Don’t be excluded! Know what your travel insurance covers—and more importantly, what it doesn’t.

Many people who travel, especially in the United States, do not know what their travel insurance covers. It's important to know what your policy covers and what it does not cover so that you can avoid any complications or claims that may arise.

As part of her research for the article "How To Avoid Travel Insurance Scams", Jenni put together a list of some common things people are often misinformed about when it comes to travel insurance. In this blog post, she will explain each one in detail, with examples from real-life experience and suggestions on how to avoid financial loss due to misunderstanding or miscommunication between a traveler and an insurer.

Some people think only those with paid medical insurance or those with "medical evacuation" coverage are covered. Many people do not know that the vast majority of travel insurance policies—including all major travel insurance companies—cover most medical expenses for non-attendance from a primary care physician or specialist. Some policies will even cover specialized or "out-of-network" treatment.

People often believe that if they have to cancel their trip and reschedule it, they will lose the cost of that trip. In most cases, this is false. In fact, travel insurance policies have "cancel for any reason" or "rescue and assistance" coverage. This means that if you have to cancel or reschedule due to any reason—including illness or injury—your insurer will reimburse you for your prepaid trip costs. Read your policy carefully to know the terms of the policy.

People also think that if they can only get a short-term medical policy, it will cover their foreign travel needs. Typically, short-term medical insurance does not cover foreign travel so it's important to read your policy carefully and understand how it works before purchasing it.

Everyone should have travel insurance coverage, even if they are healthy and think they don't need it. Many people do not realize that their medical coverage could be taken away due to a pre-existing condition, or that they could lose their health insurance all together if they get hurt or sick while on the road. Jenni stresses the importance of being prepared in case something bad happens without a plan in place.

Source: http://www.jenniferbowerman.com/blog/how-to-avoid-travel-insurance-scams/

Posted by: Nathan at 2:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment

A big part of travelling is enjoying the food that you eat. That can be difficult when you are on a budget and travelling in countries that do not cater to your culture, especially if you want to eat authentic food.

I was in India for the first time a couple of months ago, and I was disappointed by the lack of variety, both in terms of cuisine as well as restaurants. During most of my trip, I could only find one or two restaurants that served any Indian food (mostly “Indian” fast-food), which was disappointing because I had never been able to find decent Indian food anywhere else.

I am lucky enough to have a great family who are good cooks (indian vegetarian food is my specialty). So, while I was in India, I tried to eat at home as often as I could. However, there are still times when you want to eat out.

At lunchtime, you can usually find someone selling pakora on the streets. It is basically a battered vegetable dipped in gram flour and fried and served with chutney (mint/peanut chutney is my favourite) for about Rs.10 ($0.20) per piece. On the last day of my trip, I was trying to find one of those vendors when I stumbled upon a more upscale restaurant.

One of the waiters came and asked if we would like to look at the menu. We looked at it for a couple of minutes (it was a minute before 2:00 pm), and then my family decided that they would have some lunch.

I ordered a plate of vegetable pakora, naan bread with butter, and two cups of rice. The cost was Rs.140 ($3.60).

The naan bread arrived first, so I dug in while I waited for the pakora. As I waited, I had to keep wondering if the pakora were going to be good. The heat of the chutney created a burning sensation in my mouth, and I had to hold back from drooling with anticipation.

After the waiter put my veggie pakora on the table (it was a veggie fritter with vegetables mixed in and lightly battered), I took a bite. Holy shit! This was some good food! The batter was light, not at all greasy or oily, and tasted very fresh. The vegetables were tender and tasty. My parents love Indian food, so they really appreciated it as well (my mom got some of my plate).

However, that is not the only reason that this pakora was good.

I have eaten a lot of pakora in my time. Any time I had some, the edges would be burnt. Plus, because they were deep-fried, they would become chewy and hard to eat after being left out for too long—never mind how long the vegetable pakora sat for before it was served to me (it wasn’t very long).

After lunch, I went to see what else there was in the city. I didn’t want to go back to the hotel because it was too hot and humid. I had a good walk around trying to find a place that was both cool and had something cool to sell. Anything that was cold was sold out.

After passing many places, I found some ice cream bars at some of the restaurants (the ones that were selling Indian fast food). There were only three flavors left: Strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. In India, they sell lassi—an indian yogurt drink—as a dessert (a yogurt shake with spices). However, I didn’t feel like lassi, which is why I decided on the ice cream bars instead.

I bought one strawberry bar for Rs.

Conclusion

I had a great time in India, and I learned many things from the people that I met. One of the best things to take away from my trip is how much food was available, even when there were no restaurants or shops that sold Indian food. There are many things to eat in India, and if you are willing to try something new, you can always find something different and good to eat.

Indian Indians

I am fortunate enough to have a great family who loves to try new foods/cuisines and cook them for those around them. My mom is an excellent cook, so when she visits a new place (she likes to explore), she will fill her suitcase with recipes that we can use in the kitchen back home.