makes Meteora so special is the monasteries on the top of the rock towers. The monasteries, the amound of peaks to climb and the paths for hiking brings in Meteora the whole year many tourists.

The Delphi Museum is situated right next to the ancient site of Delphi, and is a fascinating museum, filled with truly remarkable artifacts, statues and findings from excavations that have taken place in the site of Delphi. The main building of the museum is a shining white marble structure that is very modern, considering the ancient site next door that dates back thousands of years.

On approaching the museum from the walk from the entrance/exit of the archaeological site, you will follow a small path that passes through several relics and tombs located outside of the museum.

Rhodes (Rhodos or Rodos in Greek), lies between Crete and the near East in the Aegean ocean. Rhodes is the biggest of the Dodecanese islands. Named the sun island or island of light there are hardly any days when the sun doesn’t shine. With its subtropical climate and over 3.000 hours of sun per year you can be guaranteed a good tan on your holiday. Rhodes is one of the most popular holiday

islands in Greece – even Greeks themselves come to Rhodes for a holiday from the mainland.

For More Information: http://www.right-travel.com

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=8320 0
What You Should Be Doing In Disneyland – By Best Hotel Deals http://balashiha.su/?p=10688 http://balashiha.su/?p=10688#respond Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:49:06 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=10688 What You Should Be Doing In Disneyland – By Best Hotel Deals

After months of planning, you have finally arrived at your destination namely Disneyland. Now that you are here, it is time for you to enjoy everything it has to offer from the rides, the shows and the fireworks.

You better wake up early so you can be one of the first to enter the amusement park.  This is because there are not that many people but this will change in the afternoon.

Aurora Lillo Editor of the “Best Hotel Deals” website — http://www.BestHotelDeals.biz — pointed out;

“…Before you enter the park, be sure to read the bulletin board because it states what the waiting times are for the popular attractions, which of these are closed or undergoing maintenance and the times of shows and parades…”

Some of the attractions you shouldn’t miss in Disneyland include Animal Kingdom which features some wild animals and exotic plants, shows like Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold, Lion King or a ride down Splash Mountain.

Of course there are other places to check out but if you are traveling with kids, make sure that the attraction is suitable for their age.

You can skip the line though by use a Fastpass ticket which is free and cuts down the waiting time so you can spend the rest of the day doing other things in the park.

Junk food like fries, hotdogs and burgers are usually served at the park. If you are hungry stop going for light snacks, sit down and go for a buffet. This will allow you to have seconds or even thirds which will get you through the day up until dinner time and save you time and money.

“…If you have a camera, you don’t need to buy souvenirs that are sold at the shop. This is because you will hardly use them when you get back home and these will just end up in a drawer or box.  But if you want to buy something, make sure their useful things like perhaps a paperweight…” added A. Lillo.

Don’t leave the park just yet. One thing you shouldn’t miss is the fireworks show which is minutes before closing and done all year. This goes on for a few minutes with an excellent soundtrack playing in the background.

Further information about the cheapest rates on hotels all around the world by visiting; http://www.BestHotelRates.me

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=10688 0
Dublin, Ireland at Christmas http://balashiha.su/?p=2916 http://balashiha.su/?p=2916#respond Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:02:41 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=2916 Dublin, Ireland at Christmas

If you are planning on visting Dublin for Christmas make sure that you are either staying with friends or family, staying at a hotel that is going to be open or renting a self catering property like those advertised on jmlvillas.com

Unlike France, Italy or England it is very difficult to actually eat out, or even get a drink on Christmas day. The reason is that traditionally it is a day when a family is meant to be together.

I tried in both 2007 and 2008 to find a restaurant or hotel that was open for Christmas lunch. It is nearly impossible.

Most hotels close early afternoon on Christmas Eve and don’t usually open again till lunchtime on the day after St Stephens Day (Boxing day) the 27th. The pubs will close early on Christmas Eve and some will open on St Stephens Day. Many Guest Houses and ned and breakfast establishments also closed.
A lot of bar staff in Ireland used to be members of a union and it was agreed therefore that pubs would not open. Although the situation with staff will have changed a lot today, the same rules apply to opening. They don’t!!
I discovered that a hotel in Drumcondra on the way to the airport is open for Christmas Lunch, however their arrangements included a small entertainment variety show. A hotel that is part of an American chain was open as well in the centre for a 4 course brucnh. The price quoted was 160 euro per person without drink or service charges. They had two sittings and if you were a family of five after spending nearly a thouand euro taking the first sitting you would have to vaccate quite quickly to let the second sitting take over.
Another hotel in the centre near Grafton Street that is Irish owned was also open, but by coincidence the price was exactly the same.
Looking outside Dublin, hotels around the country that were open and took guests for 2 or 3 nights were generally much more expensive than they would normally be. I stayed at a fabulous hotel on the west coat for the second time last June. Like the others I discovered their Christmas break prices had gone up considerably.
With the credit crunch biting hard in Ireland, it will be interesting to see if this changes for Christmas 2009.
If you are thinking of taking a break in Ireland over Christmas all of this is worth considering as the only place you might find open on Christmas day is the odd Chinese restaurant or petrol service station.

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=2916 0
The Truth about Travel Insurance http://balashiha.su/?p=8658 http://balashiha.su/?p=8658#respond Sat, 27 Mar 2010 07:22:18 +0000 http://balashiha.su/?p=8658 The Truth about Travel Insurance

You’ve seen it before. The little “click here” box to purchase travel insurance when you buy a plane ticket.  Do you really need to spend that extra $33.95 to insure your trip?  Wandering Betty is here to give you the pros and cons of travel insurance.
There are four types of travel insurance that you can purchase:

  • Trip interruption/cancellation insurance
  • Flight insurance
  • Medical insurance
  • Bad weather or  infectious diseases insurance.

Let’s break it down.
Trip interruption/cancellation insurance provides coverage if the event that your trip does not operate, say if your flight gets cancelled, or if your cruise ship doesn’t sail.  It can also cover trip interruption due to illness, injury, deaths or involuntary job loss.  More comprehensive policies (often with more expensive rates) can also provide coverage if you cancel your trip for any reason, such as an important business conflict, a family obligation or even if you simply change your mind.   Trip interruption/cancellation insurance rates are generally based on your trip cost. 
Deciding when or if to buy trip interruption or cancellation insurance will depend on how much your trip costs.  If your flight is $200, then depending on your fiscal comfortability, you might decide to just forfeit the $200 if something happens.  If you just paid for a $6,500 custom tour of the Mediterranean then trip interruption/cancellation coverage could become very important. 
Check your credit card terms before you buy trip interruption/cancellation insurance from a third party: some credit cards offer trip interruption/cancellation coverage automatically if you purchase the trip on your credit card. 
Flight Insurance, also known as flight accident insurance or travel accident insurance, pays a lump sum in the case of accidental death or certain loss of limbs to your beneficiary or you in the event of a plane accident.  You can also get common carrier accident coverage, which covers accidents occuring on other forms of transportation such as trains, buses or subways.
If you already have life insurance or disability insurance then purchasing flight insurance policy can become redundant.  Make sure to read the fine print to see if you are covered for travel, but in most cases those policies will offer coverage for what you need.  Flight insurance, just like trip interruption or cancellation insurance, can also be offered through your credit card, so it is important to check there as well before purchasing flight insurance from a third party.  
Medical insurance for travel can be the most important insurance available to travelers.  Medical insurance offers coverage for emergency care which can include emergency prescriptions or emergency evacuation.  It is available for a single trip or on an annual basis.  If you have health insurance here in the U.S. it often does not cover medical needs abroad, so it is very important to check your current health insurance for limits in coverage.
Not all medical insurance policies are created alike.  There is a wide variety of coverage and prices as well as host of fine print regarding pre-existing conditions.  This is one policy that your credit card is not likely to cover.  Medical travel insurance is highly recommended for everyone, especially those who are traveling to areas where health care is not accessible or sub-standard.
Adventure travel such as mountain climbing or even snowboarding is often not covered in medical insurance policies, so it is important to check that your policy covers you for all your planned activities.  If not, there are often extra riders that are available.
Bad weather or infectious disease insurance is a policy that offers coverage in the event that inclement weather such as a hurricane, earthquake or fire, as well as trip cancellation due to travel warnings on infectious diseases (i.e. swine flu in Mexico or SARS in China) causes either delay getting to your location or a complete cancellation of your trip.  It only covers bad weather that is unforeseen, so if you purchase bad weather insurance right before you leave and the forecast calls for a hurricane, then your bad weather policy will not cover you.  Timing is everything for this type of insurance.
Make sure to read the fine print for this policy, as with the other forms of insurance.  If your resort is still operating during a hurricane, then you may not be covered if you decide to fly home early.
Deciding on whether or not to purchase bad weather or infectious disease insurance depends on when and where you are going.  If you are headed for your honeymoon in the Caribbean during hurricane season, then bad weather insurance becomes very important. 
Tips before you purchase:

Check your credit card for policies that are already available to you free of charge.  No need to purchase the same insurance if you are already covered.
Read the fine print!  Know what you are buying and make sure it covers what you need.
Do research on the travel insurance company you are about to purchase from.  Do they have good user reviews regarding claims?  Check their status at the better business bureau or through A.M. Best, an international insurance rating agency. 
Check to see if the insurance company has offices and doctors in the area you are traveling to.   Do they have English-speaking service providers available so you can communicate with them?
Shop around.  Not all policies are alike, and they all charge different rates.  Do yourself a favor and research for the best price and policy for your needs. 

]]>
http://balashiha.su/?feed=rss2&p=8658 0